Catching Pokémon

Learn how to catch Pokémon in Sword and Shield! Discover tips on using Poké Balls, improving your odds with HP and status conditions, and choosing the right Poké Ball.

Alright, let's talk about catching Pokémon in Sword and Shield! It's pretty straightforward, but there are definitely some tricks to make it easier.

To snag a wild Pokémon, you'll need a Poké Ball. You can open your Bag to find them, or just hit the X Button during battle – way quicker! Early on, you'll get some for free, but eventually, you'll be buying them from the Poké Mart clerk in any Pokémon Center.

Once you toss a Poké Ball, the Pokémon gets wrapped up. Then, the ball shakes up to three times. If it stays put, congrats, you've caught it! If it breaks free, no worries, just try again.

Improving Your Chances

You can definitely make catching easier by keeping a few things in mind:

• Lower their HP: The less health a wild Pokémon has, the better your chances. Just be careful not to knock them out completely, or they'll faint and disappear! It's a good idea to use weaker moves to whittle them down. Moves like False Swipe are perfect because they'll always leave the Pokémon with at least 1 HP.
• Status Conditions: Having the wild Pokémon affected by a status condition really helps. Paralyze is super reliable (try Nuzzle or Thunder Wave), but it won't work on Electric-types. Sleep (from Sleep Powder or Hypnosis) gives an even better boost, but there's always a chance they'll wake up.
• The Right Poké Ball: Obviously, Great Balls and Ultra Balls have better catch rates. But keep an eye out for special Poké Balls from Watt Traders in the Wild Area or specific Poké Mart clerks. For example, Net Balls are amazing for catching Water and Bug-type Pokémon.

After the Catch

Once you've caught a Pokémon, you can give it a nickname if you like!

Newly caught Pokémon are added to your party of 6. If your party is full, you can choose to send them to your Boxes or swap them out with a current party member. Remember, they'll keep their HP, PP, and status conditions from the last battle, so it's a good idea to heal them up!

You can manage your Boxes using the PC in any Pokémon Center. Later on, once you get the Pokémon Box Link, you can even access your Boxes by pressing the L or R Button from the Pokémon menu. They won't get restored when put in a box, but visiting a Pokémon Center will heal everyone up.