A new Max Raid event is now live in Pokemon Sword and Shield, as are a couple of new freebies. While Gigantamax Alcremie appearance rates have returned to normal, you're now more likely to come across its pre-evolved form, Milcery, in Max Raids for a limited time, and this one is special for a few reasons.
Milcery that you encounter in Max Raids may have the Gigantamax factor, meaning that they'll evolve into an Alcremie that's capable of Gigantamaxing. On top of that, two new types of Sweets--Ribbon and Star--have been added to Sword and Shield as rewards for completing Milcery Raids, which means you can evolve the Pokemon into two new variants of Alcremie.
The Milcery Max Raid event will run until February 16. Meanwhile, the other Max Raid events are scheduled to end on February 6. Until that date, Sword players are more likely to encounter Gigantamax Coalossal and Flapple in Max Raids, while Shield players will have a better chance of finding Gigantamax Lapras and Appletun.
In addition to the new Max Raid event, a couple of new freebies also available in Pokemon Sword and Shield. First, until March 31, you can claim 10 Heal Balls via Mystery Gift. Any Pokemon that's captured in these balls will automatically be fully healed afterward. To claim the present, select Mystery Gift from the menu screen and enter the code G1GAGRANF1NALE.
On top of that, developer Game Freak is giving out another 20 free Battle Points to commemorate the start of Sword and Shield's third Ranked Battle season. To claim the Battle Points, go into Mystery Gift and input the code SUPEREFF1CACE. The points will be up for grabs until March 30.
In other Sword and Shield news, The Pokemon Company will reveal a brand-new Mythical Pokemon for the games on February 27. Two expansions for Sword and Shield, dubbed Isle of Armor and Crown Tundra, will also be released this year, while the cloud storage service Pokemon Home is set to launch sometime in February. You can catch up on other Pokemon Sword and Shield news below.
Pokemon Sword And Shield News & Guides