Map LocationsSword&Shield
"Weather changes drive the wild Pokemon spawns in Sword and Shield's Galar Wild Area, with thunderstorms surfacing Goomy and clear skies bringing out completely different species. Two DLC expansions opened up afterward (Isle of Armor and Crown Tundra), each with their own encounter tables and Max Raid Dens."
SWSH MAP
Sword and Shield's Galar map runs north from Postwick to the snowy Slumbering Weald, with routes pinching around the Wild Area at the region's heart. The Hammerlocke vault on the city's northeast edge doubles as the Dynamax energy storage that becomes the final chapter's setting.
SWORD & SHIELD LOCATIONS
Filter Sword and Shield's 65 locations by encounter method or type, or follow the chapter cards in story order beginning at Postwick. Glimwood Tangle on the path to Ballonlea glows with bioluminescent mushrooms and stays in permanent twilight, the spot where Galar's Fairy and Ghost-type wild encounters cluster.
Main Story 36
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Postgame 29
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+25SPECIAL ENCOUNTERS
Special encounters are the one-time, fixed-location Pokemon you won't catch in random wild grass. Sword & Shield has 13 total: 13 Static (gift Pokemon and route roadblocks).
A large open-world zone between Motostoke and Hammerlocke with visible overworld Pokemon walking around. No random encounters here. Weather changes daily per sub-zone and determines which species appear. Some areas have Pokemon far above your level that you can't catch until you earn enough badges. It's the main hunting ground for type variety early in the game.
Each Wild Area sub-zone has its own daily weather. Sunny brings Fire and Grass types, rain brings Water, snow brings Ice, sandstorm brings Ground and Rock, fog brings Ghost and Fairy, thunderstorm brings Electric and Dragon. The weather rotation is date-based and changes at midnight. Check the encounter tables here for which species show up in each weather.
Glowing red or purple beams in the Wild Area mark active raid dens. Walk up and start a 4-player co-op battle against a Dynamaxed wild Pokemon. Raid Pokemon can have hidden abilities and come at higher levels than anything else available at that badge tier. Purple beams have rarer species. Wishing Pieces activate empty dens.
Isle of Armor adds a new Wild Area island with 100+ returning species, Kubfu/Urshifu, and Max Soup for Gigantamaxing. Crown Tundra adds Dynamax Adventures (legendary hunting in randomized dens), the Regi puzzles, Galarian Legendary Birds, and another open zone with level 60+ encounters. Both DLCs have their own encounter tables separate from the base game.
Most encounters in Sword and Shield are visible in the overworld. You see the Pokemon walking or flying around before engaging. Tall grass still has hidden random encounters (shown by an exclamation mark), but overworld spawns are the main way to target specific species. Run from anything you don't want, chase anything you do.
Sword & Shield has 65 locations with wild Pokemon encounters, featuring 391 unique Pokemon species. The location with the most Pokemon variety is Lake of Outrage with 92 unique species.
The top fishing locations in Sword & Shield by Pokemon variety are: Route 9 (8 species), Giant's Foot (6 species), Giant's Bed (6 species). These locations offer the widest selection of water-type Pokemon through various rod types (Old Rod, Good Rod, Super Rod).