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Pokemon Sword and Shield are getting two big expansions that will add a ton of new creatures to collect, but if you don’t want to buy the extra content you’ll still be able to obtain the monsters. Nintendo announced that the expansions will launch alongside free updates for all players, allowing all Sword and Shield owners to be on a level playing field for trading Pokemon.

“These updates will allow those who don’t have the Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield Expansion Pass to obtain the Pokemon that appear on the Isle of Armor and in the Crown Tundra through other means, such as trading,” the presentation stated.

That means if you don’t purchase the expansions but have your eye on the new Legendary Kubfu, you just need to find a friend to trade one to you. It’s probably not viable to ask your friends capture all of the new Pokemon for you this way, but it seems reasonable enough if you just want a few in particular.

The two expansions will take place on new territories, and also pack new cosmetic options for your avatar and even your bike. Free updates are also coming to Sword and Shield that will add more than 200 older Pokemon. The first expansion, Isle of Armor, is coming in June. The second, Crown Tundra, will follow this fall. The expansion pass costs $30 and includes both sets of DLC.

In the meantime, a free update has gone live that lets you talk with a few of the new characters from the expansions, and even catch a special Galarian Slowpoke. You’ll need items from the two expansions to evolve it into a new breed of Slowbro and Slowking, respectively.

The Pokemon Company has outlined a few changes coming to its trading card game with the introduction of Pokemon Sword and Shield. Among these changes–which include alterations to attributes, stats, and more–is the removal of the Fairy Pokemon type, which is said to go into effect on February 21.

The company announced that “the Fairy-type, which was introduced in the [Pokemon X and Y] series, will no longer be supported in the Sword and Shield series.” As such, all Fairy types seen in the Pokemon games will be “generally” represented as Psychic-type in the trading card game. Further, Poison-types are now Darkness-types instead of Psychic-types.

Other alterations to the trading card game come in the form of resistances and weaknesses. Pokemon from the Sword and Shield series will have a resistance of -30 instead of -20. Weaknesses remain uncharged but matchups have shifted a little. These include Water-types being weak against Lightning instead of Grass, Psychic-types losing to Darkness instead of Psychic, and Darkness-types being weak against Grass instead of Fighting. The Pokemon Company said these changes are meant to “maintain a balance among types.”

Also starting on February 21, the same day the Sword and Shield cards become legal for tournament play, is a minor adjustment to the first turn. In addition to preventing the player who goes first from attacking on the first turn, a rule introduced during the X and Y series, the player who goes first will now be unable to play a Supporter card on the first turn. The Pokemon Company said these changes should “make it less advantage[ous] to go first” and hopes they “result in interesting choices in both gameplay and deck building.”

Nintendo recently wrapped up a Pokemon-centered Direct, which contained 20 minutes of new information on Pokemon coming to Sword and Shield, a release date for the cloud-based storage service Pokemon Home, and more. Further, Sword and Shield is getting paid DLC expansions that will include additional Pokedexes to complete, new areas to explore, and more.

In case you missed it: The Epic Games Store has been giving away a ton of free games lately. The store’s holiday sale included a marathon of 12 free games, and this past week, Epic users could claim three more free games. Things are finally slowing down a bit this week, as this week’s offering includes just one game for Epic users, but it’s one you shouldn’t skip out on. From now until January 16, you can claim the chaotic, hand-drawn Metroidvania Sundered: Eldritch Edition for free at Epic. All you need is a free Epic account to claim the game, and it’ll be yours to keep forever.

From the developers of Jotun, Sundered released in 2017 and follows a woman named Eshe who finds an ancient monument and gets sucked into an otherworldly cavern. In the underworld, Eshe encounters a malevolent entity known as the Shining Trapezohedron, which becomes her guide, and learns the world is now overrun with monsters and machines. The terrifying hordes of enemies and ever-changing world are heavily inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft.

As Eshe fights her way through the world and attempts to escape, Eshe encounters corrupted Elder Shards, which can grant her the ability to use ancient eldritch powers. The game has multiple endings based on what you decide to do with those relics–embrace their chaotic power or destroy them for good.

