One of the most challenging aspects of Pokémon Sword And Shield are the various traps set on the battlefield. Gamers that would like to avoid these traps will need to get their hands on the Heavy-Duty Boots. Many competitive players are wondering why the overpowered item is still in the game.
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Entry hazards are a crucial part of competitive play, but the Heavy-Duty Boots essentially negate them. Pokémon that are in possession of the boots will not be affected by spikes, stealth rocks, or sticky webs. Players that want to win more battles will need to have the boots equipped on their best Pokémon. This guide will walk players through where to find the Heavy-Duty Boots and why they are so effective.
The boots are located near Route 6. Players should take the road from the center of Galar to the left. There players will find a camp. Gamers should then proceed to the left and into the Galar mine. Once inside, trainers can follow the tracks all the way to the bridge. Players will then need to cross the bridge and look for a mine car just behind the male miner NPC. The Heavy-Duty Boots are in the Poke ball just to the right of the mine car.
In Sword and Shield, the only way to punish character switching is to set a hazard or trap. Gamers that swap players quickly will receive an HP penalty while any of these entry traps are active. However, if the Pokémon has the Heavy-Duty Boots on, the traps will not be effective and trainers can swap their Pokémon at will. The result was a shift in the meta from entry traps to the teleportation meta.
In general, there are a lot of new Pokémon that can be used within the Heavy-Duty Boots Meta. A handful of Pokémon could not be used with stealth rocks being so prominent. Now, because players can negate swap penalties, many of these Pokémon are now viable. However, the boots have had some unforeseen consequences. For example, more than half of the meta Pokémon have either a volt-switch, teleport, or U-turn abilities. Players are doing a lot more swapping, switching, and teleporting than before the boots were added to the game. Unfortunately, all of this swapping impedes the pace and flow of battles. Competitive battles feel more like a game of cat and mouse than a head to head bout.
For years, stealth rocks were mandatory in competitive battles. Players that did not use them would most likely lose their battles. Both stealth rocks and spikes allow players to damage multiple Pokémon at once. Perhaps the addition of the boots was a subtle way to move on from the overpowered rocks and spikes to pave the way for new gameplay styles. Many of the established players in the competitive scene are skeptical of the new meta, but that is understandable. Those players have been using the same methods and approaches for several years.
The overwhelming majority of the community is glad to see the stealth rocks take somewhat of a backseat to a new type of battle dynamic. Stealth rocks had little to no downside, while dealing a ton of damage to more than one Pokémon. Even now, stealth rocks still play a key role in the game, but the effectiveness of the rocks can be countered. Gamers will have to wait and see how the meta unfolds in the coming months, as well as the role the Heavy-Duty boots will fit into it. With the amount of teleporting going on, it would not be a surprise if the developers come up with a new way to balance playstyles sometime soon.
A lot of players have found the overpowered boots and pawned them off for a little bit of cash. This is a huge mistake, especially for players that enjoy battles. There is only one set of Heavy-Duty Boots in the game, and gamers that get rid of them are out of luck, unless they are able to meet some friends that have an extra pair. Gamers will need to find someone that has traded for multiple boots and barter for them. There are a few ways for gamers to acquire multiple pairs of the boots, but it will often require multiple accounts or high level items.
For example, players can create another account, progress to Route 3, and trade the boots back to their main account. This will take a few hours and is a hassle for casual gamers. Players that do not have the boots because they sold them should try their luck on Reddit to find a willing trader. It has worked for several trainers that have found themselves in this conundrum.