Major information concerning Pokémon Sword and Shield has prematurely found its way onto the internet yet again, it seems.
As always, series developer Game Freak has struggled to keep details concerning its latest additions to the core RPG franchise under lock and key, with a number of leaks ultimately turning out to be totally accurate. The primary source of those rumors found to be true come by way of a 4chan post discovered not long after the pair’s announcement earlier this year. At the time, much of the contents of the post that its anonymous author claimed to be true were dismissed as fiction, skepticism that has now been irrefutably proven to be misplaced.
With the Switch exclusives now due to launch in a matter of weeks, however, more and more individuals have come forward to spill the beans on its various features, and one of which has seemingly revealed the Galar region’s entire Gym Challenge. No doubt, such unverified rumors would normally be discarded almost instantly, but based on precedent alone, they’re worth discussing. With that said, we can’t stress enough that everything you’re about to see is, for all intents and purposes, still hearsay until Game Freak says otherwise.
The full list, which is provided in the format of sequential order, the gym leader’s name, their elemental affinity and the reward given for their defeat, can be found below.
- Gym 1 – Kabu – Fire-type – TM59: Incinerate
- Gym 2 – Milo – Grass-type – TM86: Grass Knot
- Gym 3 – Nessa – Water-type – TM96: Aqua Jet
- Gym 4 – Opal (Sword exclusive) – Fairy-type – TM77: Scuffle
- Gym 4 – Sopp (Shield exclusive) – Poison-type – TM06: Venoshock
- Gym 5 – Bea (Sword exclusive) – Fighting-type – TM31: Brick Break
- Gym 5 – Allister (Shield exclusive) – Ghost-type – TM30: Shadow Ball
- Gym 6 – George – Dragon-type – TM67: Dragon’s Roar
- Gym 7 – Donnie (Sword exclusive) – Dark-type – TM59: Brutal Swing
- Gym 7 – Niklas (Shield exclusive) – Ice-type – TM70: Aurora Veil
- Gym 8 – Wesley – Steel-type – TM91: Flash Cannon
Assuming all of the above turns out to be bang on the money, Sword and Shield will each have three exclusive gyms. What remains unclear, however, is how Trainers will obtain those TM moves not awarded by their version’s Gym Leader.
We’ll likely have to wait until release day to find out for sure but in the meantime, you can combine today’s revelations with our rundown of every version-exclusive Pokémon so far confirmed for Pokémon Sword and Shield to help you reach a decision (assuming you don’t buy both) on which to purchase ahead of November 15th.