biteho.com

The first-ever Path of Exile fan convention, ExileCon, is taking place this weekend in developer Grinding Gear’s home city of Auckland, New Zealand. The event kicked off with a bang, as the keynote address with founder Chris Wilson included lots of big announcements and reveals. It was a busy event, to say the least, and in this post we’re rounding up all the key announcements.

Path of Exile 2

A full-on sequel, Path of Exile 2, is in the works for PC and console. Featuring a new, seven-act story and numerous improvements, Path of Exile 2 appears to the be the successor fans have been asking for. Among the new features is the removal of socketing gems, which should simplify and improve things. The game engine has also been improved, and the early demo Grinding Gear showed at ExileCon was very impressive. The initial act of the game is already playable (on the show floor), but fans might want to get comfortable for the full release. Founder Chris Wilson said the studio is taking its time with Path of Exile 2, and won’t release it until it meets the studio’s rigorous quality standards.

Read more about Path of Exile 2.

Path of Exile Mobile

A completely unexpected announcement, Path of Exile Mobile is exactly what it sounds like: a mobile version of the free-to-play action RPG. Grinding Gear announced the game with a silly trailer that pokes fun at the idea of making a mobile game–it’s pretty great. The game is only an “experiment” for the studio, and as such, Grinding Gear hasn’t committed to actually releasing it at this stage.

Read more about Path of Exile mobile.

Path of Exile 3.9.0 Expansion

Grinding Gear Games announced more details on Path of Exile’s upcoming 3.9.0 expansion. Called “Conquerors of the Atlas,” the expansion adds a new endgame story, upgradeable maps, and new skills. Specifically, there are new bow skills and support gems on the way. There are also “Support Gem Plus” items coming to Path of Exile, which are even more powerful. Conquerors of the Atlas launches on December 13.

Read more about Conquerors of the Atlas.

Path of Exile: Metamorph

Path of Exile’s new league, Metamorph, introduces a new NPC, Tane Octavius, who is described as a “master alchemist.” He killed his teacher (bad Tane!), and was exiled for it. “He hopes to find a cure, or perhaps just the source, for what he calls ‘the intrinsic darkness’ that led to his unforgivable violence,” reads a line from the announcement release.

Read more about Path of Exile: Metamorph.

ExileCon runs November 16 and 17 in Auckland, so keep checking back with GameSpot for the latest.

Disclosure: Grinding Gear Games paid for GameSpot’s flight and accommodation in Auckland, New Zealand to attend ExileCon.

Path of Exile is coming to mobile devices. This morning at ExileCon, Grinding Gear CEO Chris Wilson announced that the popular free-to-play title is coming to smartphones featuring what is described as a fair monetization strategy. Wilson also pointed out that Grinding Gear is developing the title in-house as opposed to shipping it off to a different studio to handle it.

Before you get too excited, however, Wilson cautioned that Path of Exile mobile is only an “experimental” title. Development will continue–or not–based on fan feedback.

Wilson used his keynote address to make a little jab at Blizzard over its own mobile game reveal. He said he’s happy that Grinding Gear announced Path of Exile 2 before revealing Path of Exile Mobile in what was surely a reference to how Blizzard angered fans by announcing Diablo Immortal before Diablo IV.

Disclosure: Grinding Gear Games is paying for GameSpot’s flight and accommodation in Auckland, New Zealand to attend ExileCon.

Pokemon Sword and Shield have finally arrived on Switch. While the games may not include every Pokemon in the series, they do feature a good mix of old favorites and new Gen 8 monsters, so you still have plenty of options to choose from when assembling your Pokemon team.

Where To Catch Certain Pokemon

Most monsters in Sword and Shield can be found roaming about the Wild Area, a sprawling open-world expanse that stretches across the Galar region. The Wild Area isn’t the only place you can encounter Pokemon, but it is home to the largest variety of them (some of which will actually be too strong for you to catch at first), making it the best place to look for new monsters.

As you explore the Wild Area, the weather will change dynamically, which will influence what Pokemon appear in the wild. You also need to keep in mind that you can only catch Pokemon of a certain level depending on how many badges you’ve collected, so you can’t capture every wild Pokemon you encounter.

Fortunately, this isn’t as restrictive as it sounds; you’ll still encounter plenty of monsters, including a bunch of old favorites very early on in your journey. Many can be found in various portions of the Wild Area, but your first chance to catch some will actually be in certain routes and other places. If you’re just getting started, here are some Pokemon you’ll likely want to add to your collection and where you can find them:

Pokemon	Habitat
Eevee	Route 4 (Outside Turffield)
Pikachu	Route 4 (Outside Turffield)
Milcery	Route 4 (Outside Turffield)
Sizzlipede	Route 3
Gastly	Watchtower Ruins (Wild Area)
Impidimp	Glimwood Tangle
Galarian Ponyta	Glimwood Tangle (Shield only)
Galarian Farfetch’d	Bridge Field (Wild Area) (Sword only)

Rare And Fully Evolved Pokemon

As you progress through the adventure, you’ll also encounter rare and even fully evolved Pokemon in the wild. You’re guaranteed to run into some in certain parts of the Wild Area, but there may be only one of them at a time, so if you miss your chance to catch it, you’ll need to wait a while for it to spawn again–something to keep in mind before you challenge any fully evolved Pokemon you spot.

