Will The Oval Charm Pokemon Sword Appear In Future Updates?

Alright, here's the short guide I wish I'd had when I was hunting for it: the Oval Charm in 'Pokémon Sword' isn't something you usually stumble on in the first few towns. It’s effectively a late-game/post-game convenience item — traditionally handed out once you've completed big Pokédex milestones or triggered certain post-story events. That means you can't reliably find it sitting in a chest or sold in a shop early on by normal progression. That said, if you really want it early, the practical routes are multiplayer and community trades. I’ve snagged one within my first few hours of post-game by offering a decent trade in online forums and raid lobbies. Another realistic option is to take advantage of trading with friends or joining Discord/Reddit communities where people often hand out handy items like Oval Charms. Lastly, keep an eye on official Mystery Gift/Max Raid event drops — sometimes the game devs distribute items that make breeding and collection easier. For my part, I waited until after finishing most story content and then traded for one; breeding became noticeably faster and more fun. It’s not strictly early-game material, but with a little social effort you can get it much sooner than solo play would allow.

I got curious about this one too when I was hunting for better breeding convenience, and the short, useful fact is: you don't need any DLC to get the Oval Charm in 'Pokemon Sword' (or 'Pokemon Shield'). In my playthrough I found that the Oval Charm is part of the base game—it's a quality-of-life item that makes the nursery more generous about producing eggs. You can get it through normal in-game progression by talking to the right NPCs and visiting the nursery area; it isn't locked behind 'The Isle of Armor' or 'The Crown Tundra' expansions. If you ever see guides implying it's a DLC exclusive, that's incorrect. If for some reason you didn't pick it up or you're playing a friend’s cartridge, trading for it is an easy workaround. Personally, once I had the Oval Charm, my breeding sessions felt way less grindy — totally worth grabbing early on.

This is one of those questions that makes breeding feel delightfully efficient: yes, the Oval Charm in 'Pokémon Sword' and the Destiny Knot do different jobs, so they absolutely stack. The Oval Charm is a key item you get after progressing in the story that increases how often Day Care/Nursery will produce eggs while you’re riding around. It doesn’t touch IVs or inheritance rules — it just helps you get more eggs in less time. The Destiny Knot, on the other hand, is a held item for one of the parents that changes IV inheritance: instead of three IVs being passed down from the two parents, five IVs get inherited, which is huge when you’re aiming for competitive spreads. Because one affects egg frequency and the other affects which IVs transfer, you can and should use both together when you’re breeding for perfect Pokémon. I’ve been doing sprinter runs of egg hatching with the Oval Charm and letting a Destiny Knot do the heavy lifting on IVs, and it feels way less grindy — very satisfying when a nearly perfect hatch pops out.

the Oval Charm is one of those quality-of-life things that makes the whole process less grindy. The straightforward bit: the Oval Charm raises the chance that the Day Care/Nursery will produce an egg when you leave two compatible Pokémon together. It does not change how many steps an egg needs to hatch, and it does not affect shiny odds or the chances of particular IVs or natures coming out. Practically, that means if you want more eggs per hour, the Oval Charm is a big help — you get eggs more frequently so you can keep collecting and hatching. To actually hatch eggs faster, you need a Pokémon with Flame Body or Magma Armor in your party (those abilities reduce the number of steps required) and to move around a lot on your bike. Also remember you can only receive a new egg if there isn't already one waiting at the Nursery, so pick up eggs often. I always pair Oval Charm with a hatch-team and some bike riding routes and the whole breeding session feels so much smoother.

I got this by poking around every nursery and talking to every NPC until something clicked: the Oval Charm in 'Pokemon Sword' comes from the person who runs the Pokémon Nursery on Route 5 (the Bridge Field area of the Wild Area). Talk to the nursery attendant — she’s the one associated with egg breeding — and she’ll hand over the Oval Charm, which boosts your chances of getting eggs when two compatible Pokémon are left at the nursery. If you care about breeding, this little trinket is golden: it doesn’t change IVs or nature, but it cranks up egg frequency so you spend less time staring at the overworld waiting for that next hatch. I kept it tucked into my bag the whole postgame while I hatched for competitive spreads, and it saved me a ton of time. Worth hunting down if you’re trying to fill a team or breed a shiny—small thing, big payoff, and the nursery lady’s always worth a chat. I still smile when I remember the first clutch of perfect eggs I got with it.

If you're hunting down a Destiny Knot in 'Pokémon Sword', there are a few reliable routes I always tell friends about — and some grindy ones for completionists. The fastest, most predictable way is to use Battle Points: the Battle Tower shop regularly stocks key breeding items, and Destiny Knot is typically available there in exchange for BP. If you’ve been chaining Tower runs or doing the competitive ladder, that BP pileup suddenly feels worth it. For a more old-school scavenger vibe, check the Wild Area. Destiny Knot can show up in overworld item balls and in certain digging / treasure routines run by the Wild Area Digging Duo. I’ve rescued more than one Destiny Knot out of those holes after a lazy afternoon of coop den raids. Also, some wild Pokémon can hold rare items — it’s a low-percentage drop, but fainting and checking the loot or using Thief/Knock Off on targets can net you one eventually. So if you’re someone who likes wandering and picking up every shiny sparkle on the ground, the Knot turns up there too. Why bother? Destiny Knot changes the whole breeding workflow: it makes offspring inherit five IVs randomly from both parents, which is why competitive breeders place it on a parent instead of letting pure randomness run wild. Pair it with an Everstone on the other parent to lock Nature, and use a good Ditto, and you’ll see your IV-targeting speed spike. Personally, I mix strategies: BP purchase for a guaranteed copy so I can immediately start breeding, then go back and hunt a better one from digging or wild drops if I want extras or a lucky held drop. It’s satisfying when you finally see that perfect 31 spread after a few cycles — like hitting a small personal jackpot.

