Pokemon Sword and Shield's Isle of Armor DLC arrived back in June, and now their second expansion is almost here. The Crown Tundra, the second part of Sword and Shield's Expansion Pass, releases today, October 22, introducing another wealth of new content to the games, including a new area to explore, a bunch of new and returning Pokemon to catch, and more.
As with any expansion, the area is weird (both visual and gameplay-wise), but is ultimately plucked out of the rest of the game much like a pre-rendered cutscene. I know a lot of people freaked out based on Pokemon's tendency to make their areas dark, but I think it makes a lot of sense; this is a place where corruption has affected the ecosystem to such an extent that it doesn't hold up from the rest of the game. The island itself is also a lot different with small, ornate buildings joining the older buildings strung together, tweaked trees growing wooden leaves at the tops of four large structures, and a giant gate of some kind. The land itself is cold, snowy and jagged, with clear eyesores effectively implemented throughout the land.
It's all beautiful though, in a surreal kind of way. The land is awe-inspiring in a way I've very rarely seen on the games. Despite the multiple layers of snow covering it, it's still beautiful. Both the bottom area was also filled with disarming nice touches made of ice, like snatching gems from the shards in the ground just as they fall, or similar to fishing in Mindbreak Island. Maybe its to show how crazy a world corruptions can make
None of the new sketti is super iconic, probably b/c not all users would experience every single potential battle. Also, bringing Pokemon Sword and Shield's new Platinum route is a great idea. You just get to keep the breeding/fishing patch. Instead of repetitive returns to the preserve like we've seen in Pokemon Black and White, you can go to the island.
There's also a new weather mechanic to combat corruption and strange weather. Swimmers will be able to get fire through the use of flasks, which are absorb-mg stat boosts that don't require having to actually drink the milk. Their consumption changes the weather, so a strong wind will turn the water into steam to ascend, and use the shield mechanic to bolster your experience points all while increasing the immunity of certain wild Pokemon.
This entire area is also surprisingly complete, including the Pokemon that can't be caught in the original game, but actually have some level up methods in place. The only one of the 151 of the new additions that I've used was this guy:
As you can see above, he's in a andre) form, at L1. Apparently Dark-type Bolds up in height, followed with Sand
As with any expansion, the area is weird (both visual and gameplay-wise), but is ultimately plucked out of the rest of the game much like a pre-rendered cutscene. I know a lot of people freaked out based on Pokemon's tendency to make their areas dark, but I think it makes a lot of sense; this is a place where corruption has affected the ecosystem to such an extent that it doesn't hold up from the rest of the game. The island itself is also a lot different with small, ornate buildings joining the older buildings strung together, tweaked trees growing wooden leaves at the tops of four large structures, and a giant gate of some kind. The land itself is cold, snowy and jagged, with clear eyesores effectively implemented throughout the land.
It's all beautiful though, in a surreal kind of way. The land is awe-inspiring in a way I've very rarely seen on the games. Despite the multiple layers of snow covering it, it's still beautiful. Both the bottom area was also filled with disarming nice touches made of ice, like snatching gems from the shards in the ground just as they fall, or similar to fishing in Mindbreak Island. Maybe its to show how crazy a world corruptions can make
None of the new sketti is super iconic, probably b/c not all users would experience every single potential battle. Also, bringing Pokemon Sword and Shield's new Platinum route is a great idea. You just get to keep the breeding/fishing patch. Instead of repetitive returns to the preserve like we've seen in Pokemon Black and White, you can go to the island.
There's also a new weather mechanic to combat corruption and strange weather. Swimmers will be able to get fire through the use of flasks, which are absorb-mg stat boosts that don't require having to actually drink the milk. Their consumption changes the weather, so a strong wind will turn the water into steam to ascend, and use the shield mechanic to bolster your experience points all while increasing the immunity of certain wild Pokemon.
This entire area is also surprisingly complete, including the Pokemon that can't be caught in the original game, but actually have some level up methods in place. The only one of the 151 of the new additions that I've used was this guy:
As you can see above, he's in a andre) form, at L1. Apparently Dark-type Bolds up in height, followed with Sand
g
