How to get shinies in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Exploring the region of Paldea in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is a joy for Trainers, as there are various sights to see and many creatures to meet. This exploration is made all the more worthwhile by rare shiny Pokemon spawns. For the uninitiated, shinies are differently colored than other normal Pocket Monsters like them and emanate a sparkling effect at the start of a battle.

However, they are uncommon, with a 1 in 4096 chance of encountering one. So let's look at a few ways to ease the grind for shinies in the latest Nintendo titles.

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Players will have to learn to be patient on the hunt for shinies in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Since the mainline franchise has now gone open-world with Scarlet and Violet, players have vast stretches of natural space to explore and make discoveries. Pokemon spawn as players move around the map, and shinies retain their unique color even when out in the open world, so be on the lookout for one.

One word of advice would be to not go away once a shiny has been encountered. The way Scarlet and Violet handle wild spawns is that they appear a few feet beyond the player and despawn when the player moves away. Since the games do not keep track of despawned creatures (as they render new ones instead), this would mean that if players accidentally despawn a shiny, they are gone for good.

With that said, given the size of the world and the rarity of spawns, it can be tedious trying to find a shiny - almost akin to finding a needle in a haystack. Here are some ways to make the process easier:

• Craft sandwiches with Sparkling Power boost: Fans can now create sandwiches in a minigame while at the Picnic. Players who use Herba Mystica condiments in the sandwich can get a Sparkling Boost perk. But note that the benefit will only apply to specific types of Pokemon (like Grass or Fire), which is determined by other ingredients used in the recipe.
• Mass Outbreak: This phenomenon spawns multiple of the same creatures in an area. As such, shinies have a chance to appear. Defeating 30 of the outbreak horde increases the spawn chance from 4096 to 2048. Further defeating 60 will increase the odds even more with 1 in 1365 creatures. Players can steamroll through it by auto-battling using the Let's Go feature. The best part is players' Pokemon will not attack shinies, allowing trainers to single them out.
• Masuda Method: Named after series creator Junichi Masuda, this method states that the chances of obtaining a shiny via breeding increases when two Pokemon from copies of different regions (i.e., languages) mate.
• Shiny Charm: The least user-friendly method on this list, players will only obtain the Shiny Charm after completing the Pokedex. This means players must catch all Pokemon to complete their Pokedex entries. A humungous task, yes, but it allows 1 of 1,365 creatures to be shiny. The best part is other methods can also stack with this charm, increasing the odds of encountering a shiny.

This wraps up all players need to know about catching shinies in Scarlet and Violet. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!