Beginner Guide to get started with Pokémon Sword & Shield
Pokémon is a worldwide known videogame saga that during its extensive trajectory that began in 1996, it has earned a very prominent place in the videogame industry, and many of its colorful “Pocket Monsters” began to be part of today’s popular culture. The main games of the Pokémon saga share the same style of play, where the players will take the role of a Pokémon Trainer and venture throughout the region of the game until they become the best trainer of that place, while along the way they will be able to capture all kinds of wild Pokémon and will have to constantly face other trainers.
Today the Pokémon saga continues to maintain its great popularity thanks to its eighth generation (the most recent of all) represented by the Pokémon Sword & Shield videogames, which have stood out for their constant DLC and online multiplayer features.
Although Pokémon Sword & Shield continues to maintain the same style of play as its predecessors, this generation also introduced a lot of revolutionary features to the saga that may be a little unknown to more experienced Pokémon players, and even more so to those who are just starting out with this Game Freak franchise.
Having said that, it is important to know how to take advantage of all the features and help offered by this game to correctly start this adventure in Galar, so below is a guide with five essential facts for those who are starting to play Pokémon Sword & Shield.
How to get the most out of your Rotom Phone
The Rotom Phone is one of the most important tools of this generation of Pokémon since besides fulfilling the function of Pokédex (registry of all the Pokémon found in the game), it also includes quite useful characteristics that will facilitate a lot the task of catching new Pokémon, so it is extremely important to know how to take advantage of this tool during the adventure.
One of the most basic recommendations on the use of the Rotom Phone is to customize the position of all its functions according to our preferences. To do this you must enter the main menu interface and press the Y button, which will allow you to reorganize the entire Rotom Phone. This will be quite useful to be able to access in a faster and more intuitive way the functions that we need the most during the whole game.
Among the most useful functions of the Rotom Phone is the habitat system, since it will allow us to know in which areas of Galar will be more likely to find a specific Pokémon that we have seen previously, which will facilitate the task of finding the Pokémon we want. You only have to open the Pokédex and press the X button on the selected Pokémon to know its habitat.
During combat, it is advisable to always observe the small letters that appear when attacking or changing the Pokémon, as each attack in Sword & Shield also shows its level of effectiveness against the rival Pokémon, as long as you have a previous battle record. Knowing the effectiveness of the attacks will help enormously to obtain the victories in the confrontations.
Know the Pokémon strength and weakness chart
One of the most basic, but important concepts that must be known in any main videogame of this franchise is the Pokémon strength and weakness chart (also called as Type chart), since each type of Pokémon has its weak and strong points, such as: Plant type Pokémon are very weak against fire type attacks, but very resistant to water type attacks.
The best way to know the type chart is simply by looking it up on the internet. Although it is difficult to know the strengths and weaknesses of all Pokémon types (since there are many), it is advisable to know some of them, since that way you can form an effective Pokémon team against any adversary and also you can know at what moment our Pokémon are in advantage or disadvantage. In addition, Sword & Shield makes things a little easier by showing the mentioned level of effectiveness in the movements, so you can know when an attack is the opponent’s weak point and when it is not. It should also be mentioned that knowing the type chart is indispensable for winning in competitive online battles.
How to take advantage of the weather factor
One of the main characteristics of Pokémon Sword & Shield is the meteorological factor, because depending on the weather during some area, the course of the battles can be affected in that place, along with the wild Pokémon that can be obtained, since there are some that only appear during a specific weather.
That said, it is possible to know what the weather is like anywhere in Galar if we look at the map of the Pokédex and press the + button, which can be very useful when you want to get a specific temporary Pokémon.
How to get money effectively
In Pokémon Sword & Shield money is extremely important, because with it we can get any item we need during the trip, such as potions, Pokeballs, clothes, TM, among others. For that reason, it is advisable to dedicate some time to perform tasks that provide money. Here are some common methods to get money at Pokémon Sword & Shield:
One of the main methods to get a lot of money in this videogame is to explore the water areas a lot until you find shiny spots, as these can be big pearls, nuggets or other valuable items, which can be sold in the shops.
Another common way to get money is by taking on other Pokémon trainers, as we will always be rewarded for our victories. But, the coaches that offer more money are the Gym Leaders and the Gentleman.
You can also sell almost all the items that are represented with a coin in the bag, since these only have the function of being sold (except for fossils, mushrooms, among others).
How to fish effectively
The main way to get water-type Pokémon is by fishing, so it is highly advisable to master this activity when you are starting this adventure. Fishing is quite simple, but even so it is necessary to know some recommendations that can be extremely useful, especially for those who are not very used to the Pokémon games.
First of all, it should be explained that in Pokémon Sword & Shield, players already own a fishing rod from the beginning, which did not happen in the previous generations of Pokémon, so it is only necessary to explain how to fish and where to do it.
The areas where you can fish are the rivers, lakes and seas, where on the banks it is possible to observe some bubbles that stop when we approach. Those bubbling points are precisely the places where you should place your fishing rod. Just press the action button to lower the rod at that point and press it again when an exclamation mark appears on our character’s head. After finding the Pokémon, you’ll have to battle it until you can capture it with the Pokeball, like any wild Pokémon.
When fishing, it is recommended to catch the Pokémon with specialized Pokeballs, such as the Lure Ball or the Dive Ball, as these will greatly increase the chances of catching them.
Having said all that, it is hoped that this guide with recommendations for Pokémon Sword & Shield will be of great help to those who are recently venturing out with their Pokémon in the Galar region. Also, do not forget to check our other articles and guides about Nintendo Switch games.
