You’ll get TMs - or Technical Machines, to give them their full name - from a variety of sources, including anything from gifts for beating trainers in battle to items you can stumble across out in the wild. And are still reusable without breaking - although the actual number of TMs seems to have reduced compared to previous mainline games like Pokémon Sun and Moon, with the introduction of single-use TRs making up the numbers. On this page: Pokémon Sword and Shield TMs: locations and where to find them With it finally in the wild, here’s how to start the Crown Tundra DLC and our full Pokémon Crown Tundra walkthrough. Plus, here’s how to catch Calyrex, Glastrier and Spectrier, the Regieleki and Regidrago puzzle solution and Regirock, Regice, Registeel locations, details on how to catch Legendary Birds Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres in the Crown Tundra, the Ultra Beasts and Necrozma adventure, Dynamax Adventures, including the legendries you can catch on these adventures, and the new Crown Tundra Pokédex and returning Pokémon explained. For Isle of Armor players, here’s how to find the Slowpoke, where to find Max Mushroom locations, and how to get Kubfu, become best friends and evolve it, plus all Diglett locations too! For the base game, here’s info on the ability to transfer Pokémon to Pokémon Home, the Wild Area, lists of all TM locations and TRs, all Galarian forms and finally our main Pokémon Sword and Shield walkthrough for the whole game.
You can use TMs as many times as you like - unlike the originals, TMs are no longer one-time-use items. Use them on as many Pokémon as you see fit! TRs, however, are different - and can only be used once. The same Pokémon can use the same TM again if you delete the move - it can’t learn two of the same move of course, but say your Pokémon forgot the Thunder Wave you taught it, you can just use the TM again if you change your mind and want it back. There are no HMs - these hard-to-unlearn versions of TMs are no longer in the game, and are instead replaced in Sword and Shield by the ability to ride your Rotom Bike on water (which you learn upon visiting Route 9), or call a Flying Taxi. Not every Pokémon can use every TM - this is a basic one that most people will know, but note that just because you have the Breaking Swipe TM, for instance, that doesn’t mean your Pikachu can learn it! TMs, as well as TRs, are one of the best things you can do to make your Pokémon stronger - Use your TMs! They can transform your run-of-the-mill Pokémon into competitively viable ones by giving them better type coverage (meaning they’re stronger against a wider range of opposition types) or more utility (like the ability to cause status conditions or change the weather), and can give access to strong moves much earlier than Pokémon would learn them themselves, too.
