Pokemon GO: Can Salamence be shiny?

Salamence is often seen among Pokemon GO players as one of the most valuable Dragon-types players can find. Having one in its most rare variant makes players the talk of their group, and for good reason. Shiny Pokemon are the most desirable variation of Pokemon in the entirety of the franchise.

Debuting in the third generation of the franchise, Salamence is one of the few Dragon-type Pokemon players can train in the Hoenn region, adding more to its value. Many series veterans remember traversing Meteor Falls to find Bagon in the small room at the top of the waterfall and training it up to tear through the Elite Four with their powerful new Salamence.

When it comes to tracking down a specific Shiny Pokemon in Niantic's mobile game, players must first confirm that the Pokemon can appear in this rare variant. Unlike the main series, Niantic adds shiny variants of different over a while. Shiny variants are typically added to commemorate an event like a Community Day or a holiday.

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Shiny Salamence in Pokemon GO: Fact or fiction?

Salamence as it appears in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Luckily, players can find members of the Salamence evolutionary line in their shiny variants. Players have been able to do so since the release of the Bagon Community Day event back in April of 2019. Knowing that it is possible to find and catch a shiny Salamence, the hard part of the hunt begins.

Bagon, along with its regional counterparts like Dratini and Larvitar, is one of the hardest Pokemon to find in Pokemon GO. Using items like Lures and Incenses can help by increasing the spawn rate of Pokemon in the area to make rare Pokemon more likely to show up for a brief period. Lures attach to Pokestops while incense is attached to the player.

Pokemon GO also includes a hidden mechanic known as "Pokemon Nests". These nests are unmarked spots worldwide where specific Pokemon are more likely to spawn.

The Silph Road website includes a comprehensive atlus of the various Pokemon Nest locations. It even consists of a filtering option to find the Pokemon they are looking for easily. This atlus can be found here.

While hunting for any specific rare Pokemon can be a difficult task in Pokemon GO, finding a shiny variant of the same Pokemon is even more daunting. Using spawn rate increasing items like Lures and Incenses in locations marked as Bagon nests can significantly increase players' chances of finding their unique green dragon.