Wild Area

The Wild Area (Japanese: ワイルドエリア Wild Area) is an extensive area in the Galar region. It adjoins the cities of Motostoke and Hammerlocke.
The Pokémon found in the Wild Area vary depending on the weather, which can vary wildly between the different subareas. Pokémon with higher levels also wander outside of the normal tall grass in many places. The areas north of the Motostoke River are home to Pokémon with higher levels overall. Once the player has started the Darkest Day or captured , Pokémon found throughout the Wild Area will generally have higher levels.
==Camera==
Unlike most other areas of the game which use a fixed camera perspective, in the Wild Area the player can freely control the camera using the right control stick. The player can also press the L button to automatically rotate the camera to match the direction the player is facing, and press the right stick in order to zoom in or out. These mechanics, as well as the weather and wild Pokémon mechanics, carry over to the Isle of Armor and Crown Tundra.
If the player moves left or right, the camera will also automatically rotate towards the player's facing direction, allowing the player to indirectly affect the camera even if one-handed controls ("Casual Controls") are enabled in the Options. This means that, for example, holding directly right will cause the player to move in a clockwise circle (with a diameter about 12 steps across) instead of a straight line. (For comparison, the bridge across Lake Axewell is about 20 steps long.)
When entering the Wild Area from Motostoke or Hammerlocke (or by using a Flying Taxi to these Wild Area spots), the camera will automatically face forwards—towards the south. When entering the Wild Area from the Wild Area Station (or by using a Flying Taxi there), the camera will automatically face north towards the rest of the Wild Area, even though the station's exit faces west.
==Notes==
The first time the player goes near certain locations, the game will automatically perform the item pick-up animation followed by the prompt "You found a note! Did someone drop it here?". These notes inform the player about certain Wild Area mechanics.
* Near the wanderer closest to the entrance (the in Rolling Fields), the game will inform the player about high-level wild Pokémon.
* Near the closest Berry tree, the game will inform the player about Pokémon Camp and healing the player's team by making curry with .
* About halfway across the Rolling Fields, the game will inform the player about the right stick and L button controls (even if the player has one-handed controls on in the Options).
* At the Motostoke entrance, the game will inform the player about Watts and ways to obtain and spend them. (This message will immediately appear if the player warps here using the Meetup Spot NPC.)
(If the player never sees one of these notes, it will remain even after the player beats the game, and can be seen as usual by going near the location for the first time.)
==Locations==
The Wild Area is composed of 18 subareas, which are grouped into two groups: The roughly rectangular South Wild Area has 10 subareas; and the long, roughly Y-shaped North Wild Area has 8 subareas. These groups are divided by the river that runs from west to east through the southern part of Motostoke, though a bridge allows passage between the south and north. The Town Map shows the rough layout of the Wild Area and relation of the subareas to one another, though the borders shown between them may diverge from in-game borders. 
Players first enter the Wild Area at its southernmost point, arriving at the Wild Area Station via train from Wedgehurst Station. Afterwards, players can return to the Wild Area via the Wild Area Station, a number of Flying Taxi destinations, or by just walking south from Motostoke or Hammerlocke.
The player cannot travel directly from the Wild Area to Hammerlocke near the beginning of the game, as an NPC will block the player from entering until they have the Fire Badge. The NPC will then offer to escort/warp the player south of the bridge between the South and North Wild Areas.
===South Wild Area===
The South Wild Area consists of 10 subareas with a mix of environments. The 2 largest lakes in the Wild Area, Lake Axewell and Lake Miloch, are in this southern half. Prior to becoming , the Pokémon in the South Wild Area are encountered at a lower level than those in the North Wild Area.
These 10 subareas are in the South Wild area, listed in roughly clockwise order from the south.
Subarea	Location 	Notable features
 	The southernmost point of the Wild Area 	
* The Wild Area Station is in this subarea and is a Flying Taxi destination. 
* Unlike other subareas, no wild Pokémon can be encountered in this area.
 	A large area just north of the Meetup Spot. It stretches from the western edge of Lake Miloch to the inner bend of Lake Axewell	
* An Ingredients Seller stands near Lake Miloch in this subarea.
 	A forested area in the southwestern corner of the Wild Area 	
* A Watt Trader is located near a Berry tree in the east.
