Pokemon Sword and Shield: ‘You Can’t Throw a Poke Ball, It Won’t Let Its Guard Down’ Explained
Getting the ‘You Can’t Throw a Poke Ball, It Won’t Let Its Guard Down’ message when trying to catch a Pokemon? Here’s what it means.
While exploring the Wild Area in Pokemon Sword and Shield, you're likely to encounter some powerful Pokemon, but when trying to catch them you'll get the message ‘you can’t throw a Poke Ball, it won’t let its guard down’. We'll explain below what this message means and how you can get around it to start catching Pokemon again.
On this page:
- ‘You Can’t Throw a Poke Ball, It Won’t Let Its Guard Down’ in Pokemon Sword and Shield Explained
- How to Catch High-Level Pokemon
- Gym Badges and Catching Pokemon
‘You Can’t Throw a Poke Ball, It Won’t Let Its Guard Down’ in Pokemon Sword and Shield Explained
If you're seeing the message ‘you can’t throw a Poke Ball, it won’t let its guard down’ in Pokemon Sword and Shield, it's a result of encountering Pokemon in the Wild Area that you don't have a sufficiently high enough gym badge to catch. Whereas in previous games you could catch Pokemon of any level, but having too few gym badges would make them disobedient, now you simply can't catch Pokemon if they're too high level for you, getting the message above.
How to Catch High-Level Pokemon
To make sure you don’t get the ‘Can’t throw a Poke Ball’ message while exploring the Wild Area, you will need to collect more Gym Badges. At the end of each Gym battle you’ll be told the maximum level of Pokemon you can now catch, so keep it in mind while facing new Pokemon.
Gym Badges and Catching Pokemon
Below we've listed out all the gym badges and what Pokemon they'll allow you to catch up to. If you want to start catching Pokemon of a certain level, check the table below and aim for the right gym.
| Gym | Leader/Type | Allows You to Catch Pokemon Up to Level: |
|---|---|---|
| Turffield | Milo/Grass | 25 |
| Hulbury | Nessa/Water | 30 |
| Motostoke | Kabu/Fire | 35 |
| Stow-On-Side | Bea/Fighting (Sword) or Allister/Ghost (Shield) | 40 |
| Ballonlea | Opal/Fairy | 45 |
| Circhester | Gordie/Rock (Sword) or Melony/Ice (Shield) | 50 |
| Spikemuth | Piers/Dark | 55 |
| Hammerlocke | Raihan/Dragon | 100/Max Level |
That’s everything on the ‘Can’t Throw a Poke Ball’ message in Sword and Shield. For more on the game be sure to check out our guide on all of the TM Move Locations. There;s also our detailed breakdown on all of the Evolution Stones in the game, and info on getting a Charmander.