It’s been years since we first stepped onto the train to Armor and the snowy slopes of the Crown Tundra. Honestly, looking back at the Sword and Shield DLC, it’s easy to forget how much of a massive gamble it actually was for Game Freak. Before this, we had "Third Versions." You bought Pokémon Yellow, Emerald, or Platinum. You paid full price for a game you already mostly owned just to get a few extra cutscenes and a Battle Frontier. The Expansion Pass killed that tradition stone dead. It was a messy, experimental, and ultimately necessary pivot that redefined how the entire franchise handles post-launch content.
When The Isle of Armor dropped in June 2020, followed by The Crown Tundra that October, the community was basically on fire. People were still reeling from "Dexit"—the controversial decision to cut the National Dex. The DLC was the olive branch. It wasn't just about new areas; it was about bringing back hundreds of missing creatures and fixing the biggest complaint people had about the base Galar region: its linear, "corridor-like" design.
The Isle of Armor: A Lesson in Growth and Growing Pains
The first half of the Sword and Shield DLC felt like a tech demo for the future of the series. You arrive on this tropical island, and suddenly, the camera isn't locked anymore. It’s a giant Wild Area. While the base game had the central Wild Area, it felt sort of empty and disconnected. The Isle of Armor tried to make the environment feel like a cohesive place. You have the Forest of Focus, the Courageous Cavern, and the Stepping-Stone Sea.
✨ Don't miss: Why Everyone Is Obsessing Over the Malice Sue Storm Marvel Rivals Skin
The story is simple. You meet Mustard. He’s a former Champion who’s surprisingly chill for a guy who trained Leon. He gives you Kubfu. Now, Kubfu is the heart of this expansion. The whole "Tower of Two Fists" mechanic—choosing between the Tower of Darkness or the Tower of Waters—was a neat way to force a bond with a single Pokémon. It wasn't just about catching ‘em all; it was about raising this one specific martial arts bear into Urshifu.
Competitive players lost their minds over Urshifu. Its "Unseen Fist" ability, which allows it to hit through Protect, fundamentally broke the VGC (Video Game Championships) meta for a long time. But for the casual player, the real draw was the return of "Pokémon following you." It was buggy. The scaling was weird—Wailord was the size of a minivan instead of a skyscraper—but it was there. It felt like Game Freak was finally listening to the fans, even if they were doing it with shaky hands.
The Cram-o-matic and the Grind for Apricorns
Remember the Cram-o-matic? It’s a recycling machine shaped like a Cramorant. You throw in four items, you get one out. It’s basically gambling for kids. If you wanted those rare Safari Balls or Sport Balls, you were looking at a 0.1% chance. It was tedious. It was frustrating. Yet, it gave players something to do with the literal thousands of Berries and TRs they had rotting in their bags.
Then there’s the Max Soup. This was a massive quality-of-life improvement. Before the Sword and Shield DLC, if you caught a shiny Pokémon that didn't have the Gigantamax factor, you were out of luck. Max Soup let you "upgrade" any compatible Pokémon. It respected the player's time, which is something Pokémon hasn't always been great at doing.
Why the Crown Tundra is Still the Gold Standard for Pokémon DLC
If The Isle of Armor was the appetizer, The Crown Tundra was the five-course meal. This is where the Sword and Shield DLC actually justified its price tag. The atmosphere shifted from bright, tropical vibes to a moody, Celtic-inspired snowy wilderness. It felt expansive. It felt ancient.
Peony is probably the best NPC Game Freak has written in a decade. He’s loud, he’s a "dad" in the most embarrassing way possible, and his relationship with his daughter Peonia gives the story a weirdly grounded, human element that the "save the world" plots usually lack. He sets you off on three legendary expeditions:
- The King of Bountiful Harvests (Calyrex)
- The Regi ruins
- The Galarian Legendary Birds
Calyrex is a bizarre design. A giant-headed deer riding a ghost or ice horse? It’s weird. But the quest to restore its power actually felt like an RPG quest. You had to talk to villagers in Freezington, plant carrots in specific spots, and piece together the history of a forgotten god. It was a far cry from just walking into a cave and throwing an Ultra Ball.
Dynamax Adventures: The Ultimate End-Game Loop
The real MVP of the Sword and Shield DLC is Dynamax Adventures. This is a cooperative mode where you and three other players (or AI, God help you) navigate a gauntlet of Max Raid Battles using rental Pokémon. You don't use your own overleveled team. You have to make tactical choices. Do you take the path with the Water-type to prepare for the Fire-type boss, or do you head toward the scientist to swap your weakened Pokémon?
