SwSh Sword & Shield: Expansion Pass

[Bolt Strike]

Spoiler

So, I did the Regi quest, it was okay, I got stuck on Registeel, thinking there was a specific sound-based move that I needed on my Pokemon, but it turns out whistling was the method needed, Regice was also a pain to catch, the second Pokemon I have ever encountered who ran out of moves to use. Still irks me that I need to trade to get access to another Pokemon even in this generation. In this case, getting Regigigas will require trading, which is annoying.

Spoiler

Registeel's gave me fits too. I was on my bike when I was doing that puzzle and tried ringing my bike bell (which would make sense, because the clue mentions letting a sound "ring" which implies a bell), but that didn't work. So I had to look it up and find that you had to get off your bike and whistle to solve the riddle. Like, why? Why can't I use the bike whistle?

 

[BigBadButterfree]

Ok, so I finished the main story parts and overall I like this DLC, but I do have to complain about one major thing.

Spoiler

The awful mess that is matchmaking for Dynamax adventures. I have one friend that plays this game. Similar to when we used to do max raids together, we want to do these together. However, for some stupid reason, this mode is different from the max raids, despite the matching screen looking exactly the same. There are no stamps to join. I can connect to him directly if we both use a code, but then we're stuck with two computers. So basically we ended up just pressing the "invite others" button at the same time and just hoping we randomly match, so that we can also get 2 more human players. It worked a couple times, but why is it like this?? These adventures take a significant amount of strategy so you NEED human partners to do well, especially when trying endless. We did a couple attempts with just the two of us and 2 computers. It did NOT go well. I'm just baffled at this poor design choice, ESPECIALLY since a better way to do it already exists in the game in how max raids are set up.

Ok, rant over.

 

[Esserise]

Finally got Oleana to show up last night, which leads me to believe that her scene trigger is either dependent on the weather (unlikely, but for me it was a snowstorm for what that's worth), or there really is just some randomization factor that determines when she shows up. Nothing else changed between now and the last time I went looking.

Ok, so I finished the main story parts and overall I like this DLC, but I do have to complain about one major thing.

Spoiler

The awful mess that is matchmaking for Dynamax adventures. I have one friend that plays this game. Similar to when we used to do max raids together, we want to do these together. However, for some stupid reason, this mode is different from the max raids, despite the matching screen looking exactly the same. There are no stamps to join. I can connect to him directly if we both use a code, but then we're stuck with two computers. So basically we ended up just pressing the "invite others" button at the same time and just hoping we randomly match, so that we can also get 2 more human players. It worked a couple times, but why is it like this?? These adventures take a significant amount of strategy so you NEED human partners to do well, especially when trying endless. We did a couple attempts with just the two of us and 2 computers. It did NOT go well. I'm just baffled at this poor design choice, ESPECIALLY since a better way to do it already exists in the game in how max raids are set up.

Ok, rant over.

Yeah... it took me a good while to puzzle out how to even make a Dynamax Adventure happen on local multiplayer. I can't believe there's not even a stamp for it.

 

[venusboi79]

I’m actually not sure how I get live people invited in Adventures. I just press “invite others” while online, and they show up. I have no idea how I’d get invited randomly. Hopefully my bff decides to dive back into Sword, because I’m going to need the version exclusives.

 

[Puddle]

Spoiler

So, I did the Regi quest, it was okay, I got stuck on Registeel, thinking there was a specific sound-based move that I needed on my Pokemon, but it turns out whistling was the method needed, Regice was also a pain to catch, the second Pokemon I have ever encountered who ran out of moves to use. Still irks me that I need to trade to get access to another Pokemon even in this generation. In this case, getting Regigigas will require trading, which is annoying.

You can actually get the other Pokemon without trading, if you make a new save file on a different user account. It's still a hassle though, I agree! If we can get both without trading anyway, then why not let us catch them both on the same file instead of having to play through the game twice?

 

[Daren]

Dynamax Adventure story:

Spoiler

The Legendary at the end is a Dragon type, so I beeline for the Ice Type--turns out to be Abomasnow.
My last opponent before him ends up being a Nidoking. I catch it, see that it has High Horsepower and the Elemental Punches and a strange premonition tells me to swap, so I do.

The boss turns out to be Reshiram. Thanks to The King he's pretty easy and my first box legendary adventure capture.

 

[Minya_Nouvelle]

I’m actually not sure how I get live people invited in Adventures. I just press “invite others” while online, and they show up. I have no idea how I’d get invited randomly. Hopefully my bff decides to dive back into Sword, because I’m going to need the version exclusives.

I think the wording is just confusing and by "invite others" it really means "form a group with online players" If that makes sense.

 

[venusboi79]

I think the wording is just confusing and by "invite others" it really means "form a group with online players" If that makes sense.

I realized this last night, when I ended up in a Sword exclusive Raid. I have Shield, but two of my battles were Sword exclusives.

The wording should be much clearer, especially if they don’t give you the option to join via the Y comm.

