Hidden Abilities in Pokemon Sword and Shield

Pokemon Sword & Shield Hidden Abilities are special abilities that certain Pokemon can have, even Starter Pokemon. However, the situation isn’t that simple. There are steps that you have to follow in order to capture Pokemon that have a chance to Hidden Abilities in Pokemon SwSh. Yes, even Starter Pokemon. With that in mind, here’s our Hidden Abilities in Pokemon Sword and Shield guide, where we’ll show you how to get Hidden Ability Pokemon in Pokemon SwSh, can Starter Pokemon have Hidden Abilities, and more.

Do Starter Pokemon Have Hidden Abilities in Pokemon Sword & Shield?

The answer to the question of whether Starter Pokemon have hidden abilities in Pokemon Sword & Shield is yes and no. When you’re selecting your starting Pokemon at the beginning of the game, they cannot have any hidden abilities. So, there’s no point in soft-resetting the game ad nauseam expecting to find one that has them.

What you can do is complete Max Raids strewn around the Wild Areas. There’s a chance that you will encounter a Starter Pokemon in one of those. Every Max Raid Pokemon that you catch has a chance to have Hidden Abilities, even Starter Pokemon. That’s the only way to do this.

How to Get Hidden Abilities on Pokemon in Pokemon Sword & Shield?

To get Hidden Abilities on Pokemon in Pokemon Sword & Shield, you can basically do two things. We’re gonna go into a bit of detail for both, shall we?

1. Play Max Raids. To do these, interact with the rock piles with pillars of red light in Wild Areas. In all of these, you’ll have to fight a Gigantamax Pokemon. You can do these activities solo, with AI partners, or with friends in co-op. Defeat and catch the Max Raid Pokemon, and they’ll have a chance to have Hidden Abilities. This is wholly in the hands of RNG, and there doesn’t seem to be any way to breed Hidden Abilities into future Pokemon.



2. Look for Pokemon that have a golden beam surrounding them. They have a higher chance of having a Hidden Ability. Of course, this is really rare, so really, just keep doing Max Battles and hope for the best.