[Sword & Shield] Should they bring the Battle Frontier back?

Would you like to see Game Freak re-introduce the Battle Frontier, or at least something similar to it, in Pokémon Sword and Shield. I would certainly like to see it come back since, and would probably buy the games if they do bring it back.

It would definitely be better than just having different versions of the Battle Tower in each game as they have done from Poémon Black & White onwards (although they did at least have the Battle Agency in USUM which was kind of similar to the Battle Factory).

It's not as high a priority for me as it is for others, but I can't imagine why someone would actively not want that. I've always loved all the unique formats introduced in the Battle Frontiers; I was so disappointed that I didn't get to use the Battle Palace in OR :( I wanted to see what my Pokemon are like when I'm not there!

Definitely. I didn't use it and similar iterations (Battle Tree, etc) as much as I wanted in previous games, but always welcomed the additional challenge. Would be a motivation for me to breed more good competitive Pokémon. Please!

if they did, i likely wouldn't bother with it. i don't really find the gimmicks all that enjoyable like i did as a kid playing the emerald frontier. like if they had better implementation, online play (like co-op or even leaderboards or something), that might make it more interesting. not that it can't be fun for single player, but i mean like. it would add some more spice to the online mix rather than just trading or competitive battles. plus the way some places are designed, it forces you out of the normal way of thinking and strategizing. it could be more fun if there was more incentive. bp for cool stuff is nice as well, but i feel like it's so hard to get bp like. you don't get enough at a time for completing such long strings of battles. battle tower was 7 matches in a row iirc? and then you don't get to much bp to show for it. which could mean hours upon hours of going at it to get bp for that one item or move tutor move you wanted. it was a pain in the ass and another reason i didn't like to bother with it.

so yeah, with better implementation, i'd be happy to see it return, but if it's still largely the same as it was in emerald and platinum, i likely won't participate. if it does come back, i'm hoping for some form of return in the battle pyramid, pike, castle, and arcade. those were my favorites.

Definitely. Added a lot of stuff to do post-game, and with some added online options or even events it'd be extra fun. I miss the BF. =(

I'm at the point where as much as I'd love the Battle Frontier to return in some fashion, I'd be happy enough with even some of the more well-liked elements of it returning. Like say, the fun restrictions that Plat/HGSS' Battle Frontier had, or even Emerald. If there was a mode that was introduced in a future battle facility that was similar enough to those restrictions, I'd be happy enough.

Should they? Yes. Absolutely. Having a large area designed specifically for competitive is incredible for sliding players into serious training. It encourages them to learn the metagame and push their battle abilities to their limits. Different battle modes also force you to reconsider how best to construct your teams, movesets, and strategies to best suit the given circumstances.

It's also the most substantial part of the postgame, at least in my mind. Whereas new quests and sub-stories eventually end, and the allure of obtaining as many different Pokémon as possible fades, the different facilities at the Battle Frontier provide an endless amount of content. I do think BP awarded and prizes should be a bit more lenient than they are, but that's not a huge problem. The joy's mainly in the battling, not the rewards afterwards. That puts it right beside multiplayer battles as the main reason to keep coming back to completed save games.

Will they? Don't make me laugh. This is Game Freak we're talking about.

I would love to see the Battle Frontier return. Gen 6 finally saw relatively easy breeding of 5 IV Pokémon, and I got really into breeding a competitive living dex. I was really disappointed when there wasn't a nice, in depth Battle Frontier in game where I could put together teams from all of my carefully bred Pokémon, and I've felt fairly burnt out since then (I haven't bred a single Pokemon in gen 7, for example). I would love to have some more difficult in game goals to work for.

Unfortunately, I doubt we'll ever see a Battle Frontier again. This is GameFreak we're talking about. If they won't even let us use all of the Pokémon anymore, there's no way we're getting anything nice like substantial post game content.

Yes. I've heard video game programmers say that it wouldn't be that hard for Game Freak to program given the assets they already have in stock. It would shut a lot of us up and restore some of the good will that they've lost from Dexit and the lack of single player content from the last two gens. Even if just under 10% of players enjoy the unique challenges that the Battle Frontier provides it's not a negligible amount of people. They could entice more players to give to engage with the Frontier by replacing some of the less popular gimmicks with new ones. I know this goes against statements they've made about the games but imagine if they included facilities for Mega Evolutions and Z-moves for example. People would complain about them not being in the main portion of the game but it'd be better than nothing and personally I prefer that OP gimmicks be limited to places like the Frontier, at least in single player.

I don't really care for it.
I personally find BF overrated. It was fun for what it was, but it needed a better implementation. The risks v. rewards with BP imo were not worth it. I'd much prefer a battle facility akin to PWT as while it has fanservice still allows for you to battle with familiar trainers in with certain restrictions. I can see them having one big tournament with all the previous gym leaders with this game and maybe any important trainers/ elite 4.

I don't see why not. It certainly isn't a strain to implement, and as others above have pointed out, its a nearly endless source of endgame replayability.

The Battle Frontier has been held in quite high regard by fans, and I've seen people judge a game solely based on whether it has the Battle Frontier or not.

As for this game, I honestly have a sneaky suspicion that it might return. This game has been touted for the hardcore fans, and they can't just keep going on with Battle Tower clones, despite the fact that those are endless and still act as postgame material, because it just gets stale pretty quickly. A Battle Frontier will add some more gameplay modes and definitely keep the retention value of the game much higher than a game with just a Battle Tower clone. I'd also love to see the PWT return, that was quite a really great way to reintroduce all the older Gym Leaders and other major bosses in the series.

I never played Emerald, and I wasn't super into Pokemon at the time when Diamond and Pearl came out, so I never went all in on those features. But I'd like something a bit different from the usual battle tree/subway/chateau challenge for post game this time around. I think they'd have to provide some real heavy incentives outside of BP to get me to try anything really off the beaten track, which is a mixed bag. It's annoying when games FORCE you to do something unusual just to get important items, but I personally might need the extra little push.

They should definitely bring it back! It's a great post-game challenge. And with it being a little faster to level up these days (thanks to the exp share, for example), it should be a little easier to train new Pokemon for the task.

Definitely, I love the concept of difficult battling facilities that you can train for in the post-game. That said, I really don't think they'll bring it back, especially after what was said regarding ORAS.

The feature that I miss the most in Pokemon is the Battle Frontier. It was the only post-game that had me actively wanting to continue playing. It's a shame that they likely won't bring it back because it seems they want to try something new and different every gen but we can hope I guess.

Has there been any confirmation yet about the battle frontier's inclusion? I've only heard rumors but nothing confirmed in previews or reviews.

Sorry for the bump but I didn't think this question was worth making a new thread for.

I did not bothered about it, and doubt I will, so it doesn't mattered.

Black said:

Has there been any confirmation yet about the battle frontier's inclusion? I've only heard rumors but nothing confirmed in previews or reviews.

Sorry for the bump but I didn't think this question was worth making a new thread for.

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There hasn't been any official confirmation of the Battle Frontier making a return in SwSh afaik

Indeed, no news about it as such. I'd be pleasantly surprised if it was in SwSh, as whenever it did show up, it was in remakes (and not ORAS...) or games later in a gen (so Platinum but not DP).