Nintendo’s E3 Direct didn’t exactly have a ton of new information about Pokémon Sword
& Shield, which makes sense considering that a Pokémon Direct had just taken place.
But during a Nintendo Treehouse segment of the show, the first gameplay of the Wild Area
in the Galar Region was shown off along with a Max Raid Battle.
And while most of the major points were explained during the segment, there’s still a few
secrets and hidden details left to see.
And that’s where the old Analysis Machine comes in.
So let’s take a closer look at what we can expect in Pokémon’s 8th gen.
We’ll begin with the Pokémon and while there were several walking around during the
segment, the only truly new thing we saw was one of Grookey’s moves, Branch Poke.
This seems to be a new physical Grass move for the early game as it has 40 PP.
We even see it in action, but it doesn’t appear to have any unique characteristics
to go with it.
In addition, every Pokémon earns experience from this battle and we even get a breakdown
of how much they earned.
But we don’t think this is always on.
We suspect that the player received the Experience Share before reaching the Wild Area.
But this is also a later file as there’s a level 45 Corviknight on the team.
Speaking of catching Pokémon, the same options from Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon return where players
can choose to add the Pokémon to the team or send it straight to the box.
The Treehouse then revealed the names of some of the locations in the Wild Area as we still
don’t even know a single town name.
The eastern lake is known as South Lake Miloch which means there has to be a northern lake.
Except we don’t see another lake of that size on the map unless that’s what the fortress
city is built upon.
But we also know from past analyses that the Galar Region Map isn’t exactly accurate.
Now it could be that this is referring to the southern end of the lake, but the player
is positioned near the center and no other location indicators appear.
Otherwise, we see that the central area is known as the Rolling Fields while right side
of western lake is called East Lake Axewell.
Unfortunately, those are the only locations that we see named.
Of course there are trainers to see in the Wild Area as well though the Treehouse made
a point to avoid them.
The first we see in a man decked out in green clothes while wearing a helmet and a backpack.
So this is either the new design for the hiker or backpacker trainer class.
We actually get a good look at another of these trainers from behind later where we
can clearly see a pillow, a pickaxe, a water bottle, and a mat.
It could be either, but we think this will be the new backpacker.
Later, there’s another trainer to spot near a tree.
This one is dressed similarly to the Breeder that we pointed out in a previous analysis,
but the undershirt and overalls are different which means this is likely the design of the
female Breeder.
The final two trainers we see are near the entrance to the steam city.
One is dressed like the backpackers we saw before, except this one is dressed in yellow
rather than green.
His helmet is also a bit different as it has an eye mask attached to it.
So is he simply a variation for a sand-based backpacker or are these small changes enough
to make him more of a hiker?
We honestly don’t know.
The trainer next to him is dressed in a black and white outfit with Poké Balls hanging
at his side.
While it’s difficult to say from this distance, especially with how he looks a little older,
we think this might be the design for an Ace Trainer.
There are other small touches related to our own trainer to see though.
For one, when it’s raining outside the trainer will put up his hands to feel it coming down
while waiting in his idle animation.
And we see that he does this for snow as well.
It’s just another small touch that adds much-needed personality to the player character.
We also see him use his bike in the Wild Area and as the Treehouse mentions, the process
of biking across water is automatic.
It no longer needs to be selected from a menu.
But what you might not have noticed is something that was mentioned on the Pokémon website.
Before, it was stated that the Rotom Phone is responsible for these upgrades and we can
actually see the harness where the Phone will go.
It’s a small thing but appreciated nonetheless.
We also see the Treehouse fishing during this segment, but it doesn’t seem to be available
everywhere.
A small pool of black water appears just before the player casts their line similar to how
it was handled in Gen 7.
But another thing happens near the water.
We can see a sparkle indicating hidden items, and the Treehouse even makes note of this.
The item in question was something completely new called the Pungent Root But rather than
a new held item, we think it’s related to the gift that the female trainer, Gloria,
gives the player, a pack of potatoes.
This is then put inside an ingredients bag that’s never mentioned again.
Perhaps it’s possible that players will be able to gather ingredients and cook meals
for their Pokémon for temporary stat boosts or perhaps to increase their bond.
Maybe even a new Pokémon will evolve after eating certain foods?
It’s a curious inclusion at the very least.
The Treehouse segment ends with a demonstration of the Max Raid Battles, and this is where
we get a first look at the preparation screen.
Here we can see the silhouette of the Pokémon that will be battled, their type, a set of
stars indicating the difficulty with five likely being the max, and the weather conditions.
In addition, the battle ends with either the players’ victory or when all 4 Pokémon
faint or if the battle lasts for 10 turns.
Players can choose their Pokémon from their current team or pull one from their box.
We also see that there will be selectable icons based on Pokémon and the different
trainer types.
Otherwise, the Treehouse spelled out the rest of the information including how the Dynamax
battles work.
So if you haven’t watched it yet, we recommend checking it out.
But that’s everything we could find in the Pokémon Sword & Shield segment for Nintendo
at E3 2019.
There’s sure to be plenty more news as the game gets closer to its November release.
Of course, let us know if we missed anything in the comments below.
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