How to shiny hunt and catch shinies in Pokemon Legends: Arceus

Catching and hunting shiny Pokemon works very differently in Pokemon Legends: Arceus. 

That’s not surprising, of course. The latest installment in the series is different from mainline Pokemon games in many ways. But for shiny hunters, many of Pokemon Legends: Arceus’ new gameplay mechanics are incorporated into the shiny hunting experience.

New methods of traveling come into play, as does the more open-world nature of the game. Combine this with the different Pokedex and catching shinies in Pokemon Legends: Arceus plays out much differently from other games in the series.

How do you catch shinies in Pokemon Legends: Arceus?

Players that want to shiny hunt in Pokemon Legends: Arceus should use the mass outbreak feature.

Mass outbreaks are a new feature that spawns a number of Pokemon of the same species in quick succession in single spot. Pokemon that come from mass outbreaks have significantly increased odds of being shiny.

Shiny Pokemon aren’t exclusive to mass outbreaks in Pokemon Legends: Arceus, however. They can be encountered normally out in the wild.

Pokemon Legends: Arceus shiny sound effect

In Pokemon Legends: Arceus, shiny Pokemon encountered in the world play a special sound effect that alerts the player that a shiny is nearby.

The sound is a flourish on a keyboard that plays with a sparkly particle effect on the Pokemon itself. It’s played when the player gets within a certain range of the Pokemon.

One of the common strategies for shiny hunting is to fly around with Hisuian Braviary and turn down other sounds. Because shiny Pokemon linger after spawning even if the player walks away, players can use Hisuian Braviary to fly overhead to spawn them, then land nearby to catch them.

What are the odds of a shiny in Pokemon Legends: Arceus?

In Pokemon Legends: Arceus, the base odds for a shiny encounter are the one in every 4,096. This can be increased in a number of different ways.

When a player hits level 10 research for a Pokemon’s Pokedex entry, that’s doubled to two in 4,096. If the player completes a Pokedex entry completely, the odds are quadrupled all the way to four in 4,096. The biggest jump comes with mass outbreaks, which increase the odds to 26 per 4,096.

Players can complete their Pokedex to receive the Shiny Charm in Pokemon Legends Arceus. This gives a flat bonus opportunity to encounter shinies under any circumstances.

In Pokemon Legends: Arceus, if the player has a fully completed Pokedex entry and a shiny charm, Pokemon in mass outbreaks have about a one in 130 chance of being shiny. While that requires a huge amount of preparation, it offers very strong chances of a shiny in each mass outbreak.

Which Pokemon are shiny-locked in Legends: Arceus?

All mythicals, legendaries, and the initial starter Pokemon are shiny-locked in Pokemon Legends: Arceus.

The game includes a long list of mythicals and legendaries that are available to the player but unfortunately, all of them are shiny-locked at this time. Alongside this, players’ starter Pokemon are guaranteed to not be shiny. The good news on that front is that while the starters are shiny-locked, Pokemon of the species are catchable in the post-game and can be encountered as shinies.

Though they aren’t catchable, it’s also worth noting that Frenzied Noble Pokemon and ride Pokemon like Ursaluna will never appear as shinies.

Where is Yota for Pokemon Legends: Arceus shiny Ponyta quest?

Yota can be found in Jubilife Village on the bridge near the training grounds, where he starts a Pokemon Legends: Arceus quest to catch a “peculiar” shiny Ponyta.

Pokemon Legends: Arceus takes a page out of Gold and Silver’s book by showing players that shinies exist by including one in the main story. After catching a regular Ponyta, which can be done in the Obsidian Fieldlands, players receive a request from Galaxy Team headquarters called “A Peculiar Ponyta” that rewards players with a shiny Ponyta.

After accepting the mission players need to speak with an NPC named Yota who resides in Jubilife Village. He explains that he saw an unusually colored Ponyta, which causes it to spawn in the Obsidian Fieldlands. The Pokemon is found along the river near other Ponyta, but can easily be picked out by its blue mane.