Since their debut in Pokémon Gold & Silver, shiny Pokémon have become incredibly popular, and the focus of many players’ time within Pokémon titles. Originally appearing with odds of 1/8192 encounters, recent games have doubled the general odds to 1/4096 making them more attainable than ever. Several different methods have appeared over the years to make hunting these elusive creatures more manageable. Pokémon Sword & Shield contains a few of its own, so let’s break them down.
Before starting, it is well worth noting that completing the Galar Pokédex rewards the player with the Shiny Charm, which increases shiny odds from 1/4096 to around 1/1365. If feasible, grab the charm as soon as possible. In addition, all Pokémon received as gifts cannot be shiny, and must be hunted in other ways if desired. Shiny Pokémon can be encountered through basic Max Raid Dens, but the hunting method requires manipulation of the internal clock and is not considered legitimate by many players.
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Random Encounters/Soft Resetting
The original and most basic method for hunting shinies, this technique very simply entails repeatedly encountering Pokémon until the desired shiny is found. Outside of the Shiny Charm, there are no other ways to increase the odds of finding shinies through this method. A chaining mechanic is supposedly intended to increase the odds of a specific Pokémon appearing shiny after defeating 500 of them, but as it stands, this appears to be bugged, only increasing the odds 3% of the time.
The other type of random encounter is soft resetting. Soft resetting is the practice of saving the game in front of a static encounter Pokémon, such as a legendary, and closing and re-opening the application if the Pokémon does not appear shiny, repeating until the target sparkles. This method features the same odds as normal random encounters, but allows you to hunt one-of-a-kind Pokémon. Certain static Pokémon are unable to appear shiny in the game, however. They are Zacian, Zamazenta, Eternatus, the Wedgehurst Station Slowpoke, Keldeo, Galarian Articuno, Galarian Zapdos, Galarian Moltres, Glastrier, Spectrier and Calyrex.
The Masuda Method
Named after one of Game Freak’s founders, Junichi Masuda, the Masuda method is one of the most effective ways of obtaining shinies. Breeding a Pokémon with another from a game of a different language will yield eggs with increased shiny odds of 1/683, or 1/512 with the Shiny Charm. Not only is this method incredibly effective, but it also allows for customization of the shiny offspring. Nature, ability, IVs and egg moves can all be selected and managed before the hunt begins.
Pokémon from alternate language games are easier to come by than ever, simply using the Surprise Trade feature for an hour or so should be very fruitful. Remember, the Pokémon that hatches from an egg will always be the same species as its mother, so obtaining some male alternate language Pokémon will allow for greater variety in which Shiny Pokémon you can breed through the Masuda method. Select a Pokémon you would like to hunt, obtain a regular female version, and breed it with an alternate language male in the same egg group to begin.
Dynamax Adventures
The Crown Tundra DLC introduced the cooperative Dynamax Adventures mode, in which players travel through a dungeon using rental Pokémon as they attempt to reach a legendary at the end. Shiny odds within this mode are a staggering 1/300, or 1/100 with the Shiny Charm. This makes Dynamax Adventures the best method for shiny hunting when it comes to odds.
In order to shiny hunt in Dynamax Adventures, first, select a den to farm. This may be one that houses a legendary you’d like to be Shiny or one that you feel confident in being able to repeatedly beat. Remember to capture every Pokémon you encounter within the den as they won’t appear Shiny until the adventure has concluded. Pokémon all have a 100 percent catch rate, so feel free to use regular Poké Balls to keep things inexpensive.
After defeating the legendary Pokémon at the end of the den or being defeated, you will be sent to the Pokémon Caught screen where all your catches are visible. Here, any of the Pokémon you caught can be revealed to be shiny, if so, select it to keep. You can only select one of the Pokémon to take with you, and legendaries can only be kept once, so if hunting them, be sure to avoid taking them until they shine. If no Pokémon were shiny, feel free to press the B button to leave without taking any creature and try again.
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