Pokemon Sword and Shield rarest Pokemon – All of the hard-to-find pocket monsters in Galar

Pokemon Sword and Shield Dreepy — (Image credit: Nintendo)

There are plenty of Pokemon Sword and Shield rare Pokemon to be captured all throughout the Galar region. Given the size of the Pokemon Sword and Shield Pokedex, it can be difficult to know what's really rare, so we've put together a list of the 10 rarest Pokemon in Pokemon Sword and Shield to help you.

Whether you've just started your adventure in Pokemon Sword and Shield or if you're simply looking to see everything it has to offer, this guide to the rarest Pokemon in the Galar region will help. From Dreepy to Sinistea, here's all of the Pokemon Sword and Shield rare Pokemon you'll want to add to your party.

Pokemon Sword and Shield rarest Pokemon

Dreepy

Kicking things off is Pokemon Sword and Shield Dreepy, the pseudo-legendary Dragon that evolves into Drakloak, followed by Dragapult. There's a similar Pokemon in every generation – Dratini, Larvitar, Bagon, etc – and Dreepy can eventually become one of the strongest Pokemon in the game.

In order to catch Dreepy, you need to go to the Lake of Outrage region of the Pokemon Sword and Shield Wild Area, then cross your fingers for either Heavy Fog or Thunderstorm weather, because it has just a 2% chance to spawn as an overworld encounter. If the weather is Overcast, there's a 1% chance to find Dreepy as a non-overworld encounter.

Sinistea (Antique Form)

Sinistea is an interesting Pokemon. It has two forms and both can only be found in Glimwood Tangle, but while there's a 10% chance of finding Sinistea's Phony Form in the wild, there's only a 1% chance of finding the Antique Form.

What does this mean? Unfortunately, you can't tell whether the Sinistea you're battling is Antique or Phony until you've caught it. When you do catch it, inspect the 'mon in the Pokedex and look to see whether it has a blue mark on the bottom. If it does, congratulations! That's a stamp of authenticity, but if it doesn't, you're outta luck and you've got to keep catching them.

While the two forms don't have any differences when it comes to movesets and stats, you have to evolve them through different means. A Phony Sinistea will only evolve into Polteageist with a Cracked Pot item, while an Antique Sinistea requires a Chipped Pot. Good luck!

Rotom

Much like Dreepy, Rotom can be found exclusively in the Lake of Outrage. Cross the lake on your surf-enabled bike, then pray to the lord of weather that there's a Thunderstorm or it's Raining. These are the only two weather conditions you can find Rotom in and even then, it has just a 2% chance of spawning. When one does appear and you're close enough however, it'll start zig-zagging towards you rapidly.

Once you've got a Rotom, make sure you collect the Rotom Catalogue from a man in the first orange house across the bridge from Wyndon Gym. Defeat his team of Rotoms in different forms and you'll be able to transform your Rotom into whatever form you like.

Ditto

Ditto is another 'mon that can only be found on the Lake of Outrage. Man, this Lake of Outrage loves spawning rare Pokemon, huh? Thankfully, Ditto is much more common, as it has a 20% chance to spawn as an overworld encounter in any weather conditions.

When you've got a Ditto, make sure you head to the nearest Pokemon Nursery to breed it with any of the other rare Pokemon on this list and get more. This is the most effective way to farm more of the same Pokemon, especially if you're searching for high IV percentages.

Charmander

A slightly cheeky entry to the list, Charmander can't actually be caught in the wild at all. Despite being one of the first Pokemon you can get in Pokemon Red, Blue, and Yellow, Charmander can't be obtained in this game until the very end. We've got a complete guide on how to get Charmander in Pokemon Sword and Shield here, but read on if you want the brief version.

When you've become the Champion of Galar and done essentially everything else there is to do in the game, head to Hop's house at the top of Route 1. Enter his bedroom upstairs and you'll find Charmander left to you in a ball by Leon. It'll only be level five but thankfully due to the mandatory XP share being enabled in-game, simply have it in your party during a few high level fights and it'll quickly reach level 36, when it'll evolve into Charizard. To get more Charmander, simply breed it with Ditto!

