"I’ve encountered over 1,000 Gastly": Pokemon GO players vent about their most elusive shinies

Hunting for shiny Pokemon is one of the most cherished parts of Pokemon GO for many players. Existing since the second generation of the franchise, Shiny Pocket Monsters have always been held in high regard due to their rarity, often improved color palettes, and unique particle effects upon entering battle.

Some players have gathered on the Pokemon GO subreddit to share their stories about the shiny Pokemon that they have hunted for but simply cannot find no matter how hard they try.

One player recounted their experiences while trying to find a shiny Gastly by saying:

"I’ve been seriously playing since 2021, and during that time I’ve wanted to catch a shiny Gastly. I know shiny Gengar isn’t that great, but I want to complete a shiny Kanto dex. I’ve encountered over 1,000 Gastly and still no luck."

What’s the shiny that eludes you? byu/rQaBabaca inpokemongo

Players collect shiny Pokemon for a variety of reasons. Some want to find them for the satisfaction of having creatures' rare variants. Others use Pokemon GO's higher shiny rates to transfer shiny forms to their Nintendo Switch or Pokemon Home account.

Comment byu/rQaBabaca from discussion inpokemongo

Some users shared the feeling of missing out on a Community Day event in which a creature they liked was featured.

Community Days are famous for the bonus to their spotlight Pocket Monster's shiny rates. For this event, the rates are increased all the way up to around 1/25, so many players take this opportunity to stock up on the shiny form of a given evolutionary line.

Trainers hunt for a variety of different Shiny Pokemon, but it does not appear that many people are lucky enough to find one (Image via Reddit)

These events only happen once per month, but Niantic has started introducing Community Day Classics: a variant that brings back a spotlight creature from a previous Community Day. These variations also feature the event's iconic shiny rate boost, so they make for great opportunities to farm shiny Pokemon in Pokemon GO.

Comment byu/rQaBabaca from discussion inpokemongo

Ultimately, finding a shiny Pokemon comes down to luck. While there may be instances where the chances of finding one are improved, there is never a time where finding a shiny Pokemon in the wild is guaranteed.

Thankfully, there are other ways players can improve their chances when it comes to finding these rare types of Pocket Monsters.

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Tips for finding shiny Pokemon in Pokemon GO

While there is no way to directly increase the odds of one appearing, players can decrease the time it would take for a Shiny Pokemon to hypothetically spawn (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Finding shiny Pokemon can be quite easy if players are willing to put in the time. Checking the weather can make a big difference depending on the creature the trainer is hunting. For example, if they are hunting for a Water-type Pokemon, they should hunt in rainy weather. This is because those critters have a higher chance of spawning during rainy weather.

The use of items like Incenses and Lure Modules is also crucial to shiny hunting in Pokemon GO. These items attach to either the player avatar or to Pokestops across the map to increase the general spawn rate of an area. This greatly decreases the time it would take for a shiny Pokemon to spawn.