14 Oct 2025

Pokémon Go's latest event, Sword or Shield, has been puzzling many fans. If you've been offline for a while, you'll be surprised at the new pink PokéStops, Dynamaxing Pokémon, and even the addition of Galar region starters of Pokémon Sword and Shield. But with this new event, Legendary Heroes, you'll be pushed to make a decision on two options: Sword or Shield. But hold off on the excitement just yet, here's a spoiler: it's not even worth your time. 

The Sword or Shield path event runs until October 1, and the idea is fairly simple. After completing a few introductory missions—like catching eight Pokémon of any kind—you'll be asked to choose between the Sword Path and the Shield Path. Sounds promising, right? Well, that's when the downturn happens.

What is frustrating is that the game does not give you even a clue as to what these two choices really are. What is it, exactly? What do you get out of picking one versus the other? It's not really clear at first, and naturally, most players just pick one at random. Thankfully, a reliable source like LeekDuck clears up the confusion by revealing that the Sword or Shield Path really doesn't matter much in terms of the overall gameplay or goals—you’ll still need to complete the same tasks regardless of your choice.

The Tasks: Tedious and Boring

To complete either path, you’ll be required to do a series of easy but tedious tasks. These tasks include things like using berries, powering up Pokémon, walking 3 km, using incense, and—of course—catching more Pokémon. Sounds easy, right? But here’s the kicker: all of these Pokémon are either already in the wild or can be found with minimal effort.

For example, if you do Sword Path, your reward is Koffing, Galarian Darumaka, Deino, and Rufflet. Shield Path rewards you with Koffing, Galarian Ponyta, Larvitar, and Vullaby. None of these are unique or even rare. So, what are you really grinding for? The same Pokémon you could just catch somewhere else. It's an event that's supposed to be big but fails to deliver.

Collection Challenge: Same Old Same Old

Both paths offer a collection challenge with the same Galarian starters: Scorbunny, Sobble, and Grookey. It only gets weirder, however, when you notice some Pokémon locked behind a trade from a person on the other path. As an example, you'll need to trade in order to complete a Seedot collection challenge—a Pokémon that, once again, can easily be found in the wild. And the prize for doing so? A Skwovet—an uninspired choice considering just how ubiquitous this Pokémon is.

It's difficult not to feel like Niantic, as a measure of just padding out the event to fill in the gaps rather than provide any genuine benefit, is doing so here.

While the rest of the Sword or Shield Path event might be disappointing, there is a small silver lining: shiny Zacian availability. The shiny version of the legendary Pokémon takes the form of a blue, lion-dog hybrid that can be accessed via 5-star raids. Yay, here is where the event really shines—receiving a shiny Zacian can be exciting, especially if you like having rare Pokémon. But come on—this is the only aspect of the event that even slightly feels rewarding.

In addition, shiny Zamazenta will also appear starting October 4, when Galarian Expedition launches. If you are a shiny hunter, this is your chance to grind out the raids and hopefully obtain one of these legendary creatures. But again, you'll need to pay for the new Master Ball research task that comes with a steep price of $8.

Final Thoughts

If you were anticipating a meaningful quest in relation to Pokémon Sword and Shield's Galar region, this event fails. The Path of Sword or Path of Shield decision is irrelevant, the missions are old and boring, and the rewards are underwhelming. While the ability to capture shiny Zacian and Zamazenta is exciting for some, it does not compensate for this overall mediocre event.

In the end, the Sword or Shield Path is a gimmick that is a time-suck intended to fill out the Galar region with content without actually offering any substance or excitement. So unless you're doing it for the shiny legendaries, skip this one.