With the introduction of the Wild Area in Pokemon Sword and Shield, the eighth generation of Pokemon games also brought weather patterns along with them. While previous games did include time-based features, such as the day and night cycle in Gen II, weather patterns are a first for the series. However, weather works a little bit differently on the Isle of Armor than it does on the mainland of Galar.
Fans who have played Pokemon Sword and Shield for a while are no doubt familiar with the quirks of its weather system. Specific weather would appear on the first of each month, so manipulating the weather by changing the date on the Switch became a way for players to get certain Pokemon. This exploit reappears in the Isle of Armor expansion, but it isn't exactly the same.
There are many things to do in Pokemon Sword and Shield's Isle of Armor, such as explore the island and catch new Pokemon. Just like in the base game, players are able to alter the weather in Isle of Armor to the end of finding and catching specific Pokemon. However, there is a minor difference in how Isle of Armor approaches the weather system—namely, the dates that specific weather appears.
How To Change Weather In The Isle of Armor
The first step to changing the weather in the Isle of Armor expansion is to change the Switch console's date, just like in Sword and Shield. Unlike the base game, though, Isle of Armor does not change its weather patterns on the first of each month. Instead weather changes on the 15th of every month, which will always be a specific type of weather. Since there are a decent amount of Pokemon that only appear during certain weather conditions, being able to control the weather at a whim is a useful tool for any desperate trainers.
To change the Switch's date, the player must go to their console's system settings and enter the System menu. Once there they need to enter Date and Time, where the player can then manipulate the console's date. The option to synchronize the console's clock with the internet has to be turned off, though; otherwise, the console will automatically set itself to the actual date.
The dates and their corresponding weather patterns are:
- January 15th & October 15th: Foggy
- February 15th: Overcast
- March 15th, September 15th, & November 15th : Clear
- April 15th & June 15th: Rainy
- May 15th & December 15th: Intense Sun
- July 15th & August 15th: Thunder
Pokemon Sword and Shield are available now exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.