Pick the Tower of Waters if you want Rapid Strike Style Urshifu, a Fighting/Water type whose signature move is Surging Strikes. Pick the Tower of Darkness if you want Single Strike Style Urshifu, a Fighting/Dark type whose signature move is Wicked Blow. The official Pokémon Sword and Shield website does not name either tower as the stronger choice, so the decision comes down to the typing, the move style, and what your team needs.
The two Urshifu forms side by side
Kubfu evolves into one of two Urshifu forms depending on which tower you complete. The tower sets the form; you cannot choose the form separately afterward.
| Tower | Kubfu evolves into | Type | Signature move | What the move does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tower of Darkness | Single Strike Style Urshifu | Fighting/Dark | Wicked Blow | Always results in a critical hit and ignores the target’s stat changes. |
| Tower of Waters | Rapid Strike Style Urshifu | Fighting/Water | Surging Strikes | Three hits, each a critical hit, and ignores the target’s stat changes. |
Both forms have the Unseen Fist ability. According to the official Urshifu page on the Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield website, it lets Urshifu deal damage with direct-contact moves even when the target uses a defensive move such as Protect. The same page states that the forms are not tied to the game version you are playing, so the choice of tower does not depend on whether you own Sword or Shield.
How to choose between them
Because the official description does not establish one form as always stronger, base the decision on these practical differences:
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- Choose Darkness (Single Strike Style) if you want a single, guaranteed critical hit per use and a Dark secondary type. Dark typing can be useful against Psychic- and Ghost-type opponents, which is a general type-matchup consideration rather than something the official page measures.
- Choose Waters (Rapid Strike Style) if you prefer multi-hit attacks and a Water secondary type. Three critical hits per use gives this form a distinct damage pattern, and Water typing adds coverage against Fire-, Ground- and Rock-type opponents.
- Choose by look or preference if neither difference matters for your team. Both forms share Unseen Fist and the same core Fighting typing.
No comparative win rate, usage figure or study favoring either form has been published by the official site or the community walkthrough, so avoid choosing a tower because of a claimed statistic.
What to do before you enter a tower
The Bulbapedia walkthrough for The Isle of Armor, Part 4 is a community-maintained guide, not an official Pokémon source. It describes the following requirements and sequence:
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- New entries in the main series of Pokémon RPGs arrive on Nintendo Switch simultaneously in late 2019
- The Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield games take place in the newly discovered Galar Region
- Galar is an expansive region with diverse environments - an idyllic countryside, contemporary cities, thick forest and craggy, snow-covered mountains
- Fans will have the opportunity to visit Gyms in the Galar region in their quest to become Champion
- Newly discovered partner Pokémon join in this new iteration of the games - Grookey, Scorbunny and Sobble
- Raise Kubfu to maximum friendship. The walkthrough says Mustard will not consider you ready until this is done.
- Put the rest of your party away. Only Kubfu may enter the tower.
- Bring Kubfu to at least level 30. The walkthrough gives this as guidance for a comfortable challenge, not as an official requirement.
- Battle through four floors of trainers.
- Face Mustard on the fifth floor.
Find the towers at the locations the walkthrough lists: the Tower of Darkness at Challenge Road and the Tower of Waters at Challenge Beach.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Whether you can do both towers
The Bulbapedia walkthrough says you can choose only one tower in a playthrough, and the other becomes inaccessible. This is a community-guide description of how the route works, not a statement from the official site, so confirm it against your own save before relying on it. If you want the other form later, consider whether you are willing to start a separate playthrough, since that is the only route the walkthrough describes.
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Once you know which Urshifu you want, you can commit to that tower without needing any version-specific information, because the form is not tied to Sword or Shield.
Quick Recap
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- Continue your Pokémon Sword or Pokémon Shield adventure in The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra, two new areas to explore that will be added to the Galar region as part of the Pokémon Shield Expansion Pass or Pokémon Sword Expansion Pass
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