Eevee-lutions

While there's a small chance of catching Eevee on Route 4, you'll need to find a bunch of Pokemon Sword and Shield evolution items and catch a considerable number of Eevee to obtain all of the Eevee-lutions. Did you know however, that you can catch all of the Eevee-lutions in the wild?

Guess where? That's right, the Lake of Outrage in the Wild Area. Depending on the weather conditions, it's possible to find every single Eevee evolution wandering across the ground in the Lake of Outrage. Check the table below to see which weather conditions are required for each.

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Eevee-lution	Weather Condition
Leafeon	Normal Weather
Espeon	Overcast
Vaporeon	Raining
Jolteon	Thunderstorm
Glaceon	Snowing/Snowstorm
Flareon	Intense Sun
Umbreon	Sandstorm
Sylveon	Fog

Dhelmise

First seen in Pokemon Sun & Moon, Dhelmise is a Ghost/Grass-type Pokemon despite being found in water. You can obtain it through Max Raid Battles in Bridge Field, Dappled Grove, Stony Wilderness, and Giant's Mirror, but these are tough battles and require a strong squad of allies to take it down.

You can also find Dhelmise in any weather conditions on Route 9, specifically in the Circhester Bay area. Unfortunately, it has just a 1% chance of spawning. You'll probably need to search for quite a while before you stumble upon one, but when you do, that's another 'mon checked off the list.

Feebas & Milotic

Feebas might be one of the ugliest Pokemon in the game, but that doesn't mean it's not highly sought after. Since Pokemon Sword and Shield Feebas evolves into the magnificent Milotic, you're going to want to catch a few. The question is, where can you get Feebas from?

Aside from some Max Raid Battles in both West and East Lake Axwell, the Lake of Outrage, and Bridge Field, the only place to catch Feebas in the wild is on... Route 2. Yeah, that's right; head on down to Professor Magnolia's house and while using any of the fishing spots around the lake here, you have a 1% chance to encounter Feebas.

Did you know you can also catch Milotic in the wild too though? This is an incredibly rare encounter exclusively in the water around South Lake Miloch and the Lake of Outrage, and the weather has to be foggy, but it is possible.

For a very cheeky method of forcing a Milotic spawn, head down to South Lake Miloch, then wait by the edge of the water next to the person at the end of the bridge. Pause the game and enter the Nintendo Switch system settings, go into Date & Time, then set the date to 1/6/2020 (June 1, 2020). When you re-enter the game, the weather should have turned to Fog and a Milotic should spawn right in front of you. Voila!

Deino (Pokemon Sword)

Deino is an exclusive Pokemon in Sword, which means that the only way to obtain it in Pokemon Shield is to receive it in a trade. If you are playing Sword, you can find Deino in Max Raid Battles in Dusty Bowl and Giant's Mirror, or you can go to everyone's favourite rare Pokemon spot, the Lake of Outrage.

Deino can only spawn as a non-overworld encounter – so as an exclamation point in the grass – and only during rainy weather. The chance of finding one? Just 2%. Yeah, not easy. Head over here and start hunting for your chance to catch one and evolve it into Zweilous, followed by Hydreigon.

Goomy (Pokemon Shield)

While Deino is exclusive to Pokemon Sword, Goomy is Deino's counterpart in Pokemon Shield. This much friendlier looking pocket monster evolves into Sliggoo followed by Goodra, and the same rules apply; Lake of Outrage, non-overworld encounter, rain, 2% chance. You can grab it from Max Raid Battles in Axew's Eye and Rolling Fields, but again, you'll need a squad to take it down with.

Want to know more about Pokemon Sword and Shield Poke Jobs? We've got what you need here! Looking for something new to play after Sword and Shield? Nintendo revealed that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are set to launch in 2022, just months after the release of Pokemon Legends Arceus.