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About The Wild Area¶

The Wild Area is a large landmass that spans the central part of the Galar Region from south to north. As you progress through the story of Pokémon Sword and Shield you’ll gain access to new zones within this area. You’ll find all manner of Pokémon in each zone, many exclusive to the region and some of the more stronger Pokémon will wander the areas waiting to be caught. You’ll also find Berry Trees that you can shake in order to help fill your Curry Dex or can be used for your Pokémon to hold.

Additionally, if you connect to the internet, you’ll see other Trainers running around the area, you can interact with them to obtain items. Finally, you’ll find Pokémon Dens in these areas that emit a beam of light, examining these will reward you with Watts, a currency that can be spent at certain merchants and allow you to initiate a Raid Battle.

These battles will test up to four trainers, online or offline, against a Dynamax Pokémon and you’ll be able to see the Type and difficulty (represented by a ☆) before you begin the battle. These battles will allow you to catch special Pokémon and receive items you might not receive in other places so they’re well worth tracking down.

The Weather¶

You may notice that the weather plays a large part in the Wild Area and you can see what particular weather each zone has by accessing the map and pressing the [+ Button]. Weather not only affects conditions in battle but also the Pokémon you’ll come into contact with, some will only appear in certain weather conditions so keep an eye on it as you enter each zone.

Strong Pokémon¶

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Onix is the first example of a Strong Pokemon in the Wild Area.

As you wander around the Wild Area, you may notice unique Pokémon wandering about and if they spot you, they’ll give chase. These are known as Strong Pokémon when you first enter an area and although in some situations you may be strong enough to defeat them, you’ll need to meet a specific requirement to be able to attempt to catch them.

Once you receive your League Card, you’ll see at the bottom of it “This Trainer can catch Pokémon of up to Lv.20”. The first Strong Pokémon you encounter in the Wild Area is an Onix at Lv 26 meaning you won’t be able to catch it straight away. You can however increase the Lv cap on this by completing the Gyms, the first Gym for example will raise your cap to Lv 25. As you complete each Gym, you’ll raise the cap by another five Levels so you’ll need to press on with the story and return to the Wild Area at frequent intervals throughout your adventure.

Strong Pokémon are also at the mercy of the weather conditions too, some won’t show their faces unless there is a specific weather condition or you’ll need to unlock other methods of travel to encounter some of them.