Fortunately, you can save right before you battle the monster and restart if you inadvertently knock it out (although to ensure a clean reset, you should disable autosaving in the options menu). These Pokemon’s habitats also won’t be listed in the Pokedex, so we’ve rounded up some rare Pokemon we’ve encountered and where they can be found:

Pokemon	Habitat
Machamp	Giant’s Mirror
Tyranitar	Dusty Bowl (Shield only)
Gengar	Dusty Bowl
Gyarados	East Lake Axewell
Lucario	North Lake Miloch
Vileplume	Dappled Grove
Ludicolo	Dappled Grove (Shield only)
Gallade	Bridge Field
Dusknoir	Stony Wilderness
Snorlax	Motostoke River Bank
Conkeldurr	Motostoke River Bank
Haxorus	Axew’s Eye
Pangoro	Rolling Fields
Ditto	Lake of Outrage
Lapras	North Lake Miloch, Lake of Outrage
Eevee evolutions	Lake of Outrage (depends on weather)
Rotom	Lake of Outrage

Pokemon Sword and Shield are available now on Nintendo Switch. You can read our thoughts on the games in our Pokemon Sword and Shield review. If you’re just getting started on your Galar journey, then be sure to check out our other Sword and Shield guides below for more helpful tips.

Pokemon Sword & Shield Guides

Pokemon Sword and Shield are out now on Nintendo Switch, marking the start of the series’ eighth generation. While the games very much follow in the footsteps of previous Pokemon titles, they also shake the formula up in some notable ways, introducing a slew of new features and items to the mix.

Among the new additions are Watts. As you explore the Wild Area, you’ll notice Max Raid dens scattered about the environment, and interacting with these will net you a number of Watts. So what exactly are Watts, and what are they used for?

What Are Watts?

Essentially, Watts are a secondary form of in-game currency in Sword and Shield. As previously mentioned, you’ll primarily earn them from Max Raid dens. If a den is glowing but isn’t currently hosting a Max Raid Battle, you’ll receive 50 Watts simply by interacting with it (this number will increase to 200 after you’ve cleared the main storyline). If a Max Raid Battle is occuring at the den, then you’ll receive 300 Watts (or 2,000 post-game) before participating in the battle. Watts can also be earned by battling or catching wild Pokemon that are glowing.

As you progress through the game, you can exchange Watts for items and services from certain NPCs around the Wild Area. For example, the Digging Duo near the Pokemon nursery in Bridge Field will excavate items for you for 500 Watts, and the items they can potentially dig up include evolutionary stones and other rare finds. You can also use Watts to upgrade your bike, extending how long you can dash with it, or purchase Technical Records–single-use teachable moves–from different Watt Traders around the Wild Area. These characters are dressed in League clothes, so they’ll be easy to spot while you’re out in the field.

Below, we’ve rounded up a list of the different characters in Sword and Shield who accept Watts and the services they provide, so you can easily keep track of where they’re located and what they sell. For more on the games, be sure to read our Pokemon Sword and Shield review.

Where To Spend Watts

• Fisherwoman – Roaming around lakes
  • Sells various Pearls she fished up for 100 W

• Watt Trader – Meetup Spot
  • Sells different Poke Balls, TRs, and Wishing Pieces

• Watt Trader – Dappled Grove
  • Sells different Poke Balls, TRs, and Wishing Pieces

• Watt Trader – East Lake Axewell
  • Sells different Poke Balls, TRs, and Wishing Pieces

• Digging Duo – Bridge Field
  • Dig up evolutionary stones, fossilized items, and more for 500 W

• Watt Trader – Hammerlock Hills
  • Sells different Poke Balls, TRs, and Wishing Pieces

• Watt Trader – Giant’s Cap
  • Sells different Poke Balls, TRs, and Wishing Pieces

• Watt Trader – Giant’s Seat
  • Sells different Poke Balls, TRs, and Wishing Pieces

Pokemon Sword & Shield Guides

There are a number of Pokemon with branching evolution trees, in which various factors can determine if a Pokemon evolves into one form or another. Gloom, for example, can either evolve into Vileplume via a Leaf Stone or Bellossom via a Sun Stone. Pokemon Sword and Shield introduce a new Pokemon with a branching evolution line, but uniquely, it evolves differently based on which version you’re playing.

That’s only sort of correct, though. Sword and Shield each have an exclusive evolutionary item, and each one can be used to get a different evolution of the grass/dragon Pokemon Applin. In Sword, you can get a Tart Apple to evolve Applin into Flapple, and in Shield, you can use a Sweet Apple to evolve it into Appletun. As the names would imply, this family is all apple-themed. All you have to do is use the Apple on an Applin like an evolutionary stone.

There’s a boy on the west side of Hammerlocke who will clue you in to how to evolve Applin, and he’ll even give you the respective Apple item. You can also find either a Tart or Sweet Apple under a tree on Axew’s Eye in the Wild Area, and they’re also one of the many sweets-related rewards for victory at the Battle Cafes in Motostoke, Hammerlocke, and Wyndon. While we haven’t been able to test it yet, we assume that you can give an Apple to any other Pokemon to trade with a friend and get the other version’s item in your game so you can evolve your Applin as you please. We’ll update this story when we can confirm if it works.

For more on Gen 8, check out our Pokemon Sword and Shield review. We also have guides on other strange evolutions of new Pokemon, including Milcery/Alcremie, Galarian Linoone/Obstagoon, and Sinistea/Polteageist.