Shiny Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet: All new forms & how to get them

By Daniel Furn

Published: Thursday, 22 December 2022 at 12:00 am

To most, a new Pokémon generation means a new region, a new Professor or two, and a new Pokémon to obtain in order to catch ’em all.

However, to Shiny hunters, this only means one thing – more elusive Shiny Pokemon to catch.

First introduced in Pokémon Gold and Silver – fittingly on the Game Boy Colour – Shiny Pokémon have a different colour scheme to the rest of their species.

They are incredibly rare, however, with Shiny odds being at a rate of 1/4096 – but new items and mechanics in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet can improve those chances substantially.

Especially with being able to spot Shinies in the overworld, it might be easier than ever to snag the best Shiny Pokémon – here are all the new forms available in Scarlet and Violet.

How to catch Shiny Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet

While the ultimate tool to catching a Shiny Pokémon is just to get lucky, it is a lot easier to catch Shinies in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet than in previous games. However, it will still take a bit of dedication and grinding – but here’s how you can lower those painful 1/4096 Shiny odds:

Pokémon Outbreaks

One of your best shots at getting a Shiny is during Pokémon Outbreaks. You’ll see this on your map, where an icon of a Pokémon means that area is being swarmed by that particular Pokémon (or you might see a question mark, which represents an outbreak of a Pokémon you haven’t seen before). If you’re not happy with the Pokémon in question, you can be really crafty and change the date on your Nintendo Switch to get a different Pokémon outbreak…

While you might get lucky and spot a Shiny just from the outbreak, your chances will be better if you battle and defeat at least 30 of the outbreak Pokémon – and go as low as 1/1000 if you defeat 60! This, of course, is quite the task, so put your Pokémon in Let’s Go mode and keep track, making sure to save the game after the important number 60.

At this point, it’s back to good old-fashioned Shiny hunting – the Shiny boost only lasts for 30 minutes. If you can’t find any odd-coloured ‘mons then set up a picnic to reset the wild Pokémon, and you might want to sneakily turn off autosave so you can try again if you’re unsuccessful (make sure you’ve saved after defeating the 60 Pokémon though!).

Shiny Sandwich Pokémon  

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The sandwich is a brand new mechanic for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet that has an impressive number of uses, including improving your Shiny odds. The sandwiches helpfully have Shiny at the start of their name, and each type helpfully has a corresponding Shiny sandwich to help your chances of finding a Shiny of that type.

The Shiny sandwich recipes are as follows:

These sandwiches will boost your chances of finding a Shiny Pokémon of that type by a whopping 300%! The hard part, however, will be getting your hands on Herba Mystica – the elusive plants can only be obtained by completing five-star or above Tera Raids.

Shiny Charm Item

First introduced in Black 2 and White 2, the Shiny Charm returns in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet and increases your chances of finding a Shiny Pokémon to 1/1365.3. Jacq will bestow you with the Shiny Charm after you’ve caught all 400 Pokémon in the Paldean Pokédex – you can speak with him in the school’s biology lab.

All new Shiny Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet

Now you know the best methods to catch Shinies in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, your best bet is to combine the three techniques together for the best possible odds of catching a Shiny Pokémon.

Below is a list of all the new Shiny Pokémon introduced in Scarlet and Violet for you dedicated Shiny hunters – though bear in mind a few of the new ‘mons can’t be found in the wild, so you’ll have to use either breeding or evolution to get your hands on certain alternate coloured critters.

It’s also worth pointing out that certain Pokémon are Shiny locked, meaning they are coded to never appear Shiny despite being found in the wild. It’s mostly legendary and event Pokémon too, so don’t waste your time restarting to try and get a Shiny version of the Ruinous Quartet.

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