Pokemon Sword and Shield is out now, bringing Nintendo's legendary adventure series to a whole new, British-themed region. The island of Galar is awash with idyllic countryside scenes, quaint cottages, red-brick hangovers from the Industrial Revolution, and football-stadium-like Battle Arenas. Along with this British bounty comes a smattering of new Pokemon Sword and Shield variants, some highlights of which include the knightly Sirfetch'd, top-hatted Galarian Wheezing, and the Unicorn Galarian Ponyta.

The most aggressive of these new variants is the Galarian Zigzagoon, along with its evolutions Linoone and Obstagoon. The first two of these are punk-styled variants of existing Pokemon, while the final evolution Obstagoon is entirely new to the series. As befits a rare, Galarian only evolution of a fearsome species, Obstagoon won't evolve simply through levels like most Pokemon, so here's our guide on how to get it done.

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Starting at the Bottom

Unlike the new Gigantamax Pokemon, before players can think about getting their hands on a Obstagoon, first they'll have to encounter and catch a Zigzagoon or Linoone. While not as easy to find as their regular counterparts in previous games, which were purely Normal-type Pokemon, the Dark/Normal Galarian Zigzagoon and Linoone are thankfully common enough for most players not to have to go searching for one.

After catching a Zigzagoon, it will first need to be evolved into a Linoone. Fortunately, unlike the next stage of its evolution, the Racoon-themed Zigzagoon requires only levels to evolve, and will do so around level 20. The Rushing Pokemon Linoone can also be caught wild in the Galar region's later areas, though players will generally do better with a Pokemon that they've had since its first evolution stage.

pokemon sword shield zigzagoon galar

Evolving into Obstagoon

Once players have a Linoone in their possession, its time to get to work on evolving it into an Obstagoon. The entire Zigzagoon evolution tree is defined by one thing, its love of fighting, and that's exactly what a Linoone needs before it'll evolve. Though its not yet possible to put an exact number on how many battles a Linoone must be involved in before it'll evolve, it will certainly take until around level 50, if it's actively participating in battles throughout those levels.

Once the required number has been met, the Linoone will evolve into the bipedal and badger-like Obstagoon. Known in the #Dexit denuded Pokedex as the Blocking Pokemon, Obstagoon is defined by its unique power Obstruct, a variant of Protect that can harshly lower the attacker's Defense stat if they make direct contact.

Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield are available now exclusively on Nintendo Switch.

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