Pokemon Sword / Shield Expansion Pass: How To Claim Your Early Purchase Bonus

The Isle of Armor, the first expansion for Pokemon Sword and Shield, is now live. The DLC is bundled together with the upcoming Crown Tundra as part of the Sword and Shield Expansion Pass, and if you purchase the pass before August 31, you're entitled to an extra bonus: trainer items based on Leon's cap and tights. Here's how to claim them.

Upon booting up your copy of Sword or Shield after installing the DLC update, you'll automatically receive the Armor Pass, which is how you access the Isle of Armor. However, you won't automatically receive your bonus trainer items; to claim those, you'll need to open the menu and select Mystery Gift.

Once you're on the Mystery Gift screen, you'll need to go through the following steps to download the bonus items:

• Select Get a Gift
• Select the Get via internet option
• Follow the prompts to connect online and download the items

As previously mentioned, these clothing items will only be available for a limited time, so you'll need to purchase a Sword or Shield Expansion Pass before August 31 to receive them. The pass costs $30 USD and grants you access to both expansions. The Crown Tundra does not yet have a release date, but it's slated to arrive this fall and will introduce more new and returning Pokemon to the games, including some new Legendaries and Galarian forms. You can also get the newly added Pokemon without owning the DLC.

In other Pokemon news, the Mythical Zeraora is appearing in the game as part of a new Max Raid event. If one million players can defeat it by June 28, everyone will receive a free Shiny Zeraora via Pokemon Home. Every Gigantamax Pokemon has also returned to Max Raids for a limited time.