Pokemon Sword and Shield – How to Get Hidden Abilities

Catching Pokemon is what the whole series is about. But once you’ve added them to your Pokedex, what do you do then? Well, that’s when most players dig into the nitty gritty of the game’s mechanics, which can get quite complex. Now it’s not about catching them all, but about catching the best of them all. Hidden Abilities are a huge part of this, with certain Pokemon having special powers that influence their strength in battle and their effectiveness overall. But how do you get them? Here’s how to get Hidden Abilities in Pokemon Sword and Shield.

What are Hidden Abilities

Skip ahead if this doesn’t help you, but we want to explain what are Hidden Abilities before diving too deep into how to get them. As the name implies, they are special factors that your Pokemon can use, but that are hidden from you. There are also abilities that aren’t hidden, such as Illuminate which increases odds of encountering wild creatures. However, the more powerful ones are hidden from the player and can only be obtained in unique ways. Given how important they can be, you’ll want to get them whenever possible. So here’s how to get Hidden Abilities.

How to Get Hidden Abilities

Currently things aren’t totally clear, so take this info as early tips rather than a set guide. We’ll keep it up to date though, so check back as the game’s coverage develops. With that said, currently the best way to get Hidden Ability Pokemon in Sword and Shield is to complete Max Raid Battles. These show up in the Wild Area as large red objects. You can only access these when you have the Dynamax Band, so keep playing the campaign until that happens.

The Pokemon you face will be random, but all will be difficult. Team up with other players if you want, they will certainly help. Once you’re ready you just need to defeat and catch the Pokemon. After catching it it has a chance of receiving a Hidden Ability. You’ll likely need to do a few raids to get them. And once you have one with the Hidden Ability you want, you unfortunately can’t breed that ability to any descendants like you could before.

So as with many aspects of Sword and Shield, it’s not ideal and relies on some randomness. But that’s how to get Hidden Abilities in Pokemon Sword and Shield.