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As part of the Legendary Heroes event inPokémon GO, Trainers are asked to “choose a path” between Sword or Shield, just like they did when deciding whether to playPokémon SwordorPokémon Shieldon the Nintendo Switch. This decision will primarily affect the Incense spawns you can encounter during the event, so it’s important to make the right choice.
Branching paths have become quite common inPokémon GOin recent years, with many Timed Research and Special Research quests now requiring Trainers to make a decision between multiple paths. Sometimes this leads to different tasks and rewards, other times it decides which Pokémon you’ll learn about, such as the recentGalar Calling quest. For the Legendary Heroes quest, though, your decision will impact which Pokémon you can catch.
Should You Choose The Sword Or Shield Path?
Decide Which Version Exclusives You Want To Catch
There’s always going to be an element of personal preference with branching paths, but if you’re looking for a concrete answer, I’d recommendchoosing the Shield pathin the Legendary Heroes Timed Research quest.
The main reason for selecting the Shield path is thatLarvitar is one of the exclusive spawnsthat can appear when using Incense. Larvitar’s final evolution, Tyranitar, is one of the best Pokémon in the game right now, and it becomes even better when Mega-Evolved. Mega Tyranitar is currently the top Dark-type attacker forRaid Battlesand one of the best Rock-type attackers, too. Even without this Mega-Evolution, regular Tyranitar is still a top-tier attacker for both types.
On the other hand, if we take a look at the Sword path, thestandout Incense spawn is Deino. Deino’s final evolution is Hydreigon, a powerful Pokémon that’s almost as good as Tyranitar when used as a Dark-type attacker in Raid Battles. However, it lacks a Mega-Evolution to boost its power and it doesn’t excel at being an attacker of any other type, so it doesn’t have as much versatility as Tyranitar. It’s still an excellent Pokémon, it’s just notquiteas good.
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Outside of these two pseudo-Legendary Pokémon, the rest of the Incense spawns for both the Sword path and the Shield path aren’t particularly exciting. Still, if Hydreigon and Tyranitar don’t interest you, take a look at the list of version-exclusives below and see which ones you’re missing from your Pokédex, or which evolutions you’re missing. For example, if you just need a few more Candy to evolve a Solosis into Duosion and Reuniclus, the Shield path might be best for you.
If you’re still not sure, a final way of deciding could be to see which Shiny versions you like the most. All of the Incense spawns for both Sword and Shield paths have thepotential to be Shinywhen encountered in the wild. The chances of this happening are low, but if you’re planning on playing a lot during the Legendary Heroes event, it might be worth trying your luck!
Legendary Heroes: Sword Path Explained
Get Encounters With Deino, Scraggy, Gothita & More
If you choose the Sword Path in the Legendary Heroes Timed Research, you’ll be able to encounter several Pokémon that were exclusive toPokémon Swordon the Nintendo Switch when using Incense. you may see these below:
As well as being able to encounter these Pokémon when using Incense, choosing the Sword Path will also influence the reward encounters you’ll get for completing various Legendary Heroes Timed Research tasks, as well as the Collection Challenge you’ll need to complete.
Legendary Heroes: Shield Path Explained
If you choose the Shield Path in the Legendary Heroes Timed Research, you’ll be able to encounter several Pokémon that were exclusive toPokémon Shieldon the Nintendo Switch when using Incense. you’re able to see these below:
As well as being able to encounter these Pokémon when using Incense, choosing the Shield Path will also influence the reward encounters you’ll get for completing various Legendary Heroes Timed Research tasks, as well as the Collection Challenge you’ll need to complete.
Ultimately, the path that you choose will depend on the Pokémon encounters that are more important to you. Whichever path you decide upon, make sure you catch as many of the featured Incense spawns as you can, and prepare to take on Zacian as it makes its long-awaited return toPokémon GOin 5-Star Raid Battles. Who knows, you might even find a Shiny!
