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Pokemon Sword and Shield

Pokemon Sword and Shield – How To Get Across Water

This article is over 4 years old and may contain outdated information

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Just like the Pokemon themselves, the Pokemon games have been ever evolving over the years. One of the biggest changes came during the Sun and Moon generation, where HMs were removed from the game and instead utilized in different ways. Pokemon Sword and Shield continue that trend by not having HMs in the picture, leaving players to have to find other methods for things like Surf and Fly. There are multiple bodies of water that you need to cross throughout the game and this guide will detail how you can do so.

How To Get Across Water

As you play through Pokemon Sword and Shield, you will come across different multiple areas that you would need the equivalent of Surf to get across. However, even getting the Surf TM will not help you in this department, as it only works as an attack move now in battle.

To get across water in Pokemon Sword and Shield, you’re going to have to play through a lot of the game first. You’ll just have to skip past all of these water sections you see for awhile and make your way up until you complete the sixth gym.

After the sixth gym, make sure you go to the steak restaurant to have dinner as the game will instruct you to. After these scenes, you can then advance down into Route 9. If you tried to go into Route 9 prior to the steak restaurant, you will find yourself in a dead end due to areas of water you cannot cross.

Once you have arrived in Route 9, head south and eventually you’ll come across a guy who us being harassed by two Team Yell members. Save him from these people and he will reward you with an upgrade to your Rotom Bike, whichs allows you to take it across water.

No more will you have to actually choose to Surf when at water, but instead you just keep riding right out on it when you have your bike out. This makes things so much easier and also opens up lots of new areas to explore from earlier in the game as well.


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