Home > Pokemon Sword and Shield Walkthrough > Chapter 7: Circhester Gym
Chapter 7: Circhester Gym
Hammerlocke
Exit Ballonlea Stadium and Opal will speak with you again. Agree to go back to Hammerlocke with her. There's a few goodies you can pick up in Hammerlocke if you haven't already. South of the Pokemon Center behind a bench you'll find a Muscle Band. Continue east from here and grab the 2 Hyper Potions in the corner of the castle.
Continue down this path and enter the building with the blue door next to another Pokemon Center. Battle Black Belt Brian. He has a Lv. 2 Cottonee, but a combination of the Focus Sash and the move Endeavor will cause him to bring you to 1 HP. He'll give you a Focus Sash afterward. Continue east and you'll run into Bede again. Opal will join you and find him to be an adequate replacement for her.
Afterward, enter the house to the right with the red door and speak to the girl in the back to get the Soothe Bell. Continue east and you'll bump into Sonia once again. Afterward, head up the stairs here and pick up the Strawberry Sweet. Go right a little and speak to the little girl to get the Old Letter. You'll also find a hidden Rare Candy in the corner nearby.
Head back down the stairs and head east to find Hop. Heal up if you need to, then follow him east to Route 7. Hop on your bike and cross this fairly long bridge. Hop will be waiting to battle you at the end. This time around, he has a Lv. 34 Trevenant, a Lv. 35 Snorlax, a Lv. 37 starter evolution, a Lv. 34 Heatmor, and a Lv. 35 Boltund. After winning, he'll take the courtesy of healing your team for you.
Route 7
On Route 7 proper, continue forward and battle Model Mila and pick up the nearby hidden Ether. If you try to head east, you'll be blocked by some Team Yell Grunts. Instead, continue north to battle Cabbie Bruce. Shake the nearby berry tree if you wish. Grab the 3 Quick Balls from the item ball in the tall grass to the right as well. Continue north onto Route 8.
Route 8
This is an interesting route, as it's quite narrow and contains many ladders. It's a bit of a maze. Continue forward and then head right down the first ladder. Battle Doctor Joanna and head up the right ladder. Wrap around to the south to find a Shiny Stone. There are also 3 X Defenses in the corner by the staircase. Go down the stairs and up the next ladder.
Take the ladder to the left to find TM96 - Smart Strike. Go back right and take the ladder down and grab the 3 Hyper Potions. Go up the next ladder and down the next. You can find a hidden Elixir in the corner here. Hop off and wrap around to the next ledge to pick up 3 Luxury Balls.
Head left and south to pick up a hidden Pixie Plate. Further to the left tucked into a corner you'll find a Max Revive in an item ball. Head up the stairs and battle Backpacker Barbara. You'll find a hidden Big Nugget on the platform up here. Go back down the stairs and head right.
Battle Musician Charles and then head down the ladder to the right. Grab the King's Rock and Nugget in this area and head up the stairs to the right. Continue up the ladder and head left through the narrow passage to find TM43 - Brick Break. Head right and double battle Colleagues Alison and Jordan if you wish. Continue right into the corner past the camp and pick up the Terrain Extender. Head forward into the next area.
Continue forward on the snow covered section of this route, Steamdrift Way, and battle Police Office Bobby. Continue forward from here to enter the town of Circhester.
Circhester
You'll probably want to head straight for the Pokemon Center to heal up when you get into town. Take the first street north into town and enter the first house on the left. Speak to the man inside to get TM48 - Rock Tomb. Head right into the snowy area and pick up a hidden snowball. Enter the covered area with a hot springs and pick up TM51 - Icicle Spear to the right. There is also a can of Lemonade next to one of the pillars.
Circhester Gym
Note: Circhester Gym will differ depending on if you're playing Sword or Shield version. In Sword, the gym is Rock-type and the gym leader is Gordie. In Shield, the gym is Ice-type and the leader is Melony. Both gym missions are very similar. This walkthrough will primarily cover Shield version, but information about Leader Gordie is also included.
Head right down the stairs and grab the Poke Doll in front of the snowman. Head up and to the right to make your way to Circhester Stadium. Once you enter, Hop will greet you and give you Melony's League Card. Speak to the Ball Guy to get a Moon Ball. Speak to the gate guard to change into uniform and take on the gym mission.
If you are playing Shield version, this is an Ice-type gym, so a Fire or Rock-type would be recommended. This gym challenge is a maze of sorts. You'll be given a device that can detect traps on the ground, which you'll want to avoid. The first path goes right first and then back left to the middle platform with Gym Trainer Lewis. Go left from this platform to avoid the traps.
In the next area, head forward, then left, then hug the wall to the next platform with Gym Trainer Liana. You can from there head fairly straight right to the next platform and battle Gym Trainer Alexander. Head right and wrap around to the top to the next area.
This one is covered in fog. Hug the left wall until you come to the first platform. Battle Gym Trainer Micah on the left. This next part is the most tricky. Use your tool to guide you. Go all the way right first, then back left and then straight. Once on the last platform, go left to take the exit to the gym leader.
Leader Melony
Leader Melony is of course an Ice-type specialist. Bring your stronger Fire, Rock, or Steel-type to defeat her team. She has a Lv. 40 Frosmoth, a Lv. 40 Galarian Darmanitan, a Lv. 41 Eiscue, a Lv. 42 Lapras that she will Dynamax. Be careful, as her Pokemon do have the ability to freeze you. Make sure to use your Ice Heals if you have any.
After the battle, Melony will reward you with the Ice Badge. You'll also get TM27 - Icy Wind and the Ice Uniform.
Leader Gordie
If you are playing Sword version, the Circhester gym leader will instead be the Rock-type specialist Gordie. We recommend using a Water or Grass-type for maximum effectiveness. He will have a Lv. 40 Barbaracle, a Lv. 40 Shuckle, a Lv. 41 Stonjourner, and a Lv. 42 Coalossal that he will Dynamax.
For winning, you will receive a Rock Badge from Gordie. Pokemon up to Lv. 50 will now obey you. You'll also receive TM48 - Rock Tomb and the Rock Uniform after the battle.
Back to Ballonlea Gym Continue to Spikemuth Gym
