Pokemon Sword & Shield TMs & TRs: What’s the Difference?

Every Pokemon in Sword and Shield can learn up to four different moves which is no different from any other mainline Pokemon game but if you want to teach Pokemon moves that they usually would not learn from leveling up, you have to use TMs and TRs. Are you wondering what the difference is between the two? Here’s what you need to know about that.

What’s the Difference Between TMs and TRs in Pokemon Sword & Shield?

TMs and TRs are technical moves that can be taught to specific Pokemon by going into the main menu, going inside the bag, and then going over to the TMs tab. Here, you will find TMs and TRs and then you can assign them to a Pokemon by hitting the A button and then choosing the Pokemon that you want to teach the move to.

TMs stand for technical machines and can be used as many times as you want and TRs stand for technical records and can only be used a single time before it breaks and goes away forever.

TRs are typically harder to find compared to TMs and the moves are stronger. Some examples of TMs are moves such as Swift and Helping Hand and some examples of TRs are Flamethrower and Hydro Pump.

How Do You Get TMs and TRs?

Technical Machines (TMs) are usually found by talking to NPCs throughout the game or by partaking in some battles at the Battle Tower. If you’re trying to look for them all, we recommend talking to everyone and anyone that you can find in the towns/cities.

Technical Records (TRs) are a bit rarer and are found by trading Watts with a Watt Trader in the Wild Areas or by completing Max Raid Battles.

And that’s pretty much all you need to know about TMs and TRs and the differences between the two in Pokemon Sword and Shield. For more on the game, make sure to check out our extensive Guide Wiki.

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