Pokémon: Sword and Shield's Crown Tundra adds tons of new content to the Gamefreak titles, namely in the form of new Pokémon to catch. Some of these are entirely brand new monsters, while others are new forms of existing fan favorites. Others are returning the same as they were in previous games.
One such returning Pokémon is Spiritomb. This elusive ectoplasmic Pokémon first appeared in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, and the way to encounter it this time is somewhat similar. Here's how to spread your voice and catch one of Pokémon's most popular Ghost-types.
The Crown Tundra area has tons of puzzles and riddles, many of which are pivotal when it comes to catching its exclusive Pokémon. Spiritomb is no different, having perhaps the most in-depth methods required to catch a non-Legendary Pokémon. Players can begin this process by heading to Ballimere Lake, where a tombstone under a tree instructs them to "spread my voice." This requires the player to log onto the game's online features and encounter over 30 different people. Unfortunately, there is no way to count or track the people you've encounter in-game, though thankfully, the player will be given bonus items whenever they interact with others.
The online features must be activated before interacting with the tombstone for the event to begin. You also have to receive items from the different players in order for it to count. Some have reported that players need to encounter 32 other players, while others require you to do so with 40 other people.
After completing this task, Spiritomb will appear in front of the tombstone from before. Players should save their game beforehand, however. Spiritomb is notoriously difficult to catch, and accidentally causing it to faint will force the player to complete the original riddle task all over again. Upon catching the Pokémon, the tombstone inscription will now read as "my voice has been heard." Spiritomb is a very powerful and versatile Pokémon, with its dual Ghost/Dark typing allowing it to naturally learn a myriad of powerful moves through leveling up.
The way to first encounter Spiritomb is a throwback to how players could fight and catch the creature back in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. There, players had to insert an odd keystone into a Hallowed Tower on Route 209. If they had previously encountered 32 other players through the game's Underground feature, Spiritomb would appear and fight them.