{"id":104588,"date":"2019-11-28T20:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-11-28T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/news\/2019\/11\/guide_how_to_make_pokemon_sword_and_shield_more_difficult_and_fun"},"modified":"2019-11-28T20:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-11-28T20:00:00","slug":"guide-how-to-make-pokemon-sword-and-shield-more-difficult-and-fun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2019\/11\/28\/guide-how-to-make-pokemon-sword-and-shield-more-difficult-and-fun\/","title":{"rendered":"Guide: How To Make Pok\u00e9mon Sword And Shield More Difficult (And Fun)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"media_block\"><a href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/e7b55dcc099fa\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/e7b55dcc099fa\/small.jpg\" class=\"media_thumbnail\"><\/a><\/div>\n<aside class=\"object object-youtube\">\n<div class=\"youtube\">[youtube https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=5kuX5LMusFU?rel=0&amp;hd=1&amp;showinfo=0&amp;modestbranding=0&amp;autohide=1&#038;w=900&#038;h=507]<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/nintendo-switch\/pokemon_sword_and_shield\">Pok\u00e9mon Sword and Shield<\/a><\/strong> are <em>great<\/em> games in our eyes \u2013 and in the eyes of many others \u2013 but there\u2019s no hiding from the fact that the level of difficulty is, shall we say, a little on the <em>accessible<\/em> side. That\u2019s great if you\u2019re just looking to have a fun adventure, but for some people, a little strife can make things even sweeter.<\/p>\n<p>So here are a few ways you can make the games harder for yourself through self-imposed rules, whether you\u2019re a series veteran looking for greater oomph, you want to start a new playthrough after already becoming champion, or you\u2019ve just heard whispers that it\u2019s too easy and want something more engaging.<\/p>\n<p>In ascending order of difficulty:<\/p>\n<h2>Ditch Your Starter<br \/><\/h2>\n<p>The simplest and most straightforward of all the possible ways to ramp up the challenge, you can just flat-out ditch your <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/news\/2019\/11\/guide_pokemon_sword_and_shield_best_starter_-_grookey_scorbunny_sobble_and_their_evolutions\">starter Pok\u00e9mon<\/a>. Grookey, Scorbunny, Sobble, whomever you choose, they\u2019re designed to be powerful very early on in the game and be the backbone of your team from start to finish. They\u2019re also really quick to climb the level ladder, and they also evolve fairly quickly all things considered. Dropping them off at the first possible opportunity definitely makes the earlier parts of the game tougher.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"picture strip\"><a title=\"Screenshot 2019 11 27 At 18.06.03\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/2c7e766d6e320\/screenshot-2019-11-27-at-18-06-03.original.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/static.nintendolife.com\/blank.gif\" data-original=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/2c7e766d6e320\/screenshot-2019-11-27-at-18-06-03.900x.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot 2019 11 27 At 18.06.03\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<p>Doing this is as simple as the concept itself; all you need to do is catch a wild Pok\u00e9mon on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/news\/2019\/11\/guide_pokemon_sword_and_shield_where_to_find_pokemon_-_all_locations_routes_and_areas_in_the_galar_region\">Route 1<\/a> after you&#8217;ve been to the Slumbering Weald and add it to your party. Then make a beeline for the Pok\u00e9mon Center in Wedgehurst and drop your starter Pok\u00e9mon in a Box to relax whilst you do all the hard stuff.<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re worried you might be tempted to use it in the future, you could either release it to say goodbye to it (and temptation) for good, or trade it to a friend you can trust so you can use it again once your adventure is complete.<\/p>\n<h2>Try A Monotype Team<\/h2>\n<p>Dropping your starter off may be tough at first, but you&#8217;ll soon adapt in time, so if you want to really test your wits you might want to consider using what&#8217;s called a monotype team.<\/p>\n<p>A monotype team is basically a team of any <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/news\/2019\/11\/guide_pokemon_sword_and_shield_pokedex_galar_region\">Pok\u00e9mon<\/a> that share a single <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/news\/2019\/11\/guide_pokemon_type_effectiveness_and_weaknesses_explained\">type<\/a> between them, much like most gym leaders do throughout the series. A team like this means you\u2019ll not only have trouble with strong foes that are super effective against potentially your <em>entire<\/em> party, but you\u2019ll also have to think much harder about what moves and Pok\u00e9mon you choose in an effort to counter this as much as you possibly can.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"picture strip\"><a title=\"Screenshot 2019 11 27 At 18.06.36\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/d3e87f019d702\/screenshot-2019-11-27-at-18-06-36.original.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/static.nintendolife.com\/blank.gif\" data-original=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/d3e87f019d702\/screenshot-2019-11-27-at-18-06-36.900x.