Is the Pokémon Sword and Shield Expansion Pass Worth It? Yes, Absolutely.
For any Pokémon fan looking to get the most out of Sword and Shield, I highly recommend picking up the Expansion Pass. At only $29.99, it provides tremendous value by adding over 20 hours of exciting new content and gameplay improvements that enhance the base games.
A High Value DLC Packed With New Content
The Expansion Pass contains The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra DLCs, which each add massive new Wild Areas to explore in the Galar region. Between both, you‘ll get:
- Over 20 hours of new gameplay and story content
- 2 new main adventures across 2 brand new Wild Areas
- Over 200 previously unobtainable Pokémon to catch
- New Legendary and Ultra Beasts
- Special new forms for classic Pokémon like the Legendary birds
- Fun new co-op activities like the Dynamax Adventures
- Quality of life upgrades like making IVs visible
- New clothing, customizable items, and hairstyles
At only $29.99, the Expansion Pass offers tremendous value compared to the $59.99 cost of a brand new Pokémon game. You‘re getting what amounts to almost a whole extra Pokémon game‘s worth of content for half the price!
Gameplay Hours per Dollar Spent
| Game | Est. Hours | Cost | Hours per Dollar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pokémon Sword/Shield | 35 | $59.99 | 0.58 |
| Expansion Pass | 20 | $29.99 | 0.67 |
The Isle of Armor – An Island Adventure
The Isle of Armor takes you to a vast island open Wild Area, free to be explored however you choose.
New Story, Pokémon, and Training Challenges
You‘ll take on a new story arc with new characters, focused around training under Master Mustard. This unlocks the new Legendary Pokémon Kubfu, which can evolve into Urshifu. You can also gain access to the Tower of Two Fists, where you can train your Pokémon and take on challenging battles.
Gigantamax All Starters
One major highlight is being able to Gigantamax your starter Pokémon! No matter which of the initial starters you chose, you can earn items to Gigantamax Rillaboom, Cinderace, or Inteleon.
Over 100 New and Returning Pokémon
Over 100 Pokémon not originally in Sword/Shield are catchable in the Isle of Armor, including new regional forms of classic Pokémon. You can catch Pokémon like Venusaur, Blastoise, and more!
The Crown Tundra – Legendary Adventures in a Frigid Land
The Crown Tundra offers a whole new frigid, mountainous Wild Area to explore with Pokémon Dens housing Legendary Pokémon from previous games!
Legendary Dynamax Adventures
The highlight here is Dynamax Adventures, where you team up and explore Pokémon Dens, battling Dynamaxed Legendaries. This gives you the exciting opportunity to catch virtually every Legendary from past games!
Galarian Forms and New Ultra Beasts
You can catch Galarian versions of the Legendary birds Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres! Plus, new Ultra Beasts like Regieleki and Regidrago are catchable as well.
Over 100 More Returning Pokémon
Like The Isle of Armor, over 100 previously unobtainable Pokémon become available to catch through Max Raid battles and exploring the wild areas. This includes Mythical Pokémon like Victini.
Here are some of the most exciting and useful new Pokémon you can catch in the DLCs:
| Pokémon | Type | Abilities | Why It‘s Useful |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urshifu (Single Strike) | Fighting/Dark | Unseen Fist Technician |
Powerful new Mythical fighter with a signature move that always crits. Great counter to Psychic and Ghost types. |
| Calyrex (Ice Rider) | Psychic/Ice | Unnerve As One (Glastrier) |
Legendary rider that combines with Glastrier to become extremely bulky and strong. Great addition to Trick Room teams. |
| Regieleki | Electric | Transistor | Speedy special sweeper with great coverage and 200 base Speed stat, one of the highest in the game. Pairs well with Regidrago. |
| Galarian Moltres | Dark/Flying | Berserk Competitive |
A unique Dark-type Legendary bird that can sweep unprepared teams once its Berserk ability activates. |
And those are just a few examples! With over 200 new entries catchable, competitive and hardcore Pokemon fans will love optimizing teams around these new options.
Quality of Life Improvements and Postgame Content
In addition to the wealth of new content, the Expansion Pass also adds some much appreciated quality of life changes:
- IV Judge feature available anytime
- Ability to change a Pokémon‘s abilities with Ability Patch
- Move Tutors for teaching exclusive moves
And there are fun side activities that add replayability:
- New clothing and hairstyles
- Pokémon following you in the overworld
- Co-op Dynamax Adventures
- Trading Pokémon with NPCs
- Digging duo treasure hunting
Worth It for Any Pokémon Sword and Shield Fan
At the end of the day, I highly recommend the Expansion Pass for any Pokémon fan looking to get the most out of Sword and Shield. The amount of content you get for only $29.99 is hard to beat.
Being able to explore new areas, catch fan favorite Legendaries, battle challenging Dynamax Pokémon, and optimize new competitive options adds so much playtime and fun on top of an already great base game.
The Isle of Armor and Crown Tundra DLCs breathe new life into Sword/Shield, and are absolutely worth picking up!