You’re standing on Route 6, staring at Dr. Cara Liss and her bizarre machine, wondering why on earth you can't find a single fossilized drake pokemon sword players supposedly have access to. It’s frustrating. You’ve probably spent thousands of Watts at the Digging Duo, watched your character swing that shovel until your own thumb hurt, and all you’ve got to show for it is a mountain of Fossilized Birds and Dinos.
Is it a glitch? Did Game Freak lie to us?
No. But the math is definitely stacked against you.
Honestly, the way fossils work in Galar is a bit of a mess. Unlike previous generations where you just revived a single rock into a cute Omanyte or a Kabuto, Sword and Shield forces you to play mad scientist. You take a top half and a bottom half, mash them together, and pray the result doesn't look like it's in constant physical pain. Spoiler: they always look like they're in pain.
The Version Exclusive Myth (and the Reality)
Let’s clear this up immediately because there is so much bad info floating around on old forums. People will tell you the Fossilized Drake is "exclusive" to Pokémon Shield.
That is sort of true. And also totally false.
If you are playing Pokémon Shield, the game basically throws Drake fossils at you. An NPC in the Stow-on-Side Pokémon Center just hands you two of them for free. It’s easy. In Pokémon Sword, that same guy gives you Bird fossils.
However, "rare" does not mean "exclusive." You can get a fossilized drake pokemon sword side without trading, but you have to be ready for a grind that feels like trying to find a needle in a haystack—if the haystack was made of useless Stardust and Hard Stones.
Where the Drake Hides in Sword
You have exactly one reliable source for these in Sword: the Digging Duo in Bridge Field (Wild Area).
Specifically, you need the Skill Brother. He’s the one on the left. The Stamina Brother on the right is great for quantity, but he literally cannot find the Drake or Fish fossils in the Sword version. Don't waste your Watts on him if you're hunting for Dracovish or Dracozolt.
The Skill Brother has a massive loot table. In Pokémon Sword, his odds for a Fossilized Drake are somewhere around 1.5%.
Think about those odds for a second. You could dig fifty times and never see one. You’ll see plenty of Rare Bones. You’ll get enough Evolution Stones to start a jewelry store. But that Drake piece? It’s the white whale of the Galar Wild Area.
Why You Actually Want This Thing
Why put yourself through this? Two words: Fishious Rend.
Okay, technically that’s for Dracovish, which requires the Fossilized Fish and the Fossilized Drake. If you’re looking for Dracozolt, you need the Bird and the Drake.
Dracovish, in particular, became a competitive nightmare. It’s a Water/Dragon type that deals double damage if it moves first. Since it has the Strong Jaw ability, that damage becomes astronomical. We’re talking about a Pokémon that can one-shot resists.
It's essentially a prehistoric nuke.
But to build this monster in Sword, you’re forced to find that Drake piece. Most players give up and just ask a friend with Shield to send a Pokémon holding the item. That’s the "smart" way. But if you’re a solo player or just stubborn, you’re stuck with the Skill Brother.
Efficiency: How to Farm Watts Without Going Insane
Since the drop rate is so low, you need a lot of attempts. A "lot" usually means upwards of 20,000 to 50,000 Watts just to see a single Drake fossil.
Back in the day, we used the "Day Skipping" glitch at Raid Dens to farm Watts. In 2026, many of those older exploits are well-documented, but the fastest legitimate way is still hitting every purple beam you see. If you have the Isle of Armor DLC, talk to Digging Pa. He can sometimes net you hundreds of thousands of Watts in a single go if he gets on a roll.
Take those Watts back to Bridge Field.
Step-by-Step "The Hard Way"
- Fly to the Bridge Field nursery.
- Turn off "Auto-Save" in your settings (trust me).
- Save manually in front of the Skill Brother (the left one).
- Spend 10,000 Watts.
- Check your bag. Did a fossilized drake pokemon sword drop appear?
- If no, close the game and restart.
This isn't just about saving Watts; it’s about saving your sanity. If you spend 50k Watts and get nothing, you just wasted hours of raiding time.
The Dark Humor of Galar Fossils
It’s worth mentioning just how weird these Pokémon are. Cara Liss—her name is literally a pun on "careless"—doesn't care that she’s putting a dragon tail on a fish head.
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Dracozolt is particularly sad. It’s a tiny, shivering bird-like top half attached to a massive, thumping dragon lower body. It looks like it’s constantly about to tip over.
The Fossilized Drake provides that lower half. It’s the "Dragon" part of the equation. In the lore of the game, these parts supposedly don't even belong to the same era, but the machine forces them into a living creature anyway.
It’s kind of dark if you think about it too long.
Common Misconceptions to Ignore
You might see people saying you can find fossils on the ground as hidden items. While the Dusty Bowl does have some fossil spawns, they are almost always the version-common ones. In Sword, that means more Birds and Dinos.
Don't spend four hours running in circles in the Dusty Bowl hoping for a Drake. It’s a trap.
Also, some players think the weather affects the Digging Duo's rates. It doesn't. Rain, snow, or sandstorms won't help you find a Drake. The Skill Brother is a creature of pure RNG (Random Number Generation). He doesn't care about the weather; he only cares about your Watts and your suffering.
What to Do Once You Have the Drake
Once you finally beat the odds and snag that fossilized drake pokemon sword drop, head to Route 6.
Cara Liss is standing near the campsite. Talk to her. She’ll ask which fossils you want to combine.
- Drake + Fish = Dracovish (The competitive king).
- Drake + Bird = Dracozolt (The glass cannon).
A Note on Shiny Hunting
If you’re looking for a Shiny version, be prepared for a slog. These fossils are NOT affected by the Shiny Charm. The odds are a flat 1 in 4,096.
The most efficient way to shiny hunt is to gather about 50 to 100 of each fossil first. Save in front of Cara Liss, mash the A button until you’ve revived them all, then check your Pokédex for the shiny icons. If none show up, reset the game.
It is a test of patience that has broken many trainers.
Actionable Next Steps
If you are sitting there right now with zero Drake fossils in your Sword version, here is your path forward.
First, go to the Isle of Armor and visit Digging Pa to maximize your Watt count; you’re going to need at least 30,000 to be safe. Next, fly back to the Bridge Field in the Wild Area and speak only to the brother on the left. Don't get distracted by the Stamina brother’s promise of "more" items—he doesn't have what you need.
Once you get that Drake piece, save your game immediately. Then, grab a Fossilized Fish (also rare in Sword) and head to Route 6 to finally claim your Dracovish. If you find the grind is too much, hop onto a Pokémon trade forum; most Shield players have dozens of Drakes they’d happily swap for a Sword-exclusive Dino fossil.