Pokémon Sword and Shield have thrown a lot of new mechanics at players, and it’s revamped a lot of older stuff. Players coming into these games for the first time have a lot to absorb. One of the old standards of the franchise is still here though, and it’s been made a lot easier to deal with. You need Pokéballs to capture monsters, and there’s two types you should use as much as possible. Here’s why you should only use Quick Balls and Repeat Balls in Pokémon Sword and Shield.
The Quick Balls and Repeat Balls in Pokémon Sword and Shield are some of the best balls in the game. Yes, much better than the Ultra Ball. And since they’re far easier to come by than the Master Ball, you will want to be using lots of them. Why? Because they have the best catch rate among any ball in the game in most circumstances. And since players will be farming Gigantamax Raids and other content to complete their Pokédex, there are a few good reasons to use them.
The games have a plethora of different types of balls. Each one has specific uses, and most importantly, catch rates. Without getting too deep into it, here’s what you need to consider. Every ball in the game has a multiplier attached to it based on the type of ball that’s multiplied to the base catch rate. The bottom chance when using a Pokéball on a Pokémon with 100% health and no status effects is pretty low, so it’s not advisable to do that.
There are deeper mechanics where each Pokémon has a defined catch rate between 3 and 255. The higher that value, the easier it is to catch. The Legendary Pokémon, evolved Pokémon and certain unique spawns have the lowest catch rates on this system. But just for the sake of brevity, let’s talk about the balls themselves. Check out this video from Austin John Plays for more details if you want it.
The Pokéball has a 1.0 multiplier. The Great Ball has a 1.5 multiplier. The Ultra Ball is the best of the base forms at 2.0. That’s where the other balls come in. Net Balls apply a 3.5x multiplier for Bug-type and Water-type only, for example. The Quick Ball has a massive 5.0x multiplier on any capture used, but only on the very first turn. When trying to capture a new beast, throw a Quick Ball right away.
The Repeat Ball is what you’re likely going to use once you’re deep inside the endgame and catching lots of Raid spawns. This ball gives you a 3.5x multiplier for catching any spawn that you have previously caught. And yes, that means you can gain a 3.5x boost in Raids with this ball.
Where to get Quick Balls and Repeat Balls in Pokémon Sword and Shield
The Quick Ball is the most likely ball you’re going to use, and you will want as many as you can afford at all times. The Quick Ball can only be bought in Wyndon, that’s the some town as the Championship Arena and the Battle Tower. Each of the two types of Balls are sold inside the Center in this town for 1,000 Pokédollars each. You will want to trade in your Treasure items, and probably start farming Watts, to get as many as you can.
The Luxury Balls and various other kinds can be purchased here too. But unless you want to capture some unique or rare spawn in a unique ball, like one of the Apricot balls like the Fast Ball, you shouldn’t worry about them. Besides, it’s far better to buy Luxury Balls for Watts from the Trader and sell them for cash.
Here’s a video if you need help finding the place. The shortest route is just to fast-travel to the city using the in-game map, you should land right outside the Center.
