The second half of the Pokémon Sword & Shield Expansion Pass main quest – The Crown Tundra – is all about one thing: catching lots and lots of legendaries. There are four sets on offer in fact – some familiar and some brand new to the franchise.
If you need a helping hand in catching some of these groups, we’ve played through the DLC and have some handy tips on catching the legendary giants, birds and the King of Bountiful Harvest. We also have information for Isle of Armor, including how to level up your friendship with Kubfu, and how to level up Kubfu fast.
How to catch Calyrex
To get the new two-part legendary Pokémon Calyrex – a Psychic and Ice/Ghost type – you’ll need to follow the King of Bountiful Harvest quest line. To trigger this, you’ll need to speak to Peony and be gifted all the mysterious clues.
In Peony’s house, there’s a rock sitting on his dining room table. Interact with it, and then he’ll eventually gift it to you. Walk outside to the communal garden and click on the statue of the horse. This will automatically put the rock on the statue.
After this, Calyrex shall appear. Follow the quests as he directs, and eventually you’ll be given some carrots to plant. If you choose to plant them in the cemetery, you’ll get the Ghost version of the horse. If instead you pick the snowy mountain to plant them, you’ll get the Ice version.
Once the two are reunited, you’ll have to battle them to catch them. You can keep the Pokémon together as a pair or use them separately.
How to catch the legendary giants
The legendary giants are made up of Regirock, Regiice, Registeel and the new Pokémon – either Regieleki or Regidrago – Electric type and Dragon type respectively.
To unlock the new Pokémon, you’ll need to find the temples for the first three Regis and catch them all. You’ll be given clues from Peony at the start of the DLC, but these contain some missing information. Speaking to him for hints will help, but here’s exactly what you need to do:
How to catch Registeel
The temple for Registeel is the easiest to find, located on the left side of The Giants Bed, just after you leave Freezington. The clue to open the door is:
“Let ring the piercing note that will wake the giant of steel.”
All you need to do is whistle by pressing the left joystick down. The door to the temple will then open. Once in, you need to walk on all the circles on the ground to make them light up, so they match the pattern on the statue, then interact with the statue. You’ll now be able to battle and catch Registeel.
How to catch Regirock
The temple of Regirock is located in the bottom-right hand side of The Giant’s Bed on the map. The clue to unlock the temple is:
“Let the first Pokémon hold a never-changing stone.”
The first Pokémon in your party will need to be holding an everstone. If you don’t have an everstone in your bag, there is one located in the Roaring Sea Cave. You’ll need to click on every item that sparkles in the cave until you find one.
Once you’re in the temple, interact with the circles on the ground and then the statue as you did on the previous temple.
How to catch Regiice
The Regiice temple can be found on the left-hand side of Snowside slope – when you’re heading up the slope you should veer off the main path to the left and you’ll eventually come to it. The clue to open to door is:
“Walk together with a living crystal of snow.”
You’ll need to catch a Cryogonal and have it as your lead Pokémon and walking with you. Cryogonals can be found in the area of the temple, or by the train station. Once you’re in the temple, again walk on the circles and interact with the statue to fight Regiice.
How to catch Regieleki or Regidrago
The temple of Regieleki and Regidrago can be found by travelling through the Roaring Sea Cave, then out into the Frigid Sea, and through Three-Point Pass.
You’ll need to have all the other three Regis in your party in order to open the door. Once you’re in, you can light up the circles to match the patterns on the outside of the temple which you see a close up of when you enter.
If you want the Electric type Regi, copy the yellow pattern on the left. If you want the Dragon type Regi, copy the red pattern on the right. The statue will confirm your choice before you battle.
How to catch the legendary birds
There are Galarian versions of the classic legendary birds – Moltres, Zapdos and Articuno. To catch these three, you’ll firstly have to trigger a cutscene by heading to the Dyna Hill Tree, which is connected by the Ballimere Lake (you’ll have to ride your bike across water to get there).
The tree is the big pink one, and once you arrive the birds will have a brief scuffle with each other before flying out across Galar. To catch them, you’ll have to head out to different regions.
How to catch Galarian Zapdos
To get Galarian Zapdos (Fighting and Flying type), you should head to the station entrance to the Wild Area in the mainland. Traverse in and you’ll see Zapdos walking about. It will notice you approaching and will start to run off – to catch it you’ll need to get on your bike and cut off its path to stop it in its tracks.
How to catch Galarian Moltres
To get Galarian Moltres (Dark and Flying type), you should head to the station at Isle of Armor. You’ll see the bird flying out across the sea. Ride your bike up to the Dojo, keeping it in your sight. Eventually it will fly overhead in the long grass nearby – ride your bike underneath until you encounter it in a battle.
How to catch Galarian Articuno
To get Galarian Articuno (Psychic and Flying type), you’ll need to head to the Old Cemetery – the noise of the bird should lead you towards there. Once you see it, Articuno will make copies of itself. Find the real one in the group, and eventually it will come and battle you.
How to catch the Unova legendaries
Whilst these legendries aren’t part of the main quest line, Sonia offers a side quest to catch three legendary Pokémon across The Crown Tundra – Virizion, Terrakeon and Cobalion. To catch these Pokémon all you need to do is find three sets of footprints dotted throughout the region.
To find Virizion, you should search for footprints located within The Giants Bed, and click ‘A’ whenever you find one. Once you’ve got 100% of the trail, go talk to Sonia, then the Pokémon should appear within that region, which you can battle and catch.
To find Terrakeon, you should look for footsteps located within Lakeside Cavern. Again, the same process applies – talk to Sonia and you’ll be able to battle and catch it.
Finally, to find Cobalion, search for footsteps near The Frigid Sea and then talk to Sonia.
