
Sadly, there is one aspect of using Salamence that does not carry over into Pokemon Sword and Shield from past installments: Mega Salamence, the Pokemon's Mega Evolution. With the Ability patch, bodnast was able to give Salamence the ability Moxie, which is useful for turning Salamance into an offensive powerhouse. Perhaps the biggest new addition is the Ability Patch, introduced in the Crown Tundra expansion, that unlocks a Pokemon's Hidden Ability. For example, players can retroactively max out a Pokemon's genetic potential (the stats known as IVs) through Hyper Training. The Reddit post also highlights the ease with which Pokemon in Sword and Shield can grow stronger and be optimized for competitive battles. Moreover, on a broader level, Pokemon Sword and Shield don't acknowledge Gale of Darkness or its setting, the Arizona-like Orre Region, in any way. Sadly, anyone looking at a Pokemon transferred to Sword from Gale of Darkness would just see a normal Pokemon, with no acknowledgement of its shadowy origins. The player needed to steal (or "snag") the Salamence from the villainous Cipher Admin Eldes and purify it before it could be transferred to the mainline Game Boy Advance games. My Shadow Salamence from XD is now in Sword - how cool is Pokémon’s backwards compatibility and all the new training items introduced in Sword/Shield? fromĪs one of Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness' Shadow Pokemon, this particular Salamence had to be acquired in an unusual way. While fans have made an easy-to-read infographic for the Pokemon transfer process, the transfer is time-consuming, with bodnast noting that it could have been easier. Salamence must have traveled from Gale of Darkness to the Game Boy Advance Pokemon games, the Nintendo DS games, the 3DS games, and finally Pokemon Sword on the Switch.

Reddit user bodnast revealed that they use the same Salamence in Pokemon Sword that they met in Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness 15 years ago. RELATED: The First 10 Pokémon Spin-Offs (In Chronological Order) In the past, Pokemon could even be transferred between mainline entries and spin-offs like My Pokemon Ranch, Pokemon Stadium, and Pokemon Battle Revolution.

One of the Pokemon franchise's most unique features is its focus on allowing players to bring cherished Pokemon into each new game. While Pokemon Sword and Shield do not allow every Pokemon to come to the Galar region, Nintendo offers the Pokemon Home application as a way to store every Pokemon for future games. Originating in the cult classic Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness, the Pokemon in question is now ready for battle in Pokemon Sword. A dedicated Pokemon fan has successfully migrated a Pokemon from the Nintendo GameCube to the Nintendo Switch.