Sundered also includes the Magnate of the Gong update, which added local co-op multiplayer support for up to four players. Eldritch Edition also includes new areas and a new boss battle. The game earned a solid 8/10 in GameSpot’s Sundered review for its fast-paced combat, well-paced progression, and overall creation of tension and unease.

“Sundered is an enjoyable journey that iterates upon the Metroidvania style in ways that are both satisfying and substantial,” wrote Matt Espineli. “Its progression systems are constantly fulfilling and combat is complex and exhilarating. While rare moments of unfair circumstances hold it back, Sundered remains a compelling and rewarding experience that you’ll be eager to play again, if only to seek out its other endings or simply to wipe out another swarm of grotesque creatures.”

On January 16, Sundered will be replaced by Epic’s next free game, platforming adventure Horace.

Conor McGregor is coming back to the octagon to square off against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in a PPV welterweight bout airing live January 18, and you can stream it on ESPN+ and save when you bundle it with a new ESPN+ subscription.

Stream UFC 246 McGregor vs Cowboy

To get the UFC 246 Pay Per View deal, you need to be a new ESPN+ subscriber. You can then sign up for a year of ESPN+ and get McGregor vs Cowboy, all for $84.98 (the PPV alone is $64.99). The UFC 246 pay-per-view takes place Saturday, January 18 at 10 PM ET. Some of the most recognizable names in mixed martial arts, including Holly Holms, are fighting during UFC 246.

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The showrunner of Netflix’s The Witcher, Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, has explained the decisions behind the controversial design of the Nilfgaardian army’s armour.

The armour, first spotted in set photographs leaked months ahead of the show’s launch, is oddly shaped and covered in ‘wrinkles’. It became the subject of much online confusion and even ridicule, with many unfavorably comparing it to the designs used for the CD Projekt RED video games.

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Following today’s big Pokemon Direct presentation, a new Max Raid event has begun in Pokemon Sword and Shield. For a limited time, you’ll be able to encounter certain Gigantamax Pokemon in Max Raids much more frequently in each version.

Right now, Pokemon Sword players are more likely to encounter Gigantamax Coalossal and Gigantamax Flapple, while Shield players are more likely to find Gigantamax Lapras and Gigantamax Appletun in Max Raids. It’s unclear how long these increased spawns will last, so you’ll want to act fast and catch as many as you can before the event ends.

The new Max Raid event coincides with the release of a Pokemon Sword and Shield update, which adds a small slice of the games’ expansion pass content. Once you’ve installed the update, you can head to Wedgehurst Station, where you’ll encounter a new rival character from the upcoming Isle of Armor expansion. The character you meet will differ depending on your version: Sword players will encounter Klara, a Poison-type trainer, while Shield players will meet Avery, a Psychic trainer.

On top of that, you’ll be able to catch a new Pokemon: Galarian Slowpoke. Unlike a regular Slowpoke, this variant is a pure Psychic type. A special item you can find in the Isle of Armor expansion will cause it to evolve into Galarian Slowbro, while an item from the Crown Tundra expansion will evolve it into Galarian Slowking.

The Isle of Armor expansion is set to launch this June, with the Crown Tundra expansion following in the fall. Both are included in the expansion pass, which runs for $30 USD and is available to purchase now. If you do buy it, you’ll receive an extra bonus: a Pikachu uniform and Eevee uniform for your trainer. You can read more about Pokemon Sword and Shield’s expansion pass here.

There was a lot of news out of the Pokemon Direct, including the reveal of more new and old Pokemon for Sword and Shield. We also learned the Pokemon Home service will launch next month, and March will see the release of a Pokemon Mystery Dungeon remake for Switch. You can catch up on all the biggest announcements below.

The studio behind Batman: Arkham Origins has revealed a new logo that teases its next game.

Warner Bros. Games Montreal updated its social media accounts today with a new logo that seems to be for its next Batman game. The logo comes with a caption that reads “Cape sur la nuit / Capture the Knight.”

Cape sur la nuit / Capture the Knight pic.twitter.com/cIJTEZgDj1

— WB Games Montréal (@WBGamesMTL) January 9, 2020

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