I get asked this a lot when folks are starting a fresh run of 'Pokémon Sword' or 'Pokémon Shield' — so here’s the short-but-clear scoop and a few friendly tips from my playthroughs. Oddish itself always evolves in the same way across both games: it becomes Gloom at level 21, and then Gloom has two possible routes. Use a Leaf Stone on Gloom to get 'Vileplume', or use a Sun Stone to get 'Bellossom'. There aren’t any Galarian or version-exclusive evolutions for Oddish in these titles, so the choice of final form is entirely yours rather than tied to which cartridge you picked up. Where it gets fun is the decision-making. I’ve delayed evolving Oddish a few times because I wanted a Gloom to learn a specific move before applying a stone — you can totally do that. In battle roles, Vileplume tends to lean toward that classic bulky, status-inducing grass type vibe, while Bellossom has a different feel and movepool leaning more into special attacking and support. If you’re into aesthetics or a team theme, that often decides it for me: I once made a whole floral-themed squad and picked Bellossom for the soft palette. Remember also that evolution stones and the ability to trade or breed give you flexibility — if one stone’s scarce early on, you can always come back later or trade for the form you want. Practical tip: an Everstone will stop evolution if you want to keep Gloom for a bit, and checking move tutors/TMs in the area helps you avoid losing a needed move on evolution. Personally, I usually evolve to Vileplume if I need a tank for raids and pick Bellossom if I’m doing a more niche or pretty-looking team — both have their charm, so go with what makes your team feel complete.

In 'Pokémon Sword and Shield', finding Rotom isn't a straightforward endeavor. This electric-ghost Pokémon can be encountered in various forms, thanks to its unique ability to inhabit different appliances. If you’re in search of Rotom specifically, you'll want to look for it around the area of the 'Battle Tower' and 'Wyndon' during certain times or events, but also note that it can be obtained through special means. Rotom can be accessed through the game by using the 'Rotom Catalog', which allows you to switch between its different forms, each of which has its own unique type and moveset. Whether you're a competitive player or just someone who enjoys collecting, getting your hands on Rotom will definitely add some spice to your team! Plus, it’s always fun to see it transform when you switch the appliance it’s inhabiting. Another thing to keep in mind is that the availability of certain Pokémon can be influenced by whether you have the Isle of Armor or Crown Tundra DLC. If you’re keen on completing your Pokédex or just want that charming little spirit on your team, make sure you’ve explored all the game’s content. Catching Rotom feels so rewarding!

If you’re hunting for Raikou in 'Pokémon Sword', the short truth is: it won’t show up in the base game — you need the Crown Tundra DLC. I’m in my thirties and still get that giddy, kid-like rush when a legendary finally shows up, so I’ll walk you through the practical route I used (and the little tips I learned after a dozen retries). Basically, install 'Crown Tundra', head to the Max Lair, and run Dynamax Adventures — Raikou is one of the possible legendaries you can encounter at the end of those runs. Once you’ve got 'Crown Tundra' installed, go to the Max Lair (it’s part of the new area the DLC adds) and talk to the folks running the place to start a Dynamax Adventure. The adventure is a short series of Max Raid-style battles where you and up to three partners fight through 3-4 encounters, each time picking a rental Pokémon (you can’t bring your own). The final battle of the run is a legendary Pokémon — and Raikou is in that pool. Because the pool is randomized, you might get something else (Entei, Suicune, or any number of legendaries) instead of Raikou, so expect to repeat the run until the game spits out Raikou as the final encounter. A few practical tips that helped me: save your game before you begin a run so you can restart the whole session if you want to try again from scratch, and play with friends or online teammates if you can — coordinated teams make the run faster and reduce wipe anxiety. For the catch itself, remember you don’t control the rental team outside the battle menu, so your final battle options are limited; try to pick or keep teammates who have moves that can inflict status (sleep or paralysis) or lower HP — status boosts catch odds a lot. Bring lots of Quick Balls (first-turn Quick Balls are lovely) and Timer Balls if the fight drags on. If you get Raikou but it’s on an undesirable nature or IVs, you can always soft-reset and try again if you saved beforehand, or just keep running until one drops with better stats — RNG is a brat, but persistence pays. If you’d rather skip random runs, trading is another path: if someone in your friends list caught a Raikou in their copy of 'Pokémon Shield' or 'Pokémon Sword', you can trade, or use cloud services like Pokémon HOME to move legendaries between compatible games if both games support it. Remember Raikou can’t be bred, so trading/catching are the only ways. Personally, I did a half-dozen Dynamax Adventures with a slice of pizza and a podcast on in the background before I finally snagged one — that moment of “ball shake… shake… shake” still felt great. If you try a run, bring patience and a comfy chair, and the odds will swing in your favor eventually.

I still get a little giddy whenever I think about evolving Pokémon, and Oddish in 'Pokemon Sword and Shield' is one of those straightforward but satisfying cases. Oddish evolves into Gloom when it reaches level 21 — that’s the automatic, level-based evolution. Once it’s Gloom, it won’t evolve any further by leveling; instead you choose its final form with an evolution stone. If you want Vileplume, use a Leaf Stone on Gloom. If you prefer Bellossom, use a Sun Stone. The stones can be used at any time after Gloom exists, and if you ever regret evolving, you can always trade for another Oddish or breed one later. Also remember you can cancel evolution by pressing B if you change your mind mid-flash — saved me once when I wanted a specific move set. Small tip from my playthrough: if you’re trying to learn certain moves from leveling, hold off evolving until you get them, then stone-evolve.