Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield, the latest titles in Game Freak's veteran catch-em-up series, released at the end of last year. Despite their incredible popularity, the games had a bumpy run-up to launch. Controversies dogged the game's production, with players angry about the developer's apparent failure to update certain aspects of the game. Perhaps the largest of these complaints was against the removal of Pokemon from the National Dex, making them unavailable in Sword and Shield.
One of the Pokemon to be spared from the #Dexit purges was Haunter. The Gas Pokemon, Haunter is a Ghost and Poison Type known for its toothy grin and poisonous tongue. As a first generation Pokemon, Haunter has always been a popular catch, so here's how to find one in Sword and Shield.
Ghost Hunting
Finding an individual Pokemon across the entire Galar region can be a real challenge without any idea of where to start. Fortunately, players looking to add a Haunter to their collection in Sword and Shield have a few different options to choose from.
Overall the easiest place to track one down is at the Giant's Seat, where there is a 15% chance of encountering one during overcast weather. After that, there is also a 10% chance of encountering a Haunter on Route 8, no matter the weather conditions. Lower level Haunters can also be found wandering in the Watchtower Ruins and Rolling Fields areas, for players having trouble encountering them randomly.
He's a Gas
Haunter may not be the hardest catch in the games, but nor is it the easiest. Players who've found one will discover it's a strong combat Pokemon, and will likely want to evolve it at some point. The evolution of Haunter is Gengar, the Shadow Pokemon, who doesn't hover but keeps its Poison/Ghost type.
Evolving a Haunter into a Gengar is a fairly straightforward process, and can be done any time. To evolve a Haunter, simply trade it to another player, or receive one in a trade. This will immediately evolve it into its final evolution. Unlike a lot of Pokemon, Gengar has both a Mega Evolution and a Gigantax form, meaning many collectors will want to complete the set.
Pokemon Sword and Shield are out now, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.