Pokémon Sword & Shield: 10 Tips For Taking On Milo

As the first Gym Leader in the Galar Gym Challenge, Milo isn’t exactly tough to beat. A kind and decent young man, Milo has trouble going all out with his opponents and instead just focuses on enjoying the experience, which means the whole thing isn’t as challenging as later battles.

Milo is a Grass-type specialist and as any Pokémon fan knows, Grass has a lot of weaknesses. At least two of them, however, are inaccessible at the early stages of the game, but Fire and Flying are well represented in Sword & Shield‘s early routes. With some planning and a good strategy, taking on Milo shouldn’t be much of a problem.

10 First Things First: The Gym Mission

In Milo’s Gym Mission, the player has to herd a flock of 20 Wooloo to mats in front of straw bale blockades. The Wooloo Pokémon roll away from the player when approached, adding an extra layer of difficulty to the task. Herding the Wooloo shouldn’t be much of a problem, so long as the player gathers them together and then stands behind them.

All 20 Woloo must be herded for the player to advance to the next section, of which there are four in total. All except the first one also has a Gym Trainer and a Yamper that will distract the Wooloo, thus obstructing the mission. If the player defeats the Gym Trainer, then Yamper will stop interfering with the task.

9 Recommended Level

If the player wants a bit of a challenge, Pokémon at levels 15 or 16 could be used. However, considering Route 4 is filled with numerous Pokémon and Trainers, chances are the player’s team will be around level 17-18 by the time they enter Turffield Stadium.

Gym Trainer battles within the Stadium could also help the player’s team level up. If the player wants an easy challenge, grinding their team to level 20 or higher should provide a guaranteed victory.

8 Dealing With The Gym Trainers

There are a total of three Gym Trainers within Turffield Stadium, all Grass-type specialists. Their Pokémon are levels 16 and 17 and all except the unbelievably cute Oddish are pure Grass-types.

Gossifleur, Budew, and Bounsweet can all be easily taken down by any of their types five weaknesses: Fire, Flying, Poison, Bug, or Ice. Oddish, being a dual Grass/Poison type, is not weak to either Poison or Bug, but retains the Fire, Flying, and Ice vulnerabilities, and also becomes weak to Psychic.

7 If Choosing Scorbunny, It’s A Walk In The Park

Grass-types are weak to Fire Pokémon, so choosing Scorbunny as a Starter will make Turffield Stadium an extremely easy challenge. Scorbunny learns its first Fire attack, Ember, at level 6, and despite its low base power of 40, it should easily take down any foe that’s Scorbunny’s level or lower.

Sorbunny evolves into Raboot at level 16, which means it should already be evolved by the time the player first enters Turffield Stadium. At level 19, Raboot learns Flame Charge, a stronger attack than Ember. Raboot is also extremely fast, which means that it would almost always attack first, and with a priority STAB move like Flame Charge, Milo won’t even have a chance to hit back.

6 If Choosing Grookey, Try Not To Use It

The Grass Starter, Grookey follows the same evolutionary pattern as Scorbunny. It evolves into Thwackey starting at level 17, which means it will also be in its middle stage when challenging Milo.

Being a pure-type Grass Pokémon, Thwackey’s attacks will be resisted by every single Pokémon in the Stadium. Another Pokémon should really be employed because Thwackey’s attacks will do next to no damage. It can be used to stall but it won’t be effective in battle.

5 If Choosing Sobble, Things Might Get Tougher

Galar’s Water Starter, Sobble is weak to Grass-types and will probably faint after one or two attacks, even if evolved into Drizzile. If the player chooses Sobble as a starter, the best thing to do is avoid using it entirely. Instead, one of the many Flying, Poison, Bug, or Fire Pokémon located in Routes 2, 3, and 4 should be caught and used.

Route 3 has Vulpix and Growlithe, depending on the game version, Stunky and Trubbish, two effective Poison-types, and Rolycoly, which evolves into the dual-type Rock/Fire Carkol at level 18. Route 4 has Cutiefly, although it doesn’t learn any Bug moves until level 25, and Pumpkaboo. Lastly, Route 2 has Rookidee, which eventually evolves into the impressive Corviknight, Hoothoot, and Blipbug.

4 Milo’s Pokémon

Milo only has two Pokémon, both pure Grass-types. Gossifleur is level 19 and knows only three moves, Magical Leaf, an attack that never misses, Round, and Rapid Spin. The last one is noteworthy because it will raise Gossifleur’s Speed by one stage every time it’s used.

Milo’s ace is Eldegoss, which he will also Dynamax at the first opportunity. Eldegoss is level 20 and knows the same moves as Gossifleur, with Leafage substituting Rapid Spin. Neither Pokémon is particularly tough to beat, especially if a strong Flying or Fire move is employed.

3 Don’t Be Afraid To Use Items

None of Milo’s Pokémon has any item equipped, but that doesn’t mean the player has to follow suit. A particularly useful item is the Sharp Beak, which will boost the power of Flying-type moves by 20%. It can be found on Route 4, east of the southeast paddock, next to the river.

Besides the Sharp Beak, Potions and other healing items can be used, too. Neither of Milo’s Pokémon has any sleep or paralysis-inducing moves but it’s always smart to have them in the Bag. One never knows when they’ll come handy.

2 Don’t Dynamax Until Milo Sends Out Eldegoss

Dynamaxing is one of Generation VIII’s most interesting gimmicks, one some Pokémon fans hope will carry on to the Gen IV remakes. Most Gym Leaders use it in battle and Milo is no exception.

He will Dynamax his Eldegoss at the first opportunity and mainly attack with Max Strike, which will also lower its foe’s Speed. The player can of course choose to Dynamax from the first turn, but the gimmick only lasts for three turns, which means if something doesn’t go according to plan, it will be forced to fight the Dyanamex Eldegoss with a normal-sized Pokémon.

1 Have Fun!

Pokémon battles are the bread and butter of the Pokémon games. They happen constantly and nearly every location includes at least a couple of them.

Battles are meant to be fun and enjoyable. Yes, some can be challenging and even a tad frustrating, especially if the opponent’s team is over-leveled or extremely effective against the player’s. Strategy is important, and while Sword & Shield‘s battles are quite easy, they still require some level of planning.

About The Author

David Caballero
(801 Articles Published)

David is a twenty-eight-year-old Mexican writer and reader. Having studied Marketing in school, he spent three years working a nine-to-five desk job before deciding to pursue a writing career. He now works as a Senior Writer in ScreenRant and does some more freelancing job, talking about the entertainment business he so loves. Currently, he’s also writing his second novel while actively working to get his first one published.

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