Why Legends: Arceus’ Shiny Pokémon Rates Are So High

Exploring the vast Hisui region in Pokémon Legends: Arceus appears to be yielding a higher number of Shiny Pokémon encounters for players, despite the base odds being the same as previous Pokémon games. However, while the game does offer more reliable methods of increasing Shiny odds than other titles in the series, the chances of encountering a full-odds Shiny aren’t any higher than in previous games. They may just be more easily visible thanks to new mechanics introduced in Pokémon Legends: Arceus.

The gameplay of Pokémon Legends: Arceus reimagines what has been seen in previous Pokémon games, replacing limited, linear routes with open-world-inspired locations and mechanics similar to popular Nintendo Switch titles like The Legends of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Players are able to collect forageable items with the help of their Pokémon, craft items while exploring with a pocket crafting table, and hop on Ride Pokémon to access new areas hidden around the maps. The Gym Leader battles and numerous towns have also been replaced with quest-based narrative progression and Noble Pokémon battles, giving players a fresh and exciting Pokémon training journey.

However, some players have noticed that Pokémon Legends: Arceus seems to have a higher rate of Shiny Pokémon encounters than previous games. Shiny Pokémon are rare, alternately colored variations of standard Pokémon species. In recent games, the base potential odds for a Shiny encounter, without items or objectives to improve the odds, sits at 1 in 4096. These base odds remain the same for Shiny hunting in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, making a random encounter a special and memorable achievement for most players.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus’ Shiny Hunting Is Different Than In Past Games

Shiny hunting was first introduced in Gen 2 of the Pokémon series with Gold, Silver, and Crystal. Early Shiny hunting methods were particularly difficult, with the potential base odds for a Shiny encounter sitting at 1 in 8192. Players had fewer ways to improve these odds and often needed to obtain the Shiny Charm to have any success at Shiny hunting. Methods like Pokémon Chaining were introduced to help players improve Shiny odds, but the process of chaining changed from game to game and often didn’t provide clear guidelines for how the method was meant to work.

In Pokémon Sword and Shield, despite the introduction of the Wild Area offering the perfect groundwork for improved Shiny hunting, the games received the worst developments in the series. Brilliant Aura hunting, which was introduced in Galar alongside Max Raid Dens, is both frustratingly difficult and poorly understood due to a lack of information on the method provided in the games. Thankfully Pokémon Legends: Arceus‘ Shiny hunting methods are better than Sword and Shield‘s, making the effort much more enjoyable for players.

In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Pokémon appear as Shiny in the overworld. In previous games, with the exception of Pokémon Let’s Go, Eevee! and Pikachu!, players had to engage in battle with a Pokémon to see it as Shiny. The Pokémon make a special chiming sound when spawning into the area, and emit a glittering flash of stars to alert the player as they walk by. These Pokémon will remain on the map until the despawn, even if the player travels back to a base camp or sleeps for the night. This helps increase the odds of a successful encounter and capture when players do spot the rare Pokémon wandering the wild.

It is these overworld spawning Shiny Pokémon that make Pokémon Legends: Arceus’ Shiny rates seem better than past games in the series. In past games, a Pokémon’s Shiny status was determined at the start of an encounter, requiring players to go one by one to find the desired Shiny. In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, the Shiny rate is determined when a Pokémon spawns onto the map, with dozens of Pokémon spawning at once. This allows players to check a much larger number of Pokémon without having to grind through numerous encounters.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus Doesn’t Require Shiny Charms To Boost Odds

Pokémon Legends: Arceus has also implemented reasonable and accessible ways to increase Shiny odds that weren’t present in previous games. If players “complete” a Pokédex entry for a certain Pokémon species by earning a research-level of 10, the odds of encountering a Shiny for that Pokémon become roughly 1 in 2048, while getting a “perfect” Pokédex entry make the odds around 1 in 1024. This allows players to focus on improving the odds of Pokémon they actually want to Shiny Hunt, and the odds can be boosted early in gameplay, creating a higher likelihood of spotting a Shiny going through the game’s story. By offering the ability to improve Shiny odds from the start of the game, Shiny hunting is no longer a post-game objective after completing the Pokédex for the Shiny Charm, but a part of main-story gameplay, offering more chances to add a Shiny to player teams.

A new feature in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Mass Outbreaks, also gives a new way to Shiny Hunt while exploring Hisui. Mass Outbreaks are special occurrences where numerous Pokémon of the same species appear in a specific location for a short period of time. These spawns can be seen on the map of Hisui when the player is leaving Jubilife Village and can be marked on the area map after arriving for easy access.

Mass Outbreaks in Pokémon Legends: Arceus have the base potential odds of 1 in 158 for a Shiny encounter. These odds continue to improve with Pokédex research, with chances as low as 1 in 128 for players with both perfect Pokédex entries and the Shiny Charm achieved. Because of this, Mass Outbreaks are an effective and fun way to Shiny hunt, replacing the frustration of grinding from previous games, and easily accessible without the need for a Shiny Charm.

For those who are worried about not being able to find a Shiny Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, the game even includes a guaranteed Shiny encounter through a quest early in the game. In the request “A Peculiar Ponyta,” players must investigate the sighting of an oddly colored Ponyta wandering the wild. This quest is designed to show players what a Shiny Pokémon looks like in the game, and offerings a chance to catch the Shiny to have as a member of their team. While some hard-core Shiny hunters would prefer to grind their own Shiny Ponyta, the inclusion ensures that anyone of any Shiny hunting skill level can have a rare companion for their journey in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, allowing every player to participate in the overhauled Shiny mechanics for the game.

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