How to Lower a Strong-Looking Pokemon's Guard

This page explains what to do when Strong-Looking Pokemon in the Wild Area will not let their guard down in the game Pokemon Sword and Shield. Read on to find out why this occurs and how to handle it.

How to Lower the Strong-Looking Pokemon's Guard

The new Wild Area feature in Pokemon Sword and Shield introduces several new elements to gameplay, one being powerful wild Pokemon with levels far higher than the player normally expects to encounter at an early stage in the game.

Obviously, it's tempting to try to catch these high-powered Pokemon to add to your party. Unfortunately, Game Freak has made sure that these Pokemon are uncatchable for players who haven't progressed far enough into the game, to avoid players getting overpowered early on.

Earn Gym Badges

Don't worry, you will be able to catch these Pokemon after you have obtained enough Gym Badges. Defeating Gym Leaders and claiming the necessary badges below will allow you to catch the strong-looking Pokemon in the Wild Area.

If you're having trouble making it through some of the tougher Gym Battles, check our complete guide below for recommendations on how to beat the gym leaders and their respective locations.

Gym Leader Types and Walkthroughs

What to Do Against Strong-Looking Pokemon

Run Away

Your best option before you've reached the necessary level to catch these Pokemon is simply to avoid battling them. Most of these Pokemon move rather slowly on the overworld, so it's not too difficult to simply steer your bike around them to save time and your team's HP.

If you do get dragged into a battle with one of these tough 'Mons, you might want to use a Poke Doll to definitively escape from the battle. Otherwise, you can try your odds with running away normally, but take care not to run out of Pokemon and lose half your Poke Dollars!

How to Run Away from a Battle

Knock Them Out

If your party is up to the challenge of defeating a high-level Pokemon, they will be rewarded with a windfall of Exp. Points. Still, as the amount of points doesn't match up to the effort needed to defeat them, this isn't one of the most recommended ways to grind in Pokemon Sword and Shield.

How to Level Up Fast

Can an Uncatchable Pokemon be Shiny?

These high level pokemon are impossible to catch, if you have not earned the necessary badges. Does that mean there is a chance of encountering an uncatchable Shiny? Presumably to avoid a torrent of angry tweets and broken Joy-Cons, the game's code prevents uncatchable Pokemon from being Shiny. For those who dream of Shiny Hunting in the Wild Area, go ahead and finish the main story, and then you'll be able to catch to your heart's content!

Pokemon Sword and Shield Related Links

Wild Area and Raid Strategy

Wild Area and Raid Strategy

The Crown Tundra Maps

Crown Tundra Wild Area Maps
Slippery Slope	Frostpoint Field	Giant's Bed
Old Cemetery	Giant's Foot	Ballimere Lake
Dyna Tree Hill	Frigid Sea	Three-Point Pass
Snowslide Slope	Path to the Peak	Crown Shrine
Lakeside Cave	Roaring-Sea Caves	Tunnel to the Top

The Isle of Armor Maps

Isle of Armor Wild Area Maps
Fields of Honor	Soothing Wetlands	Forest of Focus
Challenge Beach	Brawlers' Cave	Loop Lagoon
Stepping-Stone Sea	Insular Sea	Honeycalm Island
Honeycalm Sea	Potbottom Desert	Warm-Up Tunnel
Training Lowlands	Challenge Road	Courageous Cavern
Workout Sea

The Isle of Armor Wild Area

All Wild Area Maps

Rolling Fields	Dappled Grove	West Lake Axewell
Axew's Eye	Giant's Seat	South Lake Miloch
East Lake Axewell	Watchtower Ruins	Motostoke Riverbank
Stony Wilderness	Bridge Field	Dusty Bowl
Giant's Mirror	Giant's Cap	Lake of Outrage
Hammerlocke Hills	North Lake Miloch

All Raid Boss Locations

Location of Each Raid Boss by Generation