Pokémon Sword & Shield’s Generation VIII has introduced some strange Pokémon as well as some oddball regional forms— however, the new addition that inspired more disgust and delight than any other was fan-favourite Polteageist.
Composed of an old and broken teapot, black tea that’s been left out too long, and a ghost that’s possessed it, Polteageist is an adorable new ghost-type critter who will allegedly allow its trainer to take a sip of its body. Only in small doses, however— the Pokédex entry specifies that the “tea” causes “strong chills if swallowed” as well as “stealing the life force of whoever drinks it.”
How fun!
For those of you who love tea, antiques, and all things that are equal parts adorable and disturbing, here’s a handy guide on how to catch Sinistea and evolve it into a Polteageist.
Chipped and Cracked
One thing to note is that Sinistea and Polteageist have two forms: chipped or cracked. The visual difference is extremely subtle— on both Sinstea and Polteageist, chipped versions will have a little stamp of authenticity on the bottoms while cracked versions will not.
It’s not clear whether this distinction carries differences in stats as well, but predictably, the chipped Sinistea is far more rare than the cracked versions (that are already pretty rare themselves).
Sinistea, both chipped and cracked, can only be found in the Glimwood Tangle— the very forest where the 24 hour livestream took place. Finding it can be difficult, however, since the only overworld spawns in that forest are Impidimp and Morgrem, two new Pokémon also introduced this generation. All other Pokémon in the Tangle— including the coveted Galarian Ponyta— are only met through surprise encounters, the battles that happen when a portion of the high grass shows an exclamation mark before shaking.
As Sinistea is pretty rare, you’ll probably have to fight your way through a few Hattrems and Shiinotics before you come across one. Stay persistent, and you’ll find one eventually!
Finding The Right Pot
There are two evolutionary items used to turn Sinistea into Polteageist: the Cracked Pot and the Chipped Pot. As you might have guessed, the Cracked Pot is used for the cracked or “fake” Sinisteas, and the Chipped Pot is used for the chipped or “authentic” ones.
As with the Sinisteas, the Cracked Pot is much easier to acquire than the Chipped Pot— it’s a simple matter of exploring Stow-On-Side thoroughly.
First, climb the ladder that’s on the right of the walkway leading to the gym stadium.
Walk down the rooftops further into the alleyway.
The Cracked Pot should be waiting for you on the floor near the rooftop clutter.
You can also get a Cracked Pot from the bargain merchant in the same city who sells one item per day.
Unfortunately, the only way to get the Chipped Pot for authentic Sinisteas and Polteageists is through this guy. As he sells only one item per day, you’ll have to check in every day to see if he’s selling what you want. Quitting the game and manually setting your Switch’s internal date and time to the next day doesn’t seem to reset his stock, either— you may be waiting multiple days to get the Chipped Pot.
It’s currently unknown how large his possible catalogue is, or if there is a way to influence what he might be selling the next day. For now, cross your fingers and hope for the best— or maybe for a friend with better luck and absolutely no interest in this morbid-cute Pokémon to trade you what you need.