 

[Puddle]

I've only taken part in a couple of Galarian Star Tournaments so far, but I'm in love with the feature already. I completely agree with this review - it's the perfect postgame activity for people like myself who prefer to play alone. I like being able to wear my own outfit in a stadium at last, and the Multi Battle format makes Dynamaxing less predictable because either of your opponents can use it, and your partner can use it before you do. It makes you empathise with the characters, as well - I teamed up with Marnie and felt bad for her when her Pokemon kept getting knocked out, which made me determined to help her win!

The only thing I don't like is how you can use a full team of 6 Pokemon, resulting in a 9 vs 6 battle. I've started bringing in a team of only 3 Pokemon to make it fairer, and this actually makes the battles quite challenging, if your Pokemon's levels are roughly the same as your opponents'. I've had a few tough scrapes, even with healing items. I was using an all-Flying team though so maybe that racked up the difficulty a notch.

 

[Defiant]

Spoiler

"So this is Ho-oh, the one with rainbow coloured wings, theres red for sure, some white and some yellow. A few hues short of a rainbow though isnt it?"

Thank you PEONY, so glad someones finally said it lmfao, thought since I was a kid.

 

[Shib]

makes Dynamaxing less predictable because either of your opponents can use it, and your partner can use it before you do.

I wouldn’t say it’s less predictable because there is a set pattern to how the NPCs use it, but even knowing that pattern it still adds a challenge if the dynamax option doesn’t land at the right time.

 

[Puddle]

Now that the bundled editions of Sword and Shield + the Expansion Pass are out, do we have any info on their compatibility with the original copies of the game? I'm currently playing an original copy of Sword with the digital Expansion Pass installed, and I'm curious to know whether I could continue playing with the same save file if sold my original copy, and bought the bundled version (because I prefer having everything on a physical cartridge).

Edit: I've found a video on YouTube demonstrating how it works. The bundled copies are compatible with the original copies, and you can keep playing with your original save file.

 

[RC821]

Now that the bundled editions of Sword and Shield + the Expansion Pass are out, do we have any info on their compatibility with the original copies of the game? I'm currently playing an original copy of Sword with the digital Expansion Pass installed, and I'm curious to know whether I could continue playing with the same save file if sold my original copy, and bought the bundled version (because I prefer having everything on a physical cartridge).

Edit: I've found a video on YouTube demonstrating how it works. The bundled copies are compatible with the original copies, and you can keep playing with your original save file.

Yeah. It's a bummer that the games and the DLC are overpriced. The DLC should be free of charge.

 

[prog rocker]

The DLC should be free of charge.

I think only indie devs do that...

 

[Esserise]

I think only indie devs do that...

Technically, Animal Crossing has been rolling out free updates every few months for a while now. But it's kind of a different beast there - a lot of the stuff that's added is seasonal stuff that they might not have wanted people to have premature access to by forwarding the system clock, and a lot of other features are ones that were in New Leaf but weren't able to be included into New Horizons in time. If they charged for that stuff, it actually would be what some people accuse Pokémon of doing and "selling back cut content"

You can disagree with the exact price, but there's no way in hell the Pokémon DLC would ever be free of charge. Production-wise, it's a separate project and has been explicitly positioned as a replacement for third versions - expecting the DLC to be free is like expecting them to hand out free copies of Emerald or Platinum. Of course, you can still get access to all of the DLC's reintroduced Pokémon species (and even the new ones if you find someone willing to trade) without paying anything, but if you want to partake of the actual new content, that's going to cost you.

All that said, with Minecraft, Mojang Studios is pretty baller when it comes to additional free content, really going above and beyond what I think would be expected of them, and they're not by any means an indie group.

 

[BackSet]

Kirby: Star Allies had free DLC. How's that taste, Champion's Ballad and SwSh DLC.

 

[prog rocker]

Kirby: Star Allies had free DLC. How's that taste, Champion's Ballad and SwSh DLC.

Depends. How big is it in scale?

 

[BackSet]

Depends. How big is it in scale?

It was kind of like the fighters pass but free. Oh and they added an extra mode in the last one.

 

[Puddle]

Yeah. It's a bummer that the games and the DLC are overpriced. The DLC should be free of charge.

I agree that Sword and Shield are way overpriced. A new copy of Ultra Sun or Ultra Moon would have cost about £38 in the UK, whereas copies of Sword and Shield with the Expansion Pass are currently retailing at £65 at the cheapest.

I also feel that I've been completely screwed over by the new DLC system, because if I'd have known physical bundles were coming later, I would never have bought a digital expansion pass, and might never have bought the original copies of Sword and Shield either. I resent the idea of digital-only content, and like the added security of having everything on a physical cartridge. I feel like I've wasted my money and should have waited. People shouldn't be penalised for being loyal to a brand and buying things on release day.

 

[prog rocker]

I also feel that I've been completely screwed over by the new DLC system, because if I'd have known physical bundles were coming later, I would never have bought a digital expansion pass, and might never have bought the original copies of Sword and Shield either. I resent the idea of digital-only content, and like the added security of having everything on a physical cartridge. I feel like I've wasted my money and should have waited. People shouldn't be penalised for being loyal to a brand and buying things on release day.

I actually feel the opposite, dude. By the having the expansions be digital the people that bought early could upgrade. Compare with the third versions, where if you bought early you were screwed because no way to update beside buying the same game again.