Pokemon Sword and Shield complete guide and walkthrough

(Image credit: Nintendo)

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Pokemon Sword and Shield guide

Here's our complete Pokemon Sword and Shield guide! We've got all the essentials you could need on your journey to becoming a Pokemon Master in Sword and Shield when it comes to guides, from details on the Wild Area and camping, to locations for specific Pokemon, how to evolve Pokemon, and more. You can find all of those below, and then browse through our complete Pokemon Sword and Shield walkthrough from page two onwards - this is your ultimate companion for your Pokemon Sword and Shield playthrough.

Make sure you click on each of the headers to reach the individual guides!

Pokemon Sword and Shield differences

Everything you need to know to help you decide whether to get Pokemon Sword or Pokemon Shield, including exclusive Pokemon, version differences, and more.

Pokemon Sword and Shield starters

Pokemon Sword and Shield walkthrough — (Image credit: Nintendo)

Sobble, Grookey or Scorbunny? That's the biggest question that you'll have and we can answer. We'll guide you through the pros and cons of each, and show you their final evolutions too, as that's a key part of the decision.

Pokemon Sword and Shield tips

Pokemon Sword and Shield Wild Area guide — (Image credit: Nintendo)

14 essential tips that'll you'll need before heading into Galar, ranging from some on camping and the Wild Area, to other things you should be aware of as you traverse Galar.

Best Pokemon in Pokemon Sword and Shield

"Best" has a subjective definition but in this case, we've taken a look at the top 10 strongest Pokemon in the game.

Pokemon Sword and Shield Wild Area

The Pokemon Sword and Shield Wild Area is an enormous area right in the middle of Galar, and it's here where you can find other trainers, take part in max raid battles, catch extremely rare Pokemon, and more. Our Wild Area guide has all of the wild Pokemon you can find along with what you can do in each area.

Pokemon Sword and Shield Gym Leaders

A full runthrough of all the Galarian Gym Leaders, their type focus, and the Pokemon they'll be packing in their party, as well as a quick guide on what their Gym Mission consists of.

Pokemon Sword and Shield legendaries

Knowing which legendaries are in each game can be a crucial aspect to the buying decision, so we've got the details on each of the legendaries in Pokemon Sword and Shield right here.

Pokemon Sword and Shield camping

Everything you need to know about camping, currys, and keeping your Pokemon fed and happy, all in one place.

Pokemon Sword and Shield currydex

Here's all of the Pokemon Sword and Shield curry recipes in the game; yep, we've cooked 'em all and completed our currydex with all 151 recipes. This is how you make every single curry.

Pokemon Sword and Shield rare Pokemon

There's plenty of rare Pokemon to be found in Galar, but which ones are the absolute rarest? We've got 10 of the hardest to find pocket monsters in Pokemon Sword and Shield listed here, along with the details on how to find them.

Pokemon Sword and Shield shiny hunting

Pokemon Sword and Shield shiny Delibird — (Image credit: Nintendo/Prosafia Gaming via YouTube)

Hardcore Pokemon Sword and Shield players will have one goal in mind from the outset: catch as many shiny Pokemon as possible. There's specific tricks you need to use to go shiny hunting in Pokemon Sword and Shield though, and we've got a guide that breaks down exactly how it works.

Pokemon Sword and Shield fossils

There's a bunch of different fossils you can find in the game to combine together and make different Pokemon, and we've got the full list and how to get them.

Pokemon Sword and Shield Mystery Gift codes

There's a number of Pokemon Sword and Shield Mystery Gift codes available now for redemption, so check out our guide to how they work and all of the available codes you can use to get some new items.

Gigantamax Pokemon

Pokemon Sword and Shield Gigantamax forms — (Image credit: Nintendo)

Alongside the new Dynamax forms, some Pokemon can Gigantamax, which alters their appearance alongside their size. This list has all of the Gigantamax forms, along with where to get them.

Pokemon Sword and Shield evolution items

(Image credit: Pokemon Sword and Shield)

To complete your Pokedex, you're going to need to evolve all of the Pokemon that require different evolution stones. There's a serious number of them, so this guide contains links to each of our individual evolution item guides.

Pokemon Sword and Shield Glowing Pokemon

While exploring Galar, you may have spotted Pokemon with a yellow glow around them. If you're unsure what this means or why these Pokemon are special, our guide has the lowdown on these "Brilliant Pokemon".