 	The western half of Lake Axewell, plus the bridge across its narrowest point and the land north of the bridge 	
* Despite the depiction on the Town Map, it also extends north of the footbridge to Motostoke's wall.
 	A bluff area in the northwestern corner of the South Wild Area 	
* At the crest of the hill sits a ruined tower housing the Watchtower Lair.
 	The eastern half of Lake Axewell, plus the wide land area north of Lake Axewell & south of Motostoke 	
* Standing just east of the entrance to Motostoke are a Watt Trader and the Camping King.
* There is a Flying Taxi destination in this subarea, just outside the entrance to Motostoke.
 	An island in the middle of Lake Axewell's eastern half 	
* This subarea is the only part of the South Wild Area that is inaccessible prior to obtaining the Rotom Bike.
* Chloe can appear on this island.
 	The northern portion of Lake Miloch, plus the land area north of the lake and south of the river 	
* s and s may appear throughout this subarea, offering a random item for 100 .
 	A long strip of land along the eastern edge of the South Wild Area 	
* Standing just east of the entrance to Motostoke are a Watt Trader and the Camping King.
 	The southern, and larger, portion of Lake Miloch, plus the small land area connecting East Lake Axewell to the Giant's Seat 	
* Hikers and Fishers may appear throughout this subarea, offering a random item for 100 .
===North Wild Area===
The North Wild Area consists of 8 subareas with a mix of environments. Bridges run from west to east across the North Wild Area and allow the railroad, Motostoke Outskirts, and to cross it. While this part of the Wild Area has only one lake, the Lake of Outrage, many of its subareas have significant ponds. Prior to becoming , the Pokémon in the South Wild Area are encountered at a higher level than those in the North Wild Area.
These 8 subareas are in the North Wild area, listed in order first from south to north, then from west to east.
Subarea	Location 	Notable features
 	The southernmost point of the North Wild Area, across the bridge from the South Wild Area and north of the river	
* s and s may appear throughout this subarea, offering a random item for 100 .
 	A long stretch of hills and ponds that encompasses most of the area between the Motostoke Outskirts and bridges	
* One of Galar's two Pokémon Nurseries is in this subarea, at roughly its midpoint along its eastern edge.
* That Pokémon Nursery is also a Flying Taxi destination.
* The Digging Duo stands near the Pokémon Nursery.
 	A stone-strewn area just north of the Route 5 bridge 	
* Hikers may appear throughout this subarea, offering a random item for 100 .
 	An inclined area that stretches along the eastern shore of the Lake of Outrage, including a large pond 	
* Hikers may appear throughout this subarea, offering a random item for 100 .
 	A dust-filled hollow in the center of the area north of the Route 5 bridge 	
* Galarian can be evolved at the stone arch.
* Hikers and Fishers may appear throughout this subarea, offering a random item for 100 .
 	An inclined area that stretches along the eastern edge of the North Wild Area 	
* Hikers and Fisher may appear throughout this subarea, offering a random item for 100 .
 	A small lake that isolates a large bluff and a small cove from the rest of the Wild Area 	
* This subarea is the only part of the North Wild Area that is inaccessible prior to obtaining the Rotom Bike.
* A sits on the bluff on the western edge of the North Wild Area, where various Evolution stones appear each day.
 	A bluff along the southern wall of Hammerlocke, overlooking the rest of the North Wild Area 	
* Standing just east of the entrance to Hammerlocke are a Watt Trader and an Ingredients Seller.
* There is a Flying Taxi destination in this subarea, just outside the entrance to Hammerlocke.
==Weather==
The weather in the Wild Area determines which wild Pokémon can appear and, in some cases, which weather conditions and terrain appear in battle. The weather varies between subareas, and while neighboring subeareas can share the same weather, the weather in each is independently determined. However, since symbol encounters and wanderers spawn based on the weather currently experienced by s, it is possible for the weather of one subarea to affect these spawns in another subarea if players are near the border between them. The weather across the entire Wild Area changes each day at midnight, based on the console's clock. 
Common weather conditions include Clear, Cloudy, and Rain. If any subareas on a given day have one of the rarer weather conditions (such as Thunderstorm, Blizzard, Sandstorm, or Fog), the X menu will announce that these conditions are present. On certain special dates, the whole Wild Area will have the same weather. These dates are typically the first of a month.
