Pokemon Sword and Shield's upcoming Isle of Armor finally has a precise release date. The Nintendo Direct held back in January told fans that the DLC would be arriving in June, but didn't specify when.
However, just like Junichi Masuda claimed, a new trailer for the DLC premiered today, providing fans with the exact release date of the Isle of Armor. It also showed brief but numerous glimpses into what players can expect to see in both the Isle of Armor and the Crowned Tundra.
The Isle of Armor DLC will launch on June 17, which means trainers only have two more weeks to wait before going on a new adventure. The trailer didn't mention the release date of The Crowned Tundra despite showing it off, but that makes sense considering the DLC doesn't launch until near the end of the year in autumn.
Both the Sword and Shield Expansion Passes are available now in the Nintendo eShop, though, so players can purchase those if they want to get their hands on both DLC's the moment they launch. However, there are two different Expansion Passes, and each applies to a specific game, so trainers should be sure to choose the proper one.
When the Isle of Armor arrives, it'll focus on reintroducing Pokemon originally cut from Sword and Shield. It'll also update a few of these Pokemon with Galar Region gimmicks. For instance, Squirtle and Bulbausaur's evolutionary line will return with the DLC, and each will get its own Gigantamax transformation. The new trailer actually gives a brief first look of these in action.
Another first look that the trailer gives is for Galarian Slowbro, and its Dynamaxed form. Other Pokemon will have Galarian versions as well, like the Legendary Birds, but Slowbro is the poster Pokemon for the Isle of Armor. Players that don't purchase the DLC will still be able to obtain these Pokemon on June 17, but not through wild Pokemon battles. They'll have to trade or use another method.
This limitation makes the Legendary Pokemon of the DLC — Kubfu and it's evolution Urshifu — a little awkward. Kubfu only evolves when trained in one of two towers that will only be accessible via the DLC. So if players that don't purchase the DLC want the full evolutionary line, they'll have to trade for each separately or wait for possible future events.
Pokemon Sword and Shield are available now exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.