Pokemon Sword and Shield den locations

Pokemon Sword and Shield dens are the places you can tackle max raid battles and obtain watts in the Wild Area, and we've got the location of every single den here.

Pokemon Sword and Shield Watt Trader locations

There's also a bunch of Watt Traders in the Pokemon Sword and Shield Wild Area, and we've got all the locations you can find them to spend your hard earned watts.

Pokemon Sword and Shield TM locations

There's 100 TMs in Pokemon Sword and Shield and believe it or not, we've got the list of every single locations right here.

How to soft reset Pokemon Sword and Shield

If you're a hardcore Pokemon player and you're grinding for high IV Pokemon or shinies, you'll need to know how to soft reset the game to increase your chances.

Pokemon Sword and Shield Turffield riddle

The Turffield riddle is given to you by a girl in Turffield, and we've got the complete solution so you can dig up the treasure.

Pokemon Sword and Shield Fiery Spirit outfit

Pokemon Sword and Shield fiery outfit — (Image credit: Nintendo)

When you make it to Ballonlea, you'll find a chap who wants to become a Fire-type Pokemon. You need to equip the right outfit to help him achieve his dreams, and our guide has the details on what you need.

How to get Charmander in Pokemon Sword and Shield

Everyone loves Charmander, and you can get him in Pokemon Sword and Shield via this method.

Pokemon Sword and Shield Ditto

Ditto is required to breed Pokemon at the nursery and farm for eggs, and we've got the details on where to catch the pink blob.

Pokemon Sword and Shield Dreepy

Dreepy may not look particularly impressive at first glance, but when you evolve this Dragon-type into Drakloak then Dragapult, it becomes one of the strongest Pokemon in the game. Our guide has everything you need to know including where to catch Dreepy and how to evolve it.

Pokemon Sword and Shield Rotom

Rotom is the Electric-type Pokemon that can transform into a number of household appliances with the Rotom Catalog and you can learn how to get Rotom in Pokemon Sword and Shield with our guide.

Pokemon Sword and Shield Feebas

Much like Magikarp and Gyarados, Feebas may not look like much, but it evolves into the magnificent Milotic. Catching a Feebas isn't easy though, so make sure you follow our guide so you know where to look.

Pokemon Sword and Shield Type Null

Type: Null is a legendary Pokemon first introduced in Generation VII, and you can obtain it in Pokemon Sword and Shield as a gift. Read our complete guide to find out how.

Pokemon Sword and Shield Ponyta

Galarian Ponyta forgoes the traditional Fire-type in favour of the Psychic-type, and also turns into a much more unicorn-esque Pokemon. This is how you catch Ponyta in Pokemon Sword and Shield.

How to evolve Linoone in Pokemon Sword and Shield

Obstagoon is the new Fighting-type Galarian evolution for Linoone but it evolves in a special fashion. Here's how you can evolve Linoone in Pokemon Sword and Shield.

How to evolve Darumaka in Pokemon Sword and Shield

Galarian Darumaka forgoes the fire and flames for an ice cold appearance instead in Pokemon Sword and Shield, and just like Linoone into Obstagoon, we've got the lowdown on how you evolve the chilly chonkster.

How to evolve Milcery in Pokemon Sword and Shield

Alcremie is the evolved form of Milcery, but did you know there's 63 different forms of Alcremie? Yeah... follow our guide to learn how to get every single one.

How to evolve Farfetch'd in Pokemon Sword and Shield

If you get your hands on a Farfetch'd in Pokemon Sword and Shield, it now has an evolution! That's right, you can evolve your Farfetch'd into Sirfetch'd following this unique method.

Pokemon Sword and Shield Beast Ball

The Beast Ball in Pokemon Sword and Shield is a strange concept, because while it has a use in previous games, it's simply a token item right now in Galar. Despite that, this guide shows you how to get it.

Pokemon Sword and Shield Oval Charm

The Oval Charm is useful for one thing; increasing the chance of finding an egg at the nursery, so it's an essential item for those of you who just love breeding Pokemon and hunting for shinies.

Pokemon Sword and Shield Destiny Knot

Another item for the dedicated Pokemon trainers out there, the Destiny Knot has two purposes; it makes other Pokemon infatuated when a Pokemon holds it, but the crucial effect is how it allows Pokemon to pass down five Individual Values (IVs) when breeding. Check out the full guide for more information.

Pokemon Sword and Shield Ability Capsule

Another clever item, the Ability Capsule allows you to switch abilities between certain Pokemon, and our guide explains exactly how it works and how to get it.

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