Pokemon Sword & Shield Have "Drastically Overleveled" Pokemon In The Wild Area

Pokemon Sword and Shield arrive on Nintendo Switch in less than a month, and we continue to learn new tidbits about the games in the leadup to their launch. One of the biggest features in the titles–both figuratively and literally–is the Wild Area, an open-world expanse that stretches across the Galar region. This area is home to a variety of different Pokemon, which roam about the overworld as in Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee, and it seems some of these monsters will be too tough for you to initially take on.

According to recent hands-on impressions by Eurogamer, depending on where you go in the Wild Area, some of the Pokemon you encounter will be “drastically overleveled,” which means if you don’t tread cautiously, you may come across a monster that’s too strong for you to battle. This marks a dramatic change from previous installments; in the past, wild Pokemon levels would gradually scale as you made your way through the region, but in Sword and Shield, it seems you’ll be able to quickly get yourself in over your head if you’re not careful.

This should come as good news to fans who’ve felt Pokemon games have gotten easier over the years. Moreover, Eurogamer says that wild Pokemon with good stats will now have a visual indicator. Pokemon that boast a couple of perfect IVs will be surrounded by a faint yellow aura, making it much easier to tell which monsters are worth catching.

The Wild Area is also where you’ll be able to take advantage of the new Pokemon Camp feature. While out in the area, you’ll be able to set up a camp and play with your Pokemon, which in turn will help them improve in battle. Raid Battles also periodically occur out in the Wild Area; these have you and up to three other players taking on an oversized Dynamax Pokemon. Some of the Raid Pokemon you catch will also be capable of Gigantamaxing, which not only supersizes the monster but changes their appearance as well.

Pokemon Sword and Shield launch for Nintendo Switch on November 15. We had a chance to go hands-on with the games recently and learned you can skip the catching tutorial this time around. You can read more about the titles and the various pre-order bonuses that are available for them in our Pokemon Sword and Shield pre-order guide.