All That Glitters
Everyone loves shiny Pokémon, from seeing those different-colored pixels shine to the thrill and excitement of the hunt. Catching one is an amazing feeling. But not all shiny hunting methods are the same. While some work great, others are a total waste of time, which is why this list will help you make the most of every hunt.
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1. Masuda Method
The Masuda Method is a well-known shiny hunting method that’s easy for everyone to do. You simply breed your own Pokémon with a Ditto of a foreign language and put them together in a daycare. With every egg you pick up at the daycare, there is roughly a 1 in 512 chance that it will hatch into a shiny Pokémon.
2. PokéRadar
The PokéRadar is a method introduced to the franchise as an easier way of shiny hunting. You simply activate it, go to the furthest patch of shaking grass, and encounter and catch the wild Pokémon. Be sure to catch it and keep repeating these steps, as you will need 40 successful captures to get your shiny odds from 1 in 4096 all the way down to 1 in 99.
3. S.O.S. Battles
This method was introduced in Pokémon Sun & Moon as one of the best and most fun shiny hunting methods. All you have to do is bring an Adrenaline Orb, wait for the Pokémon you encountered to call for help, and knock out the Pokémon that came in. Make sure you do not knock out the original caller, as the chain will break. By knocking out 30 or more Pokémon, your shiny odds will be 1 in 273.
4. Horde Hunting
Horde hunting is one of the easiest shiny hunting methods. All you need is a high-level Pokémon that knows the move Sweet Scent and a patch of grass. With every encounter you get through this method, you encounter five Pokémon at the same time, which can all be shiny, bringing your odds to a whopping 1 in 273.
5. Chain Fishing
This method is the best for those who do not want to run around. You simply use a fishing rod in an enclosed area of water, while having a Pokémon who has maximum friendship and the Sticky Hold or Suction Cups ability at the top of your party. Doing this will increase your shiny odds all the way to 1 in 96 at the chain of 20 captured Pokémon.
6. Mass Outbreaks
Mass outbreaks are a really fun way of shiny hunting. In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, when you enter a region, you will see mass outbreaks of a random Pokémon that you can go and knock out or capture. These outbreaks keep spawning Pokémon as you are doing this, and depending on your research level, 10 being the highest, your shiny odds can increase all the way to approximately 1 in 128.
7. Friend Safari
The Friend Safari is a Generation 6 exclusive shiny hunting method. Every Pokémon you encounter in the safari has an increased shiny odds of 1 in 512, and will have at least 2 perfect IVs. It may look the same as wild encounters, but a shiny Pokémon is all but guaranteed with a little bit of time and patience.
8. Dynamax Adventures
A new method debuting in Pokémon Sword and Shield DLC, Dynamax Adventures bring one of the most unique and interactive shiny hunting methods to the game. You will encounter a total of 4 Pokémon on this adventure, with the last one being a legendary Pokémon. All these Pokémon have a 1 in 100 chance to be shiny, so be sure to catch even the random ones before the legendary. However, you will have to defeat all the Pokémon in order to get to the end, otherwise, you have to start the adventure all over again.
9. Catch Combo
Introduced in Pokémon Let’s Go, Pikachu & Let’s Go, Eevee, the Catch Combo is a fun and easy way of getting your desired shiny Pokémon. After catching 31 of the same species, your chance of the next one being shiny increases all the way to 1 in 273. And don’t worry about failing a shiny Pokémon, as these games have overworld shinies with sparkling stars flying around them, making it next to impossible to miss it.
10. Catch Combo
In Generation Two of Pokémon, the Odd Egg you receive can hatch into a shiny Pokémon, and the odds are an abysmal 50% on the Japanese copy of the game, and 14% on the international versions. The only catch is that these eggs only contain the baby Pokémon from Generation Two, but it is the easiest shiny hunt of them all nonetheless.
Now that we have discussed some of the best ways to shiny hunt in your favorite Pokémon games, here are 10 strategies you’re better off avoiding altogether.
