Pokemon games have a checkered past when it comes to the scope of their post-game content. Some games like Pokemon DiamondPokemon Emerald, and others have terrific content that unlocks after completing the main story. While other games in the series don't quite live up to their series counterparts, how do Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield handle post-game content?

Well there are certainly a lot of different things to do after completing the main story, though Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield don't quite have as much original post-game content as other Pokemon titles do.

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Completing the Pokedex

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Often seen as the "main" task of Pokemon, completing the Pokedex is no simple feat. While not has daunting as completing the Pokemon Home National Pokedex, the Galar Pokedex has 400 Pokemon to track down and catch before players can say they have "caught them all" - not counting the handful of new Pokemon that can be transferred over through Pokemon Home now. What makes this task difficult is that not every Pokemon is available in one version. As with every Pokemon title, there are version exclusives that are only found in Sword or Shield and must be traded for. Beyond that, not every Pokemon can be caught outright, though many can be found in the Wild Area. Trainers will have to figure out the secrets to evolving some of these Pokemon in order to round out their Pokedex. Many players see this as the way to "beat" Pokemon, though for some it is only the beginning of the endgame.

Competitive Battling and Breeding Pokemon

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The Pokemon franchise has a sizable competitive battling scene, both in singles and team battles. The competitive scene takes their battles quite seriously, and are often debating the best format to make the battles as fair and balanced as possibleWhether players are simply trying to climb the Battle Tower ranks or competing in online competitive tournaments, players are constantly trying to concoct the best Pokemon for the job. A lot of thought goes into creating a competitive battle team, from the specific Pokemon and their moves to the IVs that each Pokemon has. The amount of work competitive players go through to get their ideal team is astounding, but there is an easy place to start: breeding.

Breeding Pokemon in Sword and Shield is a complex system and the games tell the player very little when it comes to finding the best competitive Pokemon. Three IVs are passed down at random from the two parent Pokemon, and by default the player has little control over this. However there are several steps a player can take to ensure more IVs (and more desirable IVs) are passed down. First and foremost players will need to grab the Destiny Knot from the BP shop in Hammerlocke. This will make it so 5 IVs will be passed down from the parent Pokemon. Then, if players grab one of the Power Items from the BP Shop (there is one for each of the six IVs) and gives it to the Pokemon, the related IV is guaranteed to be passed down. For example, if a Pokemon is holding the Power Bracer, that Pokemon's Attack IV is guaranteed to be passed down to the egg - perfect for guaranteeing a perfect IV on a specific stat.

Shiny Hunting

Shiny Pokemon are some of the most rare and elusive Pokemon in the game, making them a hot commodity among trainers. There are several ways to find shiny Pokemon in Sword and Shield outside of just getting lucky. As players catch more and more of the same Pokemon, the odds of finding a shiny version start to climb, though it takes a lot of catching to get the odds to be reasonable. If players complete the Pokedex, they will get the Shiny Charm which doubles the odds of finding shinies, though they are still incredibly rare. Breeding is a great and easy way to get shiny Pokemon, so long as players have met a couple requirements. If they are breeding two Pokemon from different regions, then the odds of the egg being shiny skyrockets (Called the Masuda Method) - and the odds are further increased if the Shiny Charm is active. This also commonly ties into competitive breeding as competitive players like to make sure their teams look great on top of being extremely powerful.

Raid Battling

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Raid Battles are new to the main series Pokemon games, though they will certainly feel familiar to Pokemon Go players. Trainers will team up with three others to take on Dynamaxed Pokemon for a chance to catch them and earn some exclusive rewards. The Raid Battles are scattered all over the Wild Area and have matchmaking functionality thanks to Sword and Shield's Y-Comm system. What makes them special is that Game Freak is constantly changing the active Pokemon in these battles, as well as introducing special Gigantamax forms of certain Pokemon. The fact that there are always new battles to take on gives them a great deal of replay-ability, and it is a great way for players to find max IV Pokemon or Pokemon with Hidden Abilities. For example, these battles are the best way to get a max IV Ditto to use for competitive breeding.

Post-Game Story

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Pokemon Sword and Shield both feature a small story that takes place after the events of the main campaign, which takes a few hours to complete. While the episode is silly and a bit short, it's nice that the game features some semblance of an epilogue that wraps up some loose ends from the narrative. Without spoiling much, the story focuses on two new flamboyant characters who claim to be the true heirs to the Galar region and their connection to the Legendary Hero(es). The upcoming Sword and Shield DLCs are going to feature new stories to discover, so hopefully they will create more memorably and lengthy stories than the post-game campaign.

Overall, while there aren't as many post-game facilities as there were in previous installments, Sword and Shield does have a lot of ways to pass the time for those who want to hang out in the Galar region a bit longer as they wait for the Isle of Armor DLC. While there isn't a whole Battle Frontier to take on, there is still the Battle Tower and the post-game chapter that will help players learn a bit more about the Galar region and its history. Hopefully the Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra will continue to build upon the foundation that the base game laid for post-game content.

Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield and available now for Nintendo Switch.

MORE: The Fix for Pokemon Sword and Shield's Raid Problem is Far Off