With the release of the first part of the Pokémon Sword and Shield DLC pack, players are finally able to explore the much anticipated Isle of Armor, a whole new Wild Area to explore that promises to house many new Pokémon for players to catch and partner up with on their journey to become a Pokémon Master.
As the Pokémon Company likes to keep things close to the chest before release, there are many features in the new DLC pack that are largely unknown, and some players may easily miss them if they choose to charge through the story so they can obtain the legendary Kubfu.
10 Update The Pokédex Entries
Throughout the region, there will be a girl dressed in blue who appears in various different places across the map. By gifting her 100 Watts, she will be kind enough to show you a Pokédex entry for one of the new additions in the Isle of Armor DLC pack. For the most part, she appears to show you Pokémon that appear either in the area she is found in or in an adjacent one close by. She is a great way to figure out which new Pokémon appear in which area of the map, as some of them are in odd places.
9 Digging Ma And Pa
Just like with the base game, there is a Digging Duo on the Isle of Armor, but these two diggers perform slightly different tasks to their counterparts. Like the Pokédex girl, they appear randomly on the map so players will have to track them down, but each one has their own treasure to dig for. The Digging Pa will dig for Watts in exchange for Armorite Ore, a new item that can most usually be found in Max Raid Battles on the Isle of Armor. The Digging Ma will dig for Armorite Ore in exchange for Watts, functioning more similarly to the Digging Duo of the base game.
8 The Galarica Cuff
In some early data mines and leaks, there was word of items called the Galarica Twig and the Galarica Cuff, which sparked rumors about their function and how to obtain them. It is now known that it is the evolution item for the Galarian Slowpoke that makes a significant appearance in the Isle of Armor story, and is relatively easy to obtain.
Throughout the island, there are many sparkling spots on the ground, much more than in the base game, and sometimes these items are the Galarica Twig. Take eight of these to the girl on the Rotom island in Workout Sea, and she will weave the Galarica Cuff for the player in exchange.
7 Cram-O-Matic
This strange contraption was teased in a few of the trailers, and players were told it was a way to combine a few items into a whole new one. As far as recipes go, there are some simple ones that are easy enough to make if players used the Digging Duo in Sword and Shield. For example, combining four Iron Balls will make a Metal Coat, the necessary evolution item for the newly released Scyther. If players want to use particularly rare and strong items, combining four Rare Candies will create an Ability Capsule, an item that usually costs 200 BP in the Battle Tower. Hyde, Honey's son, will also offer to tell the player about a random recipe in exchange for 100 Watts.
6 Change The Bike Outfit
There were many different colorations for the player's bike in Pokémon Sword and Shield, but it was generally agreed upon that the choices were fairly bland and uninspired. With the release of Isle of Armor comes two more looks for the bike, one black, and one white. These not only change the entire look of the outfit and bike to be more appealing, but the dash effects and sounds also change when using the B button.
5 Form Trading
The ability to trade Kantonian Pokémon forms for their Alolan counterparts was a feature in Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee, and it once again makes a return for Isle of Armor. Like the Pokédex girl, these trades are randomized across the map and won't always be the same Pokémon every time, but they allow players to obtain previously unobtainable Alolan forms such as Marowak, Exeggutor, and Meowth.
4 Watch Mustard Play Pokémon
The Pokémon franchise has no shortage of quirky and interesting characters, with some such as Looker and Blue maintaining their popularity well after their initial appearances in-game. It looks to be that Mustard (the old man who runs the dojo) is not only a fan of Pokémon battling in the real world, but also on his Nintendo Switch.
For the most part, Mustard can be found in his living room, surrounded by junk food and playing Pokémon Quest, seemingly oblivious to the world around him. This is one of the free downloadable games players can get from the Nintendo E-Shop.
3 Try Out The New Clothes
Upon arriving at the Isle of Armor, players are gifted with the Style Card, a key item that opens up new options in the clothing stores for the player to further customize their character. If the player travels back to the main region and to one of the clothing stores, the shop keeper will excitedly tell them that new options are open for the fashion-inclined.
2 Upgrade The Dojo
With all of the Max Raid events that have gone on between Pokémon Sword and Shield's release, players are sure to have a load of spare Watts burning holes in their pockets. Now, there is a way to offload those thousands of Watts without using the Digging Duo over and over again. After obtaining Kubfu, Honey will say she has plans to upgrade the dojo, though she doesn't have enough Watts to afford it. If players want, they can bankroll her operation and she will install new functions into the dojo, such as vending machines, the Rotom computer, and after a measly one million Watts, the ability to battle tough trainers in the courtyard.
1 Explore The Isle Of Armor With A Partner
Although GameFreak and the Pokémon Company like to show off their most desirable features for their upcoming titles, this is one they purposefully left out to make the surprise that much more exciting. Once players have finished the three trials for Mustard, defeated their rival, and obtained the shy and super cute Kubfu, he will casually mention that he will now allow the first Pokémon in your party to walk outside of its Pokéball and in the overworld, but only while they are on the Isle of Armor. These Pokémon aren't like the ones in Pokémon Let's Go, HeartGold or SoulSilver, and will follow behind the player more like the overworld encounters. They even show shiny coloration if the player has managed to obtain a shiny Pokémon in their playthrough.