Pokemon Sword and Shield den locations

Poke Dens are strange structures found in the Pokemon Sword and Shield Wild Area. They glow pink until you interact with them, at which point you extract a substance called Watts – a form of currency in the Wild Area. Some Poke Dens have vertical beams of light bursting out of them, which means there’s currently a Gigantamax or Dynamax) Raid available to attempt. Although Poke Dens are dotted all across the Wild Area and are therefore easy enough to come across, there are quite a few reasons as to why you might want to know exactly where every single one of the Pokemon Sword and Shield den locations is. 

It'll be something that you want to know too. Firstly, Watts are as important as regular money in Pokemon Sword and Shield, so farming them can net you some massive benefits. Secondly, it’s always handy to know where to look for a Raid if you notice that someone in the Communication window is looking for teammates in Giant’s Mirror, or Lake of Outrage, or wherever else. If you know where each Poke Den in each area is, you can check the Raid out for yourself in no time.

So, to make things a little more convenient, we’ve compiled a Poke Den map that documents the location of each and every Pokemon Sword and Shield den location in the Wild Area. Or rather three maps, given that the Wild Area is too big for just the one. Here’s our Pokemon Sword and Shield Den locations guide, with clearly mapped locations of every Poke Den in the Wild Area.

Pokemon Sword and Shield den locations: Wild Area map

Before you go hunting Poke Dens using the maps above, there are some important things to note: in Pokemon Sword and Shield, your Town Map doesn’t pick up your precise location. Whether you’re at the top of a lake or the bottom, the map will just place a smiley face in the general vicinity surrounding you, meaning that it can be tough to find a specific point of reference. 

For the sake of these maps, the Poke Dens themselves should be reference enough: if you, for example, come across a cluster of Poke Dens that resembles a similar group on the map, you can then use that as a sort of anchor landmark to find the rest of the dens. At the beginning of the game it probably isn’t worth your while to visit every single Pokemon Sword and Shield den locations in one go, but once you become Champion you’ll get 200 Watts per Poke Den, and a whopping 2,000 Watts if it’s a Poke Den with a Raid. As a result, you can easily rack up thousands of Watts in a matter of minutes, especially considering you’ve got access to your Rotom Bike.

Why you should farm Pokemon Sword and Shield den locations

There are several reasons as to why farming Poke Dens for Watts is an important thing to do in Pokemon Sword and Shield. First of all, Watts are a unique currency that you can spend on all sorts of items. There are Watt Traders dispersed sporadically across the Wild Area, each of whom offers the following:

- A type of special ball (Net Ball, Dive Ball, Timer Ball, etc
- Wishing Pieces (inserted into empty Dens to trigger Raids)
- TMs, or as they’re often called now, “TRs” (single-use items that teach Pokemon a new move

If you’re considering getting into competitive battling in Gen 8, it’s essential you stock up on as many strong TMs as you can. The meta is rigid at times, and having a Pokemon with a less-than-ideal moveset will likely mean you’ve lost before you even begin. 

To build on this, only Pokemon caught in Raids can Gigantamax. You might have a level 100 Charizard, but unless you caught him at a Poke Den with a light bursting out the top, it’s not going to be as effective as a Charizard with access to G-max. As a result, it’s well worth your while to keep an eye on what Raids are currently happening. If none strike your fancy, don’t be afraid to use a few Wishing Pieces—you can always get more just by farming Watts anyway, and, if you’re lucky, one of the NPCs offering treasure in exchange for 100 Watts might be able to source you one for dirt cheap. Also, completing Max Raids nets you TMs, EXP candies, and a wide range of other rare items that would be difficult to come across otherwise.

Other ways to get Watts in Pokemon Sword and Shield

If you’ve managed to exhaust every Pokemon Sword and Shield den locations in the Wild Area, don’t worry: they will regenerate with new Raid Battles and more Watts in no time. While you’re waiting, however, there are other ways to get Watts.

You can participate in the Rotom Rally, which is a bicycle challenge offered by Watt Traders. This can net you hundreds of Watts in a relatively short amount of time—if you’re fast. All you have to do is make it from a preestablished A to B within a certain amount of time—the faster you complete it, the more Watts you’ll be rewarded with.

There’s a much better way to get Watts though. When you see Pokemon sprites on the overworld, keep an eye out for ones that have a sort of yellow glow emanating from them. This is a special phenomenon that occurs in certain, stronger-than-normal Pokemon called the Brilliant Aura. Defeating or catching these Pokemon in battle will net you loads of Watts, and they’re actually quite easy to come across. 

So, you can use the Poke Den maps at the top of this guide to visit every single Poke Den in the Wild Area. After that, you can get even more Watts by competing in the Rotom Rally or defeating Pokemon with a Brilliant Aura. Once you’ve racked up enough Watts, you can take your pick between special Poke Balls, Wishing Pieces for Raids, and powerful TMs. If you’re planning on catching some Gigantamax Pokemon or forming a team for competitive play, Watt farming is an essential undertaking, so make sure to bookmark these Poke Den maps for easy access in future. 

Pokemon Sword and Shield Wild Area guide | Pokemon Sword and Shield Watt Trader locations | Pokemon Sword and Shield den locations