This fan-made interactive map of Pokémon Sword and Shield's Wild Area is exactly what you need

Pokemon Sword and Shield Max Raid Battle Nincada
Pokemon Sword and Shield Max Raid Battle Nincada (Image credit: iMore/ Casian Holly)

What you need to know

  • Pokémon Sword and Shield released back on November 15, 2019.
  • A major pull for the games is the Wild Area's Max Raid Battles.
  • A fan on Reddit has put in a lot of time to create an interactive map of the Wild Area.
  • This map isn't available just yet, but it's going to make it a lot easier to find specific Pokémon.

Pokémon fans have been playing Sword and Shield, the newest installments in the core RPG series, since November 15, 2019. Now that the games have been out for several months, many players have finished the games, but there's one aspect that keeps people coming back each day: The Wild Area. Here players can take on massive Pokémon with the help of other players, whether they be friends or random people online. What makes these battles so exciting is that it's the only way to capture Gigantamax Pokémon within the games.

Different Pokémon spawn from different dens, so if you're hunting for shiny variants, trying to complete your Pokédex, or are looking for Pokémon with strong IVs, Max Raid Battles are the way to go. The problem is that there are 99 dens, so it can be hard knowing which one to go to if you're looking for a specific Pokémon. But that's where some fans are getting really creative.

from r/PokemonSwordAndShield

Reddit user, preethamrn, recently uploaded a GIF of an interactive map of Pokémon Sword and Shield's Wild Area. What makes this fan-made project so impressive is that when you click on any given den, a list of the Pokémon that can appear in that den shows up along with a screenshot of what the den looks like. That way, you know which part of the map to go to and which den to interact with specifically.

Unfortunately, this interactive map isn't available yet, and it's unclear when it will be. All we know is that hundreds, if not thousands of Pokémon Sword and Shield players, will be using it to determine exactly which dens they want to investigate.

Rebecca Spear
Gaming Editor

Gaming aficionado Rebecca Spear is iMore's dedicated gaming editor with a focus on Nintendo Switch and iOS gaming. You’ll never catch her without her Switch or her iPad Air handy. If you’ve got a question about Pokémon, The Legend of Zelda, or just about any other Nintendo series check out her guides to help you out. Rebecca has written thousands of articles in the last six years including hundreds of extensive gaming guides, previews, and reviews for both Switch and Apple Arcade. She also loves checking out new gaming accessories like iPhone controllers and has her ear to the ground when it comes to covering the next big trend.