Icon	Weather 	Common Pokémon	Effect in battle	Prerequisite 	Special dates
 	Clear (はれ) 	, , 	— 	— 	May 1
 	Cloudy (くもり) 	, , 	— 	— 	March 1
 	Rain (あめ) 	, 	Rain 	— 	October 1
 	Thunderstorm () 	, , 	Rain, 	— 	November 1
 	Snow (ゆき) 	 	 	— 	December 1
 	Blizzard () 	, 	 	Visit Hammerlocke	February 1
 	Harsh sunlight (ひでり) 	, 	Harsh sunlight 	— 	July 1August 1
 	Sandstorm () 	, 	 	Visit Hammerlocke	
 	Fog () 	, , 	 	Become 	June 1September 1
===Prerequisites===
Some weather conditions will only begin to appear in the Wild Area after s have reached certain milestones in the game. Before players have unlocked these weather conditions, subareas that would have had them instead have a specific replacement weather condition. These replacement conditions are changed to the original condition immediately after players reach the appropriate milestone, even if the weather would not yet have reset otherwise.
* Sandstorm: Unlocks after visiting Hammerlocke and is replaced by Harsh sunlight
* Blizzard: Unlocks after visiting Hammerlocke and is replaced by Snow
* Fog: Unlocks after becoming and is replaced by Clear
The restrictions for Fog are not present in the Isle of Armor or the Crown Tundra.
==Features==
The Wild Area has a number of features that appear in many different areas:
* The Wild Area is populated with 99 Pokémon Dens, where the player can participate in Max Raid Battles.
* There are a large number of hidden items throughout the Wild Area. These items respawn daily, and each specific spot may yield different items on different days.
* Watt Traders allow the player to trade Watts for items, participate in the Rotom Rally, change the color of their outfit, and upgrade their Rotom Bike.
==Items==
===Gifts from other players===
If the player is connected online while in the Wild Area, Isle of Armor, or Crown Tundra, they can see and speak to other player characters in the same area. These other players effectively act as NPCs, providing some dialogue, and one random item per day,https://twitter.com/Sibuna_Switch/status/1820635448043040807 (multiple different players can be spoken to, each giving one item respectively, but the same player cannot be repeatedly spoken to in the same day to gain additional items). All items in the following table have the same chance to be granted when speaking to another player:
Item	Chance
 	6.67%
 	6.67%
 	6.67%
 	6.67%
 	6.67%
 	6.67%
 	6.67%
 	6.67%
 	6.67%
 	6.67%
 	6.67%
 	6.67%
 	6.67%
 	6.67%
 	6.67%
===Hidden items===
There are a large number of hidden items throughout the Wild Area. These hidden items regenerate each day, even if the player has not obtained them.
Each spot has one or more possible items that it can yield, with the possible items depending on the spot. Every item that regenerates daily can also rarely regenerate as a Wishing Piece (at approximately a 1% chance) instead of the items in its standard pool.
===100-Watt gifts===
s and s may appear in different parts of the Wild Area to offer the player an unspecified item for 100 . The player does not know what the item is until they agree to purchase it.https://x.com/Sibuna_Switch/status/1822789447970087024https://x.com/Sibuna_Switch/status/1822789450239189046
====Fisher====
Item	Chance
×3 	30%
 	25%
×2 	15%
×3 	10%
 	10%
×2 	5%
 	5%
====Hiker====
A Hiker's possible items depend on the player's progress, changing when the player gains their third Badge and when they become .
Item	Chance 	Chance 	Chance
Item	0-2 Badges	3-8 Badges	Champion
 	30% 	 	
×2 	30% 	 	
×3 	20% 	 	
×4 	10% 	 	
×5 	 	30% 	
 	5% 	30% 	30%
×2 	 	25% 	30%
×3 	 	5% 	
 	 	5% 	25%
×2 	 	 	7%
 	 	 	3%
 	1% 	1% 	1%
 	4% 	4% 	4%
==Trainers==
 Chloe can appear in many different Wild Area zones. If the player loses, their Pokémon will be fully healed. She can be challenged more than once per day, but every time she is defeated, she will relocate.
