Crossing the Pokemon Sword and Shield is all about leveling up your favorite Pokemon and then staging fights and gym battles. The faster you can level up, the faster you can go through the story, explore the map, and then get into the real meat of the game. Fortunately, there is a way to start getting large amounts of XP, right after the first gym leader battle.
When you've defeated Milo and gained access to Route 5, it's time to start researching Qulbutoke. You can find this Pokémon in the following locations and weather conditions.
- Route 5
- Bridge Field - sunny and clear
- Dusty Dowl - Brouillard
- Hammerlocke Hills - all conditions except fog
- Motostoke Riverbank - Fog
- Outrage Lake - Fog
Route 5 is between Turffield and Hulbury and is the most accessible place to find Qulbutoke early in the game. As soon as you catch one, you can return to the wild area and enjoy a very powerful move that Qulbutoke can use called Destiny Bond.
The wild area usually contains some powerful enemies that you can't hope to beat in a typical fight, as they are too high for you until later in the game. Using Qulbutoke allows you to cast Destiny Bond at them. Qulbutoke just needs to use Destiny Leap, and then when the strong Pokemon causes them to pass out, they will also pass out.
Because you are fighting a single strong Pokemon when it passes out, you will summon another Pokemon and automatically win the battle. It's a quick and easy way to upgrade certain Pokémon for any battle you need them for. Simply ask Qulbutoké to be the first Pokémon on your team, then fill in the other slots with the Pokémon you want to upgrade.
