Pokémon Sword and Shield’s Isle of Armor expansion brings back many Pokémon from the past games to the Galar region. For the first time in the series only a fraction of the Pokémon species were brought back, but the 2 expansions have increased the number of available Pokémon in the game. Many of which can be caught on the Isle of Armor! However, some can only be found roaming in the wild during specific in-game weather. As weather can be unpredictable, it can be difficult to track down certain Pokémon the player is searching for.
However, there is a method to manipulate what weather occurs. For players seeking to complete the Isle of Armor Pokédex or add new members to their team, they may want to take advantage of this mechanic. Below is a brief guide on how to change the weather using the Switch’s own system settings.
Changing the Nintendo Switch’s Date
Players can only change their Switch system’s date through the main menu. From there, they’ll tap the System Settings button on the right, in between the Controllers and Sleep Mode options. Then, scroll all the way down to the final option, ‘System’, and select the Date and Time option. The ability to alter date and time might be disabled at first, as the Switch can synchronize its own clock with the real world’s using the internet. This will have to be disabled in order to change the month to what the player desires. While this method can help find otherwise rare Pokémon, it may be a detriment in other Switch games. For instance, Animal Crossing: New Horizons relies on the current date for in-game events and mechanics, and changing the time to find certain Pokémon might distribute a player’s island life. Turnips, in particular, will rot if the time is every changed, so be wary when using this weather altering method. Once the date has changed, Sword and Shield can be opened again and the weather will instantly change to the desired outcome. The game does not have to be closed to change the date, letting players hunt Pokémon to their heart’s content.
Pokemon Isle of Armor’s Weather Patterns
Changing weather is already possible in Sword and Shield, but it operates a tad differently in the Isle of Armor. Normally, the weather is locked to the first day of every month, so players could choose from certain months to reliably get the weather they wanted. But on the Isle of Armor, this changes to the 15th of every month, and the months have different guaranteed weather. Below is each weather type, and their corresponding month:
- Normal – March and September
- Intense Sun – May and December
- Overcast – February and November
- Fog – January and October
- Raining – April and June
- Thunderstorm – July and August
Looking to add strong Pokémon to your team? Many powerful Pokémon that are normally hard to obtain can be found in the right weather conditions are met. For example, Luxray and Politoed appear during Thunderstorms, the latter of which can only be obtained when Poliwhirl is traded with an uncommon item. Whether it be for Pokédex completion or shiny hunting, changing weather on the Isle of Armor is one method to see all the new Pokémon it brings back.
Pokémon Sword and Shield is available for Nintendo Switch.