She can appear in the following Wild Area zones:
* Rolling Fields
* East Lake Axewell
* Bridge Field
* Stony Wilderness
* Giant's Seat
* Axew's Eye
* Dusty Bowl
==In animation==
===Pokémon the Series===
========
The Wild Area first appeared in Mind-Boggling Dynamax!, where and Goh explored it after their arrival in Galar. They witnessed a Gigantamaxing, but it blocked a railway line in the process, threatening to cause an accident. However, Ash and Goh were able to make Snorlax move off the tracks, saving the train. Afterwards, in the same area, Goh the that had followed him from Wyndon.
In A Pinch of This, a Pinch of That!, Ash and Goh revisited the Wild Area, this time accompanied by Chloe, to dig up Fossils that could be found there. They met two bumbling Fossil diggers named Cara Liss and Bray Zenn, whom they helped dig up Fossils they intended to restore into an and a . However, their Fossil pieces got mixed up as they started the restoration process, resulting in them being restored as and instead. After some interactions with the Fossil Pokémon, Cara Liss and Bray Zenn were satisfied with the data they had gotten and let Ash and Goh take care of them. As such, Ash then proceeded to Dracovish, while Goh caught Arctozolt.
In Meeting Up with the Monarch!, Goh visited Motostoke Riverbank and caught himself a before encountering Sonia, whom he joined to find more Pokémon to catch, although reluctantly due to her horrendous driving skills. Ash, meanwhile, joined on a session in the Wild Area, which also included relaxation and having fun with the local Pokémon. After helping out an injured , they returned to Wyndon to reunite with Goh and Sonia.
In A One-Stick Wonder!, Ash and Goh explored the Wild Area together. When 's enthusiasm ended up scaring away any wild Pokémon that Goh wanted to catch, they decided to use curry as a lure, buying some ingredients from an Ingredients Seller after they ended up eating the first batch of curry themselves. The curry lured out a wild , which Goh's Grookey started seeing as a mentor figure. It turned out that this Thwackey couldn't drum as well as the rest of its group due to having only one stick instead of two. Ash and Goh helped it to learn to speed up its drumming, allowing it to stay on rhythm with the others of its kind. Seeing how well Thwackey was now doing with its group, Goh decided to not catch it and even offered Grookey a chance to stay with it, but Grookey preferred to stay with him.
In This Could be the Start of Something Big!, Hop was seen training with Bea in the Wild Area, with Leon observing their training match.
====Pokémon found in the Wild Area====
		
		
		
		
		
		
=====Caught Pokémon=====
			
===Pokémon Horizons: The Series===
In As Long as I'm with My Friends, the Rising Volt Tacklers made some curry in the Wild Area after gathering ingredients for it.
====Pokémon found in the Wild Area====
===Pokémon: Twilight Wings===
The Wild Area first appeared during a montage at the end of Letter, where Bea was shown confronting a . Bea's visit to the Wild Area was shown in full in Training, where she took a Flying Taxi there to train with her , , and following her loss against Leon in a .
==In the manga==
===Pokémon Adventures===
========
The Wild Area first appeared in Zap!! A Rising Beam of Light, where Henry, Casey, Professor Magnolia, and Marvin went there to investigate the Pokémon Dens in the Rolling Fields, encountering Team Yell in the process.
In Thump!! The Gazing Sage, the group traveled through the Wild Area again in order to reach Hammerlocke.
==Trivia==
* The theme used for the northern parts of the Wild Area, including Bridge Field onward, is shortened for Routes 6, 7, 8, and 9.
* The Wild Area's shape resembles an 's head facing left, with one area in the middle of the southern portion even being called Axew's Eye.
===Origin===
The Wild Area is based on the .Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield Galar Expedition Guide"Pokémon Bus Tour Ep.2: Camping, Curry, and Cards with Clare Siobhán!" The Official Pokémon YouTube Channel. YouTube. Shigeru Ohmori drew a sketch, inspired by the natural scenery of the UK, while he was traveling for media interviews in the leadup to 's release. This sketch served as a concept for the Wild Area.Shea, Brian (October 4, 2019). "Exclusive Pokémon Sword And Shield Concept Art Gallery." Game Informer (Archived on April 16, 2024.)
==In other languages==
==References==
==Related articles==
Category:Sword and Shield locations
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de:Naturzone
es:Área Silvestre
fr:Terres Sauvages
it:Terre Selvagge
ja:ワイルドエリア
zh:旷野地带