Today’s Pokémon Direct has rained upon us a slew of Sword and Shield information after a three-month news drought.

The Direct starts off with a new video showing new characters, Pokémon, and details that are elaborated on further.

The new Pokémon revealed include Wooloo, a Normal-type sheep whose fur is sought-after by weavers, indicating an emphasis on worldbuilding through Pokémon lore.

Gossifleur, a small flower-like Pokémon, evolves into Eldegoss, a dandelion-esque creature with seeds sprinkled on its head. They are purely Grass-type.

Drednaw is a vicious turtle who is capable of easily biting chunks out of rocks and iron. Its typing is Water/Rock.

Corvinight is a large Flying/Steel crow-like Pokémon who is used as a “flying taxi.” The description of its capabilities in the overworld aligns perfectly with Fly, which calls into question how HMs will be handled in the Galar region.

In Galar, routes have been replaced with something called the Wild Area. The player can control the in-game camera in these locations and find Pokémon everywhere, from the ground beside you to the sky above. In addition to appearing in the overworld alongside people in the cities, Pokémon also appear seamlessly in the overworld in the Wild Areas. Weather was also given great emphasis, affecting the kinds of Pokémon players can find.

The biggest, literally, announcement came in the form of Dynamax: in certain locations, a Trainer can choose to make one of their Pokémon gargantuan in size for three turns before they revert. During this time, their moves become Max Moves and have a massive increase in power. Like Mega Evolution and Z-Moves, Dynamaxing can only be done once per battle.

In the Wild Area, there are locations where you and three other players can cooperatively participate in a Max Raid Battle. These battles feature a single wild Pokémon that remains in the Dynamax state the entire fight. It is possible to catch these Pokémon, but more details on the system remain to be seen.

Next, we are introduced to some important characters players will meet in Galar. Leon is the undefeated Champion of the region with a bright popularity that makes him incredibly popular.

His younger brother, Hop, is one of your rivals who wants to become as strong a Trainer as Leon. Based on the wording, there may be more than one rival, but Hop was the only one shown today.

Professor Magnolia is the regional professor who researches Dynamax, and her granddaughter Sonia is her assistant. The official website notes that Magnolia has given Sonia a “certain” research assignment, and that Sonia knows Leon from their childhood.

In the Galar region, Gyms are Stadiums that allow Dynamaxing, and they are filled with spectators who are implied to grow in excitement as the battle wages on. The battles are also stated to be broadcasted; whether that ties into another mechanic has yet to be seen. We are introduced to the Grass Gym Leader Milo, whose Eldegoss will Dynamax when you challenge him.

Not shown in the Direct but uploaded to the official website is the confirmation of the return of the Rotom Dex and addition of the Rotom Phone, which can offer special features such as faster travel. We are also indirectly confirmed the return of the bike.

In one final video, Zacian and Zamazenta, the legendaries of the Galar region, are revealed. They are wolf-like Pokémon, Zacian wielding a sword in its mouth, and Zamazenta with shield-like plating.

To close things out, a global simultaneous release of November 15 was confirmed, with details of a double pack to come later.

You can rewatch the Direct below to see all the new announcements for yourself.

What do you think, Trainers? How is the Galar region shaping up in your eyes? Was the news worth the wait?