Pokemon Sword & Shield Update Offers A Tiny Preview Of The New Expansions

Pokemon Sword and Shield are receiving a paid expansion pass, and you'll be able to get a taste of it right now. Following the recent Pokemon Direct broadcast, Nintendo and The Pokemon Company released an update for Sword and Shield that adds a "small slice" of expansion pass content to the games, whether or not you've purchased the pass.

Once you've downloaded the update, you'll be able to go to Wedgehurst Station and meet a new character who appears in the games' first expansion, Isle of Armor, which is slated to release this June. The character you meet will differ depending on which version you play and will be a new rival you face off against in the expansion. Sword players will meet Klara, a Poison-type trainer, while Shield players will encounter Avery, a Psychic-type trainer.

That's not the only new content available in the games. You'll also be able to catch a new Pokemon: Galarian Slowpoke. Unlike a standard Slowpoke, this new regional variant is a pure Psychic-type, and its Ability can be either Gluttony or Own Tempo. You can evolve this Slowpoke into a Galarian Slowbro after you've obtained a special item in the Isle of Armor expansion, while an item in the Crown Tundra expansion--which is coming this fall--will cause it to evolve into Galarian Slowking.

The Pokemon Sword and Shield expansion pass costs $30 USD and is available to purchase now. It covers the aforementioned two DLC packs, each of which adds an expansive new environment to explore, a bunch of new and returning Pokemon, new clothing items, and more. You'll also receive a free bonus for purchasing the pass: a Pikachu uniform and Eevee uniform for your trainer. You'll get a download code for the bonuses via email, which you can then redeem in the games through Mystery Gift to claim your outfits.

There was a lot of other news out of this week's Pokemon Direct; you can catch up on all the latest stories below.