Update: Pokémon Sword and Shield: How to Spot a Fake Pokémon & Get a Gigantamax Pokémon
Pokemon Sword and Shield have been out for a week now, and many trainers may have missed the special evolution conditions required for some Pokemon. Among them, there are Pokemon like Spritzee and Swirlix that can only be evolved during the game's end-game content.
Here's how you could evolve Spritzee and Swirlix into Aromatisse and Slurpuff, respectively. Towards the end of this article, there are also instructions on how to evolve Pokemon with special evolution conditions introduced in Pokemon Sword and Shield.
Evolving Swirlix and Spritzee
Swirlix and Spritzee are two Pokemon with special evolution conditions introduced in Pokemon X and Y. They were version exclusives of either game. Swirlix can be found in Route 7 of Pokemon X, while Spritzee can be found in the same location at Pokemon Y. The same is true in Pokemon Sword and Shield: Swirlix is a Pokemon Shield exclusive, while Spritzee is a Pokemon Sword exclusive.
Both Swirlix and Spritzee can be caught at Route 5, fairly early in the game. However, the requirements needed to evolve them are locked until you beat the Pokemon Champion.
Read More : Is 'Pokemon Sword and Shield' Worth The Hype?
In Hammerlocke, the city at the center of the Galar Region, there's a Pokemon Center with a BP Shop. The BP Shop is easy to miss: She's a Pokemon Trainer standing beside the Poke Mart. The BP Shop sells the Sachet and Whipped Cream items for 10 BP each. However, you could only get BP through battling in the Battle Tower, which is unlocked after becoming the Pokemon Champion of Galar.
Once you've accumulated enough BP, it's as simple as buying the Sachet (or Whipped Cream) from the BP Shop and having your Pokemon hold them. You can then trade the Spritzee holding a Sachet to a friend, with them sending you their Swirlix holding a Whipped Cream. Once you receive your respective Pokemon, they will undergo the evolution animation, and voila! You now have your Aromatisse and Slurpuff.
Pokemon Sword and Shield Special Evolution Conditions
Pokemon's Generation VIII introduced a lot of unique (and sometimes weird) ways to evolve Pokemon. They're very easy to miss if you don't talk to all NPCs in-game or looking it up on the Internet. Some of these might even be impossible to discover on your own, based on just how ridiculous some of the requirements are. Here are some new evolutions from Pokemon Sword and Shield that you don't just get from leveling up your creatures:
Alcremie - This is probably the most ridiculous special evolution condition in the history of Pokemon. With Milcery at your party, you can choose from 63 different Alcremie variations. There are seven different "sweet" items that you could choose from, which you'll make Milcery hold. Then, you could spin either clockwise or counter-clockwise, after which, Milcery will evolve into Alcremie. The number of variants increases as well since the time of day will also affect Alcremie's form. What an odd way of evolving a Pokemon, right?
Sirfetch'd - Farfetch'd has been part of the National Dex since the very first games, and it seems like it only needed a bigger leek to hold for it to evolve. In Pokemon Sword and Shield, there's a Galar region variant of Farfetch'd, holding a much larger leek than it normally holds. For it to evolve to Sirfetch'd, it needs to land three critical hits in a single battle. After the battle, whether or not Farfetch'd gains a level, it will evolve into Sirfetch'd.
Grapploct - Clobbopus is a cute octopus that will not evolve even if you level it up to 100. It has a special evolution condition before it could evolve into Grapploct. The requirement is simple, especially since there's already a Move Deleter and Move Relearner in all Pokemon Centers in Galar. Simply teach Clobbopus the move Taunt and have it level up for it to evolve into Grapploct.
Polteageist - There are two versions of Sinistea in Pokemon Sword and Shield, but both versions have special evolution conditions. A Sinistea could either have a mark of authenticity or not. If it has a mark, it should be exposed to a Chipped Pot. If not, expose it to a Cracked Pot. The resulting Pokemon is called Polteageist, a Ghost type Pokemon straight out of Beauty and the Beast. Sinistea can be found in Glimwood Tangle. The Cracked Pot can be found on the roof of one of the houses along Stow-on-Side right before the Pokemon Gym. Meanwhile, the Chipped Pot can be bought from the Bargain Merchant on the same city.
Toxitricity - You get a baby Toxel from the Pokemon Nursery along Route 5, which you gain access to after beating the first gym. The Toxel grows up into two different forms based on its nature. It can either become a Low Key Toxitricity or an Amped Toxitricity. Check here to find out what kind of Toxitricity your baby Toxel will grow to become!
Flapple and Appletun - Flapple and Appletun both evolve from Applin, depending on the kind of apple you expose it to. It evolves into a Flapple when you expose it to a Tart Apple. Meanwhile, exposing it to a Sweet Apple will turn it into an Appletun. There is a variety of ways to get the Tart Apple and the Sweet Apple, but the former is exclusive to Pokemon Sword, while the other is exclusive to Pokemon Shield.
That's all the new Pokemon introduced in Pokemon Sword and Shield that have special evolution conditions. Hopefully, these tips will help you catch 'em all.
