Catching 'em all used to be easier. Back in the Kanto days, you just threw balls at 151 monsters and called it a day. But if you're staring at your Nintendo Switch right now, trying to figure out why your Pokemon Sword pokedex checklist still has those frustrating blank spots, you're not alone. It's a grind. Honestly, the Galar region is designed to be a bit of a headache for completionists because Game Freak leaned heavily into version exclusives and weather-dependent spawns.
You've probably cleared the Leon fight. You've seen the credits roll. Yet, that number in your Pokedex is stuck at 382 or 391.
The Galar Dex officially requires 400 entries to trigger that sweet, sweet Shiny Charm. Getting there isn't just about walking through tall grass. It’s about understanding how the Wild Area actually functions, manipulating your system clock, and realizing that some Pokemon simply won't appear in your game no matter how long you wait.
The Version Exclusive Wall
Let's get the obvious stuff out of the way first. You cannot finish a Pokemon Sword pokedex checklist by yourself. Period. Unless you have a second Switch and a copy of Pokemon Shield, you are going to need to trade.
Sword players get the cool sword-dog, Zacian, but they lose out on Zamazenta. That’s a given. But the real pain lies in the smaller evolutionary lines. If you're on Sword, you have access to the Deino line, Jangmo-o, and Gothita. You’ve got Farfetch’d (the Galar version that evolves into Sirfetch’d after three critical hits in one battle—a total nightmare if you don't know the Leek item trick).
Meanwhile, your friends playing Shield are hoarding Galarian Ponyta and Larvitar.
What You're Missing if You Only Play Sword
The list is longer than most people realize. You'll need to find someone to trade you:
- Goomy (and its evolutions)
- Drampa (this thing has a ridiculously low spawn rate anyway)
- Vullaby
- Solosis
- Lotad
- Croagunk
- Lunatone
- Oranguru
- Basculin (Blue-striped form)
- Appletun (Or at least the Sweet Apple item)
- Eiscue
Don't forget the Gym Leader exclusives. In Sword, you fought Bea and Gordie. That means you missed out on Allister and Melony. Consequently, the Pokemon associated with their gyms—like Cursola or the Shield-exclusive fossils—won't show up in your overworld.
The Weather Problem
The Wild Area is the heart of Galar, but it’s also the source of most players' frustration. Spawns are tied to weather. This is where a Pokemon Sword pokedex checklist becomes a literal calendar-watching exercise.
Some Pokemon, like Mimikyu or Dhelmise, have encounter rates as low as 1% to 3%. And even then, they might only show up during "Fog" or "Snowstorms." If you’re looking for Lucario, he’s wandering around North Lake Miloch, but usually only in specific conditions.
Here is a pro tip that most "official" guides won't tell you because it feels a bit like cheating: You can change the weather by changing your Switch's system date. On the first of every month, the entire Wild Area usually syncs to a specific weather pattern. If you need Fog—which is required for many of the rare Fairy and Psychic types—set your date to June 1, 2020 (or any year, really).
Be careful, though. Messing with the clock can freeze your daily events, like Poke Jobs or the Loto-ID, for 24 hours. Small price to pay for a Milotic, right?
Those Tricky Trade Evolutions
We all hate them. The Pokemon that only evolve when you trade them. In Pokemon Sword, this is compounded by the fact that some need to be holding a specific item.
Take Aromatisse and Slurpuff. You need a Sachet or a Whipped Dream. You buy these with BP (Battle Points) at the Hammerlocke Pokemon Center. If you trade your Swirlix without that Whipped Dream, nothing happens. You’ve just sent a friend a basic puffball and gained nothing.
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Then there’s Shelmet and Karrablast. This is the most "big brain" evolution in the game. They only evolve if they are traded for each other. If you trade a Shelmet for a Pikachu, it stays a Shelmet. You have to find a partner who has the opposite bug, and you swap them simultaneously. It’s a mechanic that feels like it belongs in a secret manual from 1998.
The Fossil Restoration Mess
You’ll find a scientist named Cara Liss on Route 6. She’s... interesting. She combines fossil pieces to create abominations like Dracozolt or Arctovish.
In Pokemon Sword, you are naturally going to find plenty of Fossilized Birds and Fossilized Dinos. These are common. However, the Fossilized Drake and Fossilized Fish are incredibly rare. They aren't impossible to find in Sword, but you have to go to the Digging Duo near the Daycare in the Wild Area.
The "Stamina" brother (the one who digs longer but gives worse items) is your best bet. Keep paying him Watts. Eventually, he’ll unearth the Shield-exclusive fossils. It might take 20,000 Watts. It might take 50,000. Just keep digging.
Why 400 is the Magic Number
Completing the Pokemon Sword pokedex checklist isn't just for bragging rights. It’s about the Shiny Charm. Once you have all 400 entries, head to Circhester. Go to the hotel (Ionia Hotel) and find the NPC in the doctor outfit. He’s the Game Director. He’ll verify your Dex and hand over the Charm.
This item triples your chances of finding a Shiny Pokemon. If you’re into Masuda Method breeding (breeding two Pokemon from different real-world languages), your odds go from 1 in 4096 to about 1 in 512. That is a massive jump.
Expansion Pass Nuances
If you have the DLC—The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra—your checklist just got a lot bigger. But here’s the thing: you don't need the DLC Pokemon to get the Shiny Charm for the base Galar Dex.
The Isle of Armor adds another 210ish Pokemon, and The Crown Tundra adds about the same. These have their own separate checklists and their own rewards (like the Mark Charm). A lot of players get overwhelmed seeing a Pokedex that goes up to 600 or 800. Take a breath. Focus on the first 400. That’s the core Galar experience.
Practical Steps to Finishing Your Dex
Stop wandering aimlessly. If you want to finish this, you need a plan.
First, go through your current Dex and look for the grayed-out silhouettes. Use the "Recommended" feature in the Pokedex menu. It actually tells you where the missing Pokemon are currently spawning based on the live weather in your game. It’s surprisingly smart.
Second, use the Link Code system. The Pokemon community established a set of "Universal Link Codes" for version exclusives. For example, trading Zacian for Zamazenta and then trading back (a "touch trade") often happens on specific codes. Check community forums like Reddit’s r/pokemontrades. People there are usually happy to help you finish those last five entries.
Third, catch everything you see in Max Raid Dens. Raid Pokemon often ignore weather requirements. You might find a Togekiss in a Raid even if the weather outside is perfectly clear. Plus, Raids give you Exp. Candies, which you’ll need to quickly evolve those level 5 babies you've been hatching.
The grind is real, but it’s manageable if you stop treating it like a chore and start treating it like a puzzle. Galar is a weird place with weird rules. Once you learn how to manipulate the weather and which NPCs to talk to in the back corners of hotels, that 400/400 screen is inevitable.
Get your PC boxes organized by number. It makes identifying the gaps much easier than scrolling through the digital Pokedex every five minutes. Start with the early Route 1 critters you ignored and work your way up to the dragons.
Check your items for those weird evolution stones. Dusk Stones, Shiny Stones, and Ice Stones aren't as common as Fire Stones, but the Digging Duo can find them for you if you’re patient. Evolution is often the fastest way to tick off three or four boxes at once.
Once you hit that 400 mark, the game changes. You stop being a hunter and start being a collector. And honestly, that's when the real fun begins.