Pokémon Sword And Shield Expansion Packs: 10 Features Fans Demand

The mainline series' introduction to the console is off to a rocky start. Games like The Witcher III, Dragon Quest XI, and Ni No Kuni have been welcomed onto the Switch with beautiful ports, so seeing some of the environments and textures in Sword and Shield make the game feel rushed.

And it's not just textures or stiff animations, the biggest complaint being thrown Game Freak's way is of course the fact that only about half the roster of the Pokémon lineup is available from the start. Considering Let's Go came out a year prior, fans hoped that would provide enough time to do the 8th generation justice.

For a large portion of fans, it was just that. The Wild Area is immersive, the blended nature of random encounters is a cohesive marriage, there are some standout locales, and there are clever new Pokémon designs and attacks.

Those already satisfied with the core game are happy with an expansion pass that eliminates the need for a new entry, and those with critiques have another chance to see if their issues have been resolved with the patches and new content added. Some have already cried foul because they have to spend even more money on downloadable content that they argue should be included in the main game, but just like with Star Wars fans, it's impossible to please everyone.

But these features might help.

This one is pretty easy. The slogan that launched a behemoth franchise doesn't even fit for Sword and Shield. Catching all of the Pokémon available in the Pokedex will still result in receiving that coveted shiny charm, but the task of capturing the ever-growing list of adorable creatures doesn't feel the same when it's not actually necessary-- or possible-- to truly catch them all.

The expansion packs address this-- somewhat. Each pack will include about 100 old and new Pokémon bringing the new total to over 600 with most of the previous legendaries becoming available. That's still a couple hundred short of the grand total.

Technically, even without the expansion packs, it's still possible to trade for the newly available Pokémon, but it's more of a chore. Especially if a player decides not to bring their old Pokémon over through the pay wall of Pokémon Home. Home has a free version, but the premium has all of the desired features. There's some different monthly packs to choose from for Home, but the subscription service means any significant usage over months or years will come at quite the price.

It's unknown when all Pokémon will become available, if ever. Bringing back more helps with the packs, but it's still not enough.