It solved the "shiny hunting" problem too. The shiny odds in Dynamax Adventures are roughly 1 in 100 if you have the Shiny Charm. That is absurdly high. It turned legendary hunting into a social event. You could spend a whole Friday night with friends grinding for a shiny Rayquaza or Suicune. Even now, years later, you can still find lobbies of people running these raids. It's the most "infinite" content Pokémon has ever produced outside of a Battle Tower.
Addressing the Dexit Elephant in the Room
We have to talk about the Pokédex. The Sword and Shield DLC brought back over 200 Pokémon that were missing from the base game. This was a point of contention. Critics argued that these Pokémon should have been in the base $60 game for free. While the compatibility update was free (meaning you could trade for them without buying the DLC), the easiest way to catch them was to pay the $30 for the Expansion Pass.
It’s a valid criticism. The Galar region felt incomplete at launch. Seeing Garchomp, Dragonite, and Metagross return in the Crown Tundra felt like seeing old friends, but there was always that nagging feeling that they were held back for a premium. However, the nuance here is that Game Freak used the DLC to give these returning favorites a "home." Seeing Nidoking wandering around the snowy grass felt more natural than just dumping them into a random patch of grass on Route 1.
The Technical Reality: What Most People Get Wrong
People love to bash the graphics of Pokémon Sword and Shield. Yes, the "N64 tree" meme is legendary. But the Sword and Shield DLC actually showed significant technical improvement over the base game. The draw distance in the Crown Tundra is noticeably better. The environmental textures, while still not God of War levels, had more variety.
The DLC was a bridge. It was the missing link between the rigid, old-school design of Pokémon Sun and Moon and the fully open-world chaos of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Without the experiments in the Crown Tundra, we never would have gotten the massive, seamless world of Paldea. Game Freak used Galar as a testing ground for free-camera movement and overworld spawns. It was a "Beta" that we paid for, sure, but it was a necessary evolution for a series that was starting to feel stagnant.
Maximizing Your Galar Experience Today
If you’re just picking up the Sword and Shield DLC in 2026, you’re actually in a great spot. The meta is settled. The bugs are patched. Here is the most efficient way to tackle the content if you're starting fresh:
- Go to the Isle of Armor as soon as you reach the Wild Area. You don't need to finish the main story. Getting Kubfu early lets you play through the gym challenge with a legendary partner that grows with you.
- Don't sleep on the Galarian Star Tournament. This is unlocked after completing everything in the Crown Tundra. It’s a 2v2 tournament where you can partner with gym leaders and rivals. It is the fastest way to grind for Money and rare items in the entire game.
- Check the dens. Max Raid events aren't as frequent as they used to be, but the standard den rotations in the DLC areas still offer much better rewards (like Exp. Candies XL) than the base game dens.
- Talk to the Digging Pa. In the Isle of Armor, he can give you massive amounts of Watts, which you’ll need to upgrade the Dojo. Upgrading the Dojo is essential because it eventually adds a vending machine with cheap vitamins (Protein, Iron, etc.), making EV training incredibly easy.
The Sword and Shield DLC wasn't perfect. It was a transitionary period for a franchise trying to find its footing on home consoles. But the sheer volume of content—from the Regi puzzles to the brutal "restricted spars" in the Dojo—offered a depth that the base game desperately lacked. It turned a "good" Pokémon game into a "great" one, setting a precedent for the "Hidden Treasure of Area Zero" and whatever comes next.
The move away from third versions was the right call. It kept our save files relevant. It kept our teams together. And most importantly, it gave us a reason to keep exploring Galar long after the credits rolled.
Actionable Next Steps for Galar Explorers
- Complete the Suicune Raid: Your first Dynamax Adventure is a scripted Suicune. Use this to jumpstart your Crown Tundra journey.
- Hunt the Footprints: Sonia has a side quest in the Tundra to find footprints. Completing this is the only way to spawn Terrakion, Virizion, and Cobalion in the overworld.
- Get the Mark Charms: Completing the Isle of Armor Dex gives you the Mark Charm, which increases the chance of catching Pokémon with special titles (like "the Sociable" or "the Sleepy"). It's a must-have for serious collectors.
- Regidrago or Regieleki: You have to choose one in the Tundra. Think carefully—Regieleki is a speed demon in competitive play, while Regidrago is a niche powerhouse. You can't get both on one save file without trading.