The Crown Tundra is the Clear Winner for Best Pokémon Sword/Shield DLC
If you had to choose one Pokémon Sword/Shield DLC to get, The Crown Tundra is hands-down the better pick over The Isle of Armor. With more new content, superior gameplay, and a bigger roster of new Pokémon including Legendaries, The Crown Tundra offers the most value and fun. Let‘s compare the key features of both DLCs in-depth so you can see why The Crown Tundra comes out on top.
Overview of The Isle of Armor
The Isle of Armor was the first expansion released in June 2020. It added a new island area for you to explore with varied landscapes like forests, beaches, and mountains.
Some key things the Isle of Armor DLC includes:
- About 100 returning Pokémon from past games
- 1 new Legendary – Kubfu and its evolutions Urshifu
- New character named Mustard who runs the Dojo
- Main story focusing on rebuilding the dojo and training Kubfu
- Allows Gigantamax forms for Rillaboom, Cinderace, Inteleon
- New Max Raid battles and Pokémon Dens
- Around 5 hours of main story gameplay
The Isle of Armor focuses primarily on strengthening your Pokémon through battle and training. It provides an easier, more straightforward experience centered around the Dojo.
Overview of The Crown Tundra
The Crown Tundra was the second expansion released in October 2020. This DLC takes you to a frigid, mountainous tundra with lots of areas to explore like temples, caves, and small villages.
Some key things The Crown Tundra DLC includes:
- About 200 returning Pokémon from past games
- Over 20 new Legendary Pokémon, including Galarian forms of the titans and brand new Legendaries Calyrex, Glastrier, Spectrier
- New characters Peony and his daughter Peonia who guide you
- Main story involving calming the titans and catching Calyrex
- Dynamax Adventures – raids against Legendary Pokémon
- Legendary birds Galarian Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres
- Ability Patch – unlocks a Pokémon‘s hidden ability
- Allows you to catch nearly all past Legendaries
- Around 7 hours of main story gameplay
The Crown Tundra focuses heavily on exploration and filling out your Pokédex with rare and powerful Pokémon. It offers a deeper plot and more challenging gameplay through the Dynamax Adventure battles.
Key Differences Between the DLCs
| Category | The Isle of Armor | The Crown Tundra |
|---|---|---|
| New Areas | Island setting | Snowy tundra setting |
| New Pokémon | Around 100 | Around 200 |
| New Legendaries | 1 (Kubfu line) | Over 20 |
| New Characters | Mustard | Peony & Peonia |
| Main Focus | Training & battling | Exploration & catching |
| Key Features | Dojo training, Gigantamax forms | Dynamax Adventures, Legendary quests |
| Difficulty | Easier | More challenging |
| Main Story Length | 5 hours | 7 hours |
| New Mechanics | Gigantamax training | Dynamax Adventures, Ability Patch |
As you can see, The Crown Tundra adds significantly more content and introduces major new gameplay features like the Dynamax Adventures.
The Crown Tundra also has a larger roster of new Pokémon, especially when it comes to Legendaries. Adding dozens of new Legendaries for you to hunt down and catch is a major selling point.
Why The Crown Tundra is the Clear Winner
Based on the deeper analysis above, The Crown Tundra decisively beats The Isle of Armor in terms of enjoyment, longevity, and value. Here are the key reasons why experts and fans consider The Crown Tundra to be the better Pokémon Sword/Shield DLC:
- More new Pokémon – The Crown Tundra adds over 100 more returning Pokémon and about 20 more new Legendaries. Catching and training new Pokémon is a core part of the fun!
- Superior storyline and characters – The Crown Tundra has a more compelling plotline with developed characters like Peony. It keeps you engaged throughout the entire adventure.
- Dynamax Adventures – This new game mode provides endless replay value through raiding and catching different Legendaries.
- More areas to explore – The Crown Tundra’s diverse tundra environments create a strong sense of adventure as you explore every corner.
- Longer gameplay – With around 7 hours of main story content, The Crown Tundra offers more bang for your buck.
- Higher difficulty – The harder battles and puzzles around the Regis and Calyrex provide a rewarding challenge for experienced players.
If you love adventuring through new areas, uncovering lore about Legendary Pokémon, and testing your battle skills against powerful foes, The Crown Tundra is easily the most exciting and satisfying purchase. It‘s the clear winner for best Pokémon Sword/Shield DLC!