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot 2019 11 27 At 18.06.36\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<p>Although not absolutely necessary, we recommend choosing what type your team will share before you start your adventure. You can either choose ahead of time or if you\u2019re feeling especially daring you can let the magic of HTML choose for you by clicking on <a class=\"external\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/news\/2019\/11\/guide_pokemon_sword_and_shield_pokedex_galar_region?search=type%3Arandom\">this link<\/a>. If you do you&#8217;ll also be shown a list of all the Pok\u00e9mon available in Sword and Shield that you can pick from \u2013 aren&#8217;t we lovely?<\/p>\n<p>To start your team, you\u2019ll likely have to ditch your starter Pok\u00e9mon as well, unless you chose or were assigned Grass, Fire, or Water. You\u2019ll have to take them through the Slumbering Weald no matter what, but as soon as you\u2019re able to catch a Pok\u00e9mon of your monotype team, you\u2019ll have to drop your starter as soon as you can. This can be tricky with certain types, such as Fairy, as they won\u2019t appear on Route 1 or Route 2, so you\u2019ll have to push through until you get into the Wild Area and start your monotype team from there.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"picture strip\"><a title=\"Screenshot 2019 11 27 At 18.07.17\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/725191f9c5878\/screenshot-2019-11-27-at-18-07-17.original.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/static.nintendolife.com\/blank.gif\" data-original=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/725191f9c5878\/screenshot-2019-11-27-at-18-07-17.900x.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot 2019 11 27 At 18.07.17\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<p>One last thing to mention, there are plenty of Pok\u00e9mon that gain a type when they evolve, such as Rookidee gaining the Steel type when it ultimately evolves into Corviknight. Is it acceptable to have a Rookidee in a Steel monotype team for example? Well at the end of the day it\u2019s your call, but in our personal view it\u2019s perfectly acceptable as although it\u2019s not Steel to begin with, its final form includes it, and that\u2019s what you\u2019ll be using for the majority of your adventure.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"picture strip\"><a title=\"Screenshot 2019 11 27 At 18.07.32\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/2e7d4d489b81a\/screenshot-2019-11-27-at-18-07-32.original.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/static.nintendolife.com\/blank.gif\" data-original=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/2e7d4d489b81a\/screenshot-2019-11-27-at-18-07-32.900x.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot 2019 11 27 At 18.07.32\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<p>However, there are also Pok\u00e9mon that actively <em>lose<\/em> a type when they evolve. For example, Onix is Rock and Ground-type, but upon evolving into Steelix it becomes Steel and Ground. For our money, the final evolution is the restriction you should place upon yourself, so whilst Onix would be fine in a Steel-type team (provided you intend to evolve it, which you should), Steelix would not be OK in a Rock-type team. However, these rules are 100% self-imposed, so if you want to bend our stipulations a little for any reason whatsoever, you\u2019re perfectly free to do so. It\u2019s your choice to do this after all.<\/p>\n<h2>Nuzlocke In Your Life<br \/><\/h2>\n<p>Now we\u2019re in <em>big trousers<\/em> territory. You may well have heard of Nuzlocke at some point, and for good reason &#8211; it amps up the difficulty of the games so significantly that poor planning can even result in deleting your save file. Yikes.<\/p>\n<p>The Nuzlocke challenge was created by Nick Franco and named after his <a class=\"external\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nuzlocke.com\/\">webcomic series of the same name<\/a>. The very basic principles of it are simple:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>If one of your Pok\u00e9mon faints, you must release it.<\/li>\n<li>You may only catch the first Pok\u00e9mon you find in each area, and nothing else.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure class=\"picture strip\"><a title=\"Screenshot 2019 11 27 At 18.12.26\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/7194e64c4a186\/screenshot-2019-11-27-at-18-12-26.original.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/static.nintendolife.com\/blank.gif\" data-original=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/7194e64c4a186\/screenshot-2019-11-27-at-18-12-26.900x.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot 2019 11 27 At 18.12.26\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<p>People have evolved upon the ideas of Nuzlocke over time and there are naturally going to be a few questions with rules as simple as these; \u201cwhat about the Slumbering Weald?\u201d, \u201cdoes it have to be the first overworld Pok\u00e9mon I see or the first rustle of a grassy patch?\u201d, \u201ccan I keep my starter Pok\u00e9mon?\u201d, \u201cwhere are the toilets?\u201d, and so on.<\/p>\n<p>So we\u2019ve compiled our own list of Nuzlocke rules specifically for the 8th generation, including some optional ones if you fancy a bit more pep.<\/p>\n<h3>Mandatory Nuzlocke Rules<\/h3>\n<p><em>These must be followed throughout your entire playthrough.<\/em><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>You may choose your starter Pok\u00e9mon gifted to you by Leon.