Summary

• Over 20 Pokémon in Legends: Arceus are Shiny locked, making them difficult to obtain in Shiny form.
• The Legendaries, Mythicals, and starter Pokémon are among the Shiny locked species in the game.
• Despite the limitations, players still have the opportunity to catch Shiny Pokémon and increase their chances using various mechanics.

There are over 20 Shiny-locked monsters in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. While Shiny hunting is easier in Arceus than in other entries, there's no way to get some of the game's most powerful Pokémon in Shiny form. Shiny-locked Pokémon must be hacked to acquire, but players really shouldn't pursue this route as it can often lead to bans from Nintendo's online services. Thankfully, most species in Pokémon Legends: Arceus' Pokédex appear in Shiny forms, meaning players are likely to catch one or two favorites with unique colors.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus implements several systems to assist with catching Shiny Pokémon, including Research Levels, a Shiny Charm, and Mass Outbreaks that increase the spawn rate of a single species. There's often a pattern to which Pokémon are Shiny-locked in games, with the most common offenders being the starter trio, title Legendaries, event Pokémon, and limited event monsters. While Legends: Arceus has mostly maintained those patterns, a few creatures are absent from the list that may surprise players.

Are Legendary Pokémon Shiny Locked In Legends: Arceus?

Dialga, Palkia, & More

Unsurprisingly, all 11 available Legendaries are Shiny locked in Pokémon Legends: Arcues, including Dialga and Palkia (and their new forms). While this may be disappointing for Shiny hunters, many of these monsters have appeared in Shiny forms in previous games. There are several static encounters in Pokémon Legends: Arceus that have Shiny odds, but those hoping for a teal Dialga shouldn't hold their breath.

Thankfully, the only new Legendary available in Pokémon Legends: Arceus is Enamorus, so it's likely players may see an unlocked Shiny Enamorus in future games. The full list of Shiny-locked Legendaries in Pokémon Legends: Arceus is:

• Dialga
• Palkia
• Uxie
• Mespirit
• Azelf
• Heatran
• Regigigas
• Tornadus
• Thundurus
• Landorus
• Enamorus

Nintendo frequently holds events that offer legitimate Shinies, such as Pokémon Scarlet and Violet offering a Shiny Lucario before The Ingido Disk was released, or Sword and Shield offering Shinies of their cover Legendaries. Unfortunately, given Scarlet and Violet's release and the launch of Arceus' follow-up, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, it's unlikely that players can expect these events to happen anymore, and these Pokémon will remain Shiny locked in Legends: Arceus forever.

Are Mythical Pokémon Shiny Locked In Legends: Arceus?

Arceus & Co.

All 5 of the Mythical Pokémon in Legends: Arceus are Shiny locked, and while it's disappointing that players can't catch Shiny Arceus in Arceus, it's an understandable limitation that prevents the creature from becoming too abundant. The Mythical Pokémon in Legends: Arceus aren't guaranteed spawns, with some being locked behind preexisting save files in other games. For example, a Pokémon BDSP save is required for Darkrai to spawn, eliminating the possibility of a Shiny for any players without the remakes. The full list of Shiny-locked Mythical Pokémon in Legends: Arceus is:

• Phione
• Manaphy
• Darkrai
• Shaymin
• Arceus

Despite the lack of Mythical Shinies, Pokémon Legends: Arceus makes them far more accessible than in previous games. Darkrai and Arceus are difficult to capture in other traditional Pokémon titles, and despite the lengthy requirements for their appearance in Legends: Arceus, they're far more accessible in the semi-free-roaming prequel.

For Mythical Pokémon in Legends: Arceus that require save data from another Pokémon game, the save data must be attached to the same Switch profile being used to play Arceus.

Shiny-Locked Starter Pokémon & Evolutions

Cyndaquil, Rowlet, Oshawott, & Their Evolutions

The starters in Pokémon Legends: Arceus aren't Sinnoh's expected starters, as the creatures have come from overseas alongside Professor Laventon. While some players may want to restart their games hundreds of times to make their partner Pokémon extremely special, that isn't an option in Legends: Arceus. This likely has to do with the cutscenes required for the character sprites and their appearances throughout Jubilife Village as players progress through the game and return to Professor Laventon.

Thankfully, these Shiny locks only apply to the starter Pokémon that players choose at the game's beginning. Oshawott, Cyndaquil, and Rowlet are all available to spawn during Pokémon Legends: Arceus' Space-Time Distortions in various areas. Oshawott spawns in Alabaster Icelands distortions, Cyndaquil spawns in Crimson Mirelands distortions, and Rowlet spawns in Coronet Highlands distortions. This makes it relatively easy to get a Shiny starter, even if it's not the starter the player chose near the beginning of the game.

Shiny-Locked Gift Pokémon

Giveaways From Nintendo

Legends: Arceus has event Pokémon for players in Japanese territories that are unfortunately Shiny locked but provide a meaningful new partner. Players could receive a Happiny to celebrate their birth month from February to October 2022, while Piplup's event focused on a "Save the Piplups" initiative out of the Pokémon Centers in Osaka, Kanazawa, and Mega Tokyo.

While Nintendo occasionally gifts players Shiny Legendaries or rare species, these gifted monsters are underwhelming. The failure of these monsters to appear in Shiny form is an additional disappointment, as there's no hope for players to manipulate the code before redeeming their event Pokémon. Additionally, with the release of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, it's unlikely that any Shiny-locked Pokémon in Legends: Arceus will be updated in the future.

Legends: Z-A May Have Similar Shiny Locked Pokémon To Arceus

The Subseries' First Sequel

Pokémon Legends: Z-A isn't expected to be released until 2025, and information remains scarce at the time of writing, but it will likely follow Arceus' footsteps in of Shiny-locked Pokémon. The subseries' second game will likely help define the Legends lineage a little clearer, but it's already set to take place in a different era from the rest of the mainline entries, looking to take players to a new time period in the Kalos region's Lumiose City.

It would be unsurprising to find Z-A's Legendaries, Mythicals, and starters all Shiny locked, outside extenuating circumstances like Space-Time Distortion equivalents. Shiny hunting relies heavily on playing the odds, so Pokémon with unique interactions or special roles in the story are likely to remain Shiny locked, even as the subseries moves forward.

Players hoping for Shiny locks on the existing list in Arceus to change shouldn't hold their breath either, as once a Pokémon is Shiny locked, it's unlikely to receive any changes outside of events. Thankfully, there are hundreds of other creatures available in Shiny form. There are also many mechanics players can use in Pokémon Legends: Arceus to increase Shiny chances. In addition, Hisui features many unique creatures to catch, including several regional variants of popular Pokémon like Growlithe, Braviary, Lilligant, and more.