Shiny hunting in Pokémon Legends: Arceus has steadily proved to be less difficult than past Pokémon games, making Shiny companions more accessible to a wider range of players. In previous titles, fans could spend hours, days, or even weeks attempting to find the rare, alternately colored Pokémon species of their hunt. While challenges like Chaining, catching many Pokémon in a row, or items like the Shiny Charm improved odds, finding a Shiny could still feel like an impossible objective. However, thanks to a number of mechanics introduced in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Shiny Pokémon may now be commonplace for many fans.
Shiny hunting and Shiny Pokémon were first introduced to the Pokémon games in Generation Two's Gold, Silver, and Crystal. These odds weren't applied to wild Shiny Encounters but as a reward for breeding Pokémon. In Generation Three and Four, the base Shiny rate was a possible 1 out of 8192. From Generation Five to the present, the base rate for a possible Shiny Pokémon encounter has remained at 1 out of 4096. These odds could be affected by various Shiny hunting methods from breeding using the Masuda Method, to encountering a certain number of the same Pokémon in battle. However, previous methods didn't improve odds dramatically, making a lengthy Shiny hunt very common for most players.
While the challenge of a difficult Shiny hunt has become the staple content for numerous YouTube and Twitch streamers in recent years, the practicality and accessibility of Shiny Pokémon remained frustratingly low for most casual players. Many rely on the extremely rare, full-odds random encounter of a Shiny while going about average gameplay, or potentially getting one from a trade. However, players can now improve Shiny odds from the start of the story by filling out Pokédex entries to at least a Research Level 10 or higher, and will quickly be able to access Pokémon Legends: Arceus' Mass Outbreaks. Without a Shiny Charm, a level 10 Research Level in the Pokédex, or any other boosts, Mass Outbreaks offer players a potential 1 out of 158 chance of finding a Shiny.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus' Overworld Shiny Spawns Boost Visibility
A primary reason Shiny hunting in Pokémon Legends: Arceus has been so easy is the overworld spawning Pokémon in the wild areas of the map. Much like Pokémon Let's Go, Pikachu and Let's Go, Eevee, the Pokémon visible on the map have the ability to appear Shiny when they spawn in. This feature, which was removed in Sword and Shield, allows players to see a Shiny in the area immediately, removing the need to grind through battle encounters.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus' Hisui Region is made up of five large, explorable areas that populate Pokémon when the player enters the map. Due to the number of Pokémon that can spawn on a map, and the Ride Pokémon that speed up travel, players can easily bump into a shiny in a fraction of the time it would have taken to battle the same number in a past Pokémon game. With the help of the Shiny Charm and a "Perfect" Pokédex entry, players can easily fly or ride through a location and have a good chance of bumping into a Shiny, without needing to spend time rerolling Mass Outbreaks. This change in Shiny spawning also makes the rare encounters more immersive, giving players a good chance of finding a while engaging in the primary narrative gameplay.
Additionally, Pokémon Legends: Arceus guarantees a Shiny Pokémon early in the game. Because Shiny hunting has become an important staple of gameplay in the Pokémon series, Game Freak added a short tutorial through a side-quest using a Shiny Ponyta to demonstrate how Shiny Pokémon appear in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. For those uninterested in boosting Shiny rates or grinding through Mass Outbreaks during their stay in the Hisui Region, this gives everyone who finishes the quest an early opportunity to carry a special Shiny throughout the main narrative of the game, when they otherwise might not have done in previous Pokémon titles.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus' Easy Shiny Hunting Is Good, But Problematic
The newest Pokémon title innovates in multiple areas, and the easy Shiny hunting in Pokémon Legends: Arceus presents a number of benefits for players and the overall series. Making Shiny Pokémon easier to obtain may be the solution to easing the fixation with the alternately colored Pokémon that has blossomed in recent years. What was once an elite achievement for dedicated players is now a mechanic all fans can enjoy with minimal effort, potentially removing the value many have placed on the rare Pokémon.
However, it could also put a precedent down for future Pokémon games. What once began as a simple side challenge for players after beating the main game, and an incentive to finish the Pokédex, has become one of the key mechanics many look for when waiting for a new Pokémon game. The lack of Shiny Pokémon in New Pokémon Snap created frustration among fans, and many are wondering how the Shiny mechanics in Pokémon Legends: Arceus could affect future titles in the series. Time spent developing Shiny mechanics in each new installment could take away from time spent crafting new narratives and gameplay objectives, potentially overshadowing the actual objective of the game - to create a strong team of companions to travel a region alongside.
The biggest benefit to the easily obtained Shiny Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, however, is that the hunt doesn't take away from other mechanics in the game. This gives players more time to follow up on major plot points, finish side quests in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, or simply explore the detailed areas that feature in Hisui. While nothing has been announced by Nintendo either before or since the game's release, possible future DLC with narrative expansions similar to what was seen with Pokémon Sword and Shield could give players new content to complete with their team of Shiny Pokémon. The further narrative additions could be a great way to keep the game relevant months after its initial release, especially since Shiny hunting won't extend gameplay as it has in past titles.
It is also possible that future DLC updates and expansions could introduce more Pokémon to the Hisui region. Pokémon Legends: Arceus' limited Pokédex has been a point of frustration for many. The wide areas that make up the region are filled with repeating Pokémon species, which partially lend to the ease of full-odds Shiny encounters. By adding more species to the currently available list, the odds of finding certain species could change, making the hunt more challenging for players. However, it is likely Shiny hunting in Pokémon Legends: Arceus will remain the easiest of any game in the series, giving players access to numerous Shiny options for their personal teams.