<\/li>\n<li>You may only capture the first Pok\u00e9mon you battle in each area. This can either be an overworld Pok\u00e9mon, a random encounter from entering a grassy patch, a Pok\u00e9mon you reel in from a fishing spot, a Pok\u00e9mon that falls out of a Berry Tree to attack you, or a Max Raid Battle (you may not leave the Den if you do not want that Pok\u00e9mon, and you must use NPCs rather than other players over the internet or via local wireless). If you fail to capture this Pok\u00e9mon for whatever reason, be it because it fainted or ran away, you may not catch another from that area. This rule comes into effect only once you receive the Pok\u00e9 Balls you get from talking to your mum after visiting the Slumbering Weald for the first time. Each area within the Wild Area is considered a separate location, so you may catch a total of 17 Pok\u00e9mon in the Wild Area, one for each location contained within it.<\/li>\n<li>You may not trade or interact with other users via local wireless or over the internet. This includes the Surprise Trade option and Max Raid Battles. Pok\u00e9mon that require evolution through trading such as Gengar are exempt from this, provided they are traded back immediately.<\/li>\n<li>You may trade Pok\u00e9mon with in-game NPCs, as long as the Pok\u00e9mon they request has been caught in accordance with the restrictions listed in rule 2. You may also accept Pok\u00e9mon given to you by in-game NPCs without trading, such as Toxel.<\/li>\n<li>You may not use Mystery Gift or event Pok\u00e9mon, such as Gigantamax Meowth.<\/li>\n<li>You must nickname every Pok\u00e9mon you capture, including your starter. This will make you appreciate them and bond with them more than you would otherwise.<\/li>\n<li>If one of your Pok\u00e9mon faints, you must transfer it to a Box immediately and release it. This means you may not use any items that revive the Pok\u00e9mon either, it is considered permanently fainted and <em>must<\/em> be released, no exceptions. You may however heal your Pok\u00e9mon using items such as Potions and Antidotes.<\/li>\n<li>You may store additional Pok\u00e9mon you have caught in Boxes to be used if you wish to switch out any member of your party (or one of your party faints) provided they are caught in accordance with the restrictions listed in rule 2.<\/li>\n<li>You must have the Autosave feature active at all times, and you may not reload a previous save at any time. Each action in-game is considered permanent and must be treated as such.<\/li>\n<li>Should all of your party Pok\u00e9mon faint, resulting in a white-out, it is considered a game over and you must start your entire adventure over from the beginning, even if you have reserve Pok\u00e9mon in Boxes.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<figure class=\"picture strip\"><a title=\"Screenshot 2019 11 27 At 18.12.04\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/b659589d96248\/screenshot-2019-11-27-at-18-12-04.original.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/static.nintendolife.com\/blank.gif\" data-original=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/b659589d96248\/screenshot-2019-11-27-at-18-12-04.900x.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot 2019 11 27 At 18.12.04\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<h3>Optional Nuzlocke Rules<\/h3>\n<p><em>Feel free to mix and match as many of these as you wish, or ignore them entirely.<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>You may not use in-game healing items to heal your Pok\u00e9mon. This includes status-healing items such as Antidote.<\/li>\n<li>You may not purchase additional Pok\u00e9 Balls of any kind, you may only use those you find on the ground.<\/li>\n<li>You may not use held items with your Pok\u00e9mon.<\/li>\n<li>You may not use the Pok\u00e9mon Link Box to access your Boxes outside of a Pok\u00e9mon Center.<\/li>\n<li>You may not use any items at all besides Pok\u00e9 Balls and mandatory Key Items.<\/li>\n<li>You may not use the Pok\u00e9mon Camp feature to heal your Pok\u00e9mon with curries.<\/li>\n<li>You may not use the Pok\u00e9mon Camp feature at all.<\/li>\n<li>You may not use starter Pok\u00e9mon, and they must be released as soon as you have a Pok\u00e9mon to replace them.<\/li>\n<li>You may not use the Box system to hold reserve Pok\u00e9mon.<\/li>\n<li>You may not run from any battle.<\/li>\n<li>You must use the \u2018Set\u2019 style of battle rather than the default \u2018Switch\u2019. This can be found in the Options menu.<\/li>\n<li>You may not use the Move Tutor.<\/li>\n<li>You may not use the Flying Taxis.<\/li>\n<li>You may not Dynamax your Pok\u00e9mon.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We told you it was big trousers time, didn\u2019t we? Nuzlocke is undoubtedly not for everyone, but if you\u2019ve been looking to get some more challenge in your Pok\u00e9mon games, you\u2019ll certainly find it with this!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[youtube https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=5kuX5LMusFU?rel=0&amp;hd=1&amp;showinfo=0&amp;modestbranding=0&amp;autohide=1&#038;w=900&#038;h=507] Pok\u00e9mon Sword and Shield are great games in our eyes \u2013 and in the eyes of many others \u2013 but there\u2019s no hiding from the fact that the level of difficulty is, shall we say, a little on the accessible side. That\u2019s great if you\u2019re just looking to have a fun adventure, but [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-104588","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nintendo-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104588","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=104588"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104588\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=104588"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=104588"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=104588"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}