1. Random Encounters
Random encounters are a shiny hunting method that exists in every Pokémon game. However, this method is probably one of the slowest shiny hunting methods, as the odds are only increased by obtaining a shiny charm. With base odds being 1 in 4096, it is definitely the most time-consuming way of finding your different-colored pixel.
2. Soft Resetting
There are some Pokémon that cannot be found in the wild, and some that are considered static encounters and gifts. The only way of finding these Pokémon in their shiny forms is to soft reset the game. This, however, is one of the slowest methods, as you have to close the entire game, re-open it, and go through all the dialogs just to see if you hit the 1 in 4096 chance to find a shiny Pokémon.
3. Brilliant Pokémon
Brilliant Pokémon are Pokémon with special auras in the overworld introduced in Pokémon Sword and Shield. Even though these Pokémon have an increased chance of being shiny, the way of getting the best odds is the most time-consuming out of any other method. You will have to defeat 500 Pokémon of that exact species, which will make Brilliant Pokémon start to spawn more often. Even after the 500 knockouts, the Brilliant Pokémon only have a 3% chance to spawn, and the non-Brilliant ones are stuck at the base odds of 1 in 4096.
4. The Grand Underground
The Grand Underground is an area located under the entirety of Sinnoh. Once you are down there, you can encounter a wide range of Pokémon that can be shiny. The chances to see a shiny one increase with displaying shiny Pokémon statues in your base that you can find while digging for fossils. However, this takes a really long time to do, and the timer for rare statues only lasts a couple of minutes each time, making it a really slow way of hunting for shiny Pokémon in the underground.
5. Fossils
Fossil Pokémon have always been a fun addition to Pokémon games. Resurrecting one of these fossils brings a base odds of 1 in 4096 chance for the fossil to be shiny. This method, however, takes a lot of time, as you will need to find these fossils first, bring them to the scientist who will resurrect them, wait for all the dialog and animations just to check if your resurrected fossil is shiny or not, and then do it all over again.
6. Curry Hunting
Another method introduced in Pokémon Sword and Shield is the Curry Hunting Method. You simply set up a camp, make the most difficult-grade curry in order to make your Pokémon more sociable. After doing this multiple times, you have a slight chance that a random Pokémon will wander into your camp. These Pokémon have a chance of being shiny, but the catch is that there is no way to increase the base odds of 1 in 4096, and the process takes way too long.
7. Manaphy Egg
Not so much of a shiny hunting method, but a worthy mention nonetheless. Shiny Manaphy has been eluding Pokémon trainers for years, with the only way of getting one requiring you to have two Nintendo DS devices, as well as two copies of Pokémon Diamond or Pearl. After beating the game, you will find a Manaphy egg, which you will need to transfer to the other DS to have a chance at a shiny, as it is shiny-locked in the original game where you found it. After hatching it, if the Manaphy is not shiny, you have to delete the save file, do the whole thing again, just to try and hatch another one.
8. The Safari Zone
The Safari Zone has been an area of fear and frustration when it comes to shiny hunting for many trainers. You enter the zone, walk around in the grass with base odds of 1 in 8192 to find a shiny, just for it to run away when you finally find it. It is definitely the most risky and stressful way of finding your favorite shiny Pokémon.
9. Headbutt Tree
The Headbutt method is one of the slowest ways of finding a shiny Pokémon. You need to have a Pokémon that knows the move Headbutt, stand next to a tree and use the move, and voila! You encounter a wild Pokémon that fell from the tree. This, however, takes a long time, and only has a 1 in 8192 chance of ever finding a shiny, making it one of the slowest ways of looking for one.
10. Honey Tree
The Honey Tree Method is by far the slowest method out of any when it comes to shiny hunting. You need to find a tree that you can slather with honey, slather the bark and wait 6 real-life hours for a Pokémon to show up. If that wasn’t bad enough, if you forget to check the tree and 24 hours have passed, the Pokémon will be gone. Even going as far as changing the in-game clock on your device system does not speed up the process, making it the slowest and least efficient way of shiny hunting.
