Pokémon Pokopia: what's free and what really requires the €34.99 expansion pass

The 2.0.0 update came out on August 4, and part 1 of the expansion pass on August 5. Twenty-four hours apart, two very different pieces of content — and general confusion ever since, including in press coverage that boils the 2.0 update down to "Dive and the DLC".

But that's not at all what the official patch notes say. Let's sort this out, because the question that matters for a player is simple: do I need to pay €34.99 to enjoy what just came out?

2.0.0 is free, and it's much bigger than people say

The official update notes published by Nintendo support list exactly 77 lines: 14 new features, 35 improvements and 28 fixes. All of this is free and arrives in the base game.

What 2.0.0 brings without paying anything:

• The Dive ability, obtained from Manaphy, which grants access to the seabed.
• Strength becomes usable underwater.
• Surf can now be activated from dry land, which removes the hassle of finding an entry point.
• Rock Smash now destroys large boulders.
• Cut converts fertile soil into normal ground — essential for undoing a badly placed plot.
• Pokémon companions now follow you during Surf, Fly, Rock Smash and Magnet Rise.
• The number of photos displayable per town goes from 10 to 40, and the cap on power generators from 64 to 128 — fire generators still excluded from the count.
• Three quests open up: "A More Passable Path" in Terrassec, "Follow Chief Elina!" and "Head to Another Pokémon Center!" in the Flotîles-Millefeux.

On top of that come quality-of-life tweaks that change everyday play: the ability to move around with the ability wheel open, the "Together" tab in the Pokédex and the Habitadex, the "Return home" option, and also the motion sickness reduction setting.

One crafting detail deserves to be known, because it saves back-and-forth trips: materials stored in a storage chest placed next to the workbench are consumed before those in your bag.

The pattern everyone thinks is paid

This is the most useful point in this article, and it contradicts a good deal of what's circulating. The "Ditto Galore" pattern is regularly presented as a bonus exclusive to purchasing the expansion pass.

That's false. The official notes list it among the new features of the base game: it is obtained for free by talking to Master Magnolia after graduating. The pass only provides an additional method of obtaining it, as a purchase bonus.

In other words: if this pattern was your main reason for buying the pass, you can get it without spending a cent.

What the expansion pass actually brings

The expansion pass is sold for €34.99 in digital version and is split into three parts: Fonds-Bulleux now, a second part in late 2026, and a third in 2027 which will add another town.

Part 1, Bubblebottom, lets Ditto swim beneath the surface and discover a sunken town to rebuild, alongside Oshawott and many Water-type Pokémon. It brings new Pokémon, new furniture, new ingredients and brand-new outfits for Ditto.

The distinction is therefore clear, and it's the one to remember: the Dive ability and access to the seabed are free; the town of Bubblebottom and its content are paid. You can explore underwater without the pass. You cannot rebuild Bubblebottom without it.

Should you buy it now?

Three profiles, three answers.

You mainly play for building and decorating. The pass is worth it: the furniture, ingredients and outfits are exactly what you're missing, and a whole town to rebuild is the format the game does best.

You mainly play for exploration and the Pokédex. First take the time to exhaust everything in 2.0.0. Between the free seabed, Strength underwater, Rollout on big rocks and the three new quests, there's enough to keep you busy for several evenings. There's no rush: the pass isn't going anywhere.

You're hesitant because of the three-part split. That's a legitimate concern. Buying today means paying €34.99 for a third of the announced content, with the rest spread out until 2027. If the pace bothers you, waiting for part 2 later this year remains perfectly reasonable.

Two vocabulary mistakes to stop making

Since French-language guides keep copying each other, here are two useful corrections.

Ditto's ability is called Magnet Pull, exactly as in the main games — not "Magnetic Pull." The term appears twice in the official 2.0.0 patch notes.

The region is named Terrassec, with two s's. Some pages write "Terrasec"; Nintendo France's notes, however, are consistent.

Finally, don't confuse three distinct items that 2.0 has brought closer together: the storage chest, the storage device and the shared box don't serve the same function, and it's the first one that automatically feeds the workbench.

What's still to come

The official schedule is now clear: part 2 in late 2026, with new features, then part 3 in 2027, which will introduce another town. That spreads the release out over nearly two years, which raises the question of the game's support pace — but also leaves plenty of time to decide.