If you want to catch shiny Pokemon in Pokemon Legends: Z-A, then you're in luck, because the new Lumiose City adventure has made a number of quality-of-life changes since Pokemon Scarlet and Violet to make it way harder to miss out on any rare finds.
Shiny Pokemon are elusive versions of Pokemon with different color palettes, which sparkle when they appear and get sent out of their Poke Balls. They've been part of the series since Generation 2's Pokemon Gold and Silver, with the base chance of encountering one once 1/8,192. This was doubled in Pokemon X and Y, however, to 1/4,096.
Shiny Pokemon explained in Pokemon Legends: Z-A
Each Pokemon series has a specific shiny form to look out for – a shiny Mareep's wool is pink rather than yellow, for example, and a shiny Pikachu's fur is orange rather than yellow. However, in Pokemon Legends: Z-A it's extremely obvious if you've found one, as you'll hear a jingle sound (the exact same as the shiny sound that plays in Pokemon Legends: Arceus, if you've experienced that). This sound will play when the Pokemon spawns in, but you might have to have a look around to see where it is.
When you do see it, large stars will burst out, and it'll maintain a sparkly effect similar to that previously seen in Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee, along with a quieter, shimmering sound that gets louder as you get closer to the Pokemon. Focusing on the Pokemon with the ZL button will also show a symbol with two sparkles next to its name.
What are the shiny odds in Pokemon Legends: Z-A?
Pokemon Legends: Z-A doesn't explicitly state its shiny odds in-game – the only acknowledgement of the chances comes in the form of the Shiny Charm key item, which boosts the odds of finding shinies.
However, known Pokemon dataminer Anubis (@Sibuna_Switch on Twitter) claims to have dug into the game's files, and reports that the base shiny odds in Pokemon Legends: Z-A are 1/4,096, which would line up with all the previous games since 2013.
In addition, they report that the Shiny Charm boosts these odds to around 1/1,024. This would make its effect stronger than in most games, but in line with the Shiny Charm odds seen in Pokemon Legends: Arceus.
We cannot confirm the veracity of these figures ourselves, but they seem consistent with what would be expected based on past games, and also appear to line up with our experience playing. I've found two shinies in over 42 hours of playtime, without the Shiny Charm.
How to get the Shiny Charm in Pokemon Legends: Z-A
At the time of writing, Pokemon Legends: Z-A doesn't appear to have any obvious methods to boost your chances of finding a shiny, like the old Masuda Method for breeding, and Mass Outbreaks from Pokemon Scarlet, Violet, and Legends: Arceus. However, obtaining the Shiny Charm key item will give a permanent buff to your chances.
The Shiny Charm can be obtained as the final reward for completing Mable's research tasks. You'll have to reach Research Level 50 by completing tasks such as filling out your Pokedex, catching large numbers of each different Pokemon type, and more.
Do shiny Pokemon despawn in Pokemon Legends: Z-A?
Yes and no. In good news for shiny hunters, players have reported that shiny Pokemon don't despawn in Pokemon Legends: Z-A when you move, fast travel, and even when the time of day changes. The aforementioned dataminer, Anubis, also claims that Pokemon Legends: Z-A can store 10 shiny Pokemon in its overworld, which will apparently stay there until caught, defeated, or scared away.
Do keep those latter points in mind, however – shiny Pokemon will not respawn if they see you, get nervous, and run. This happened during my own time playing after I encountered a shiny Budew, which didn't respawn after I accidentally scared it away. Be very careful, and remember to press the "L" stick in to crouch and sneak up behind a Pokemon to increase your chances of catching it.
Like the shiny odds further above, we've not been able to test the validity of the claim that 10 shiny Pokemon can stay spawned across the map at any time, nor the reports that shinies will stay on the map if you change area or the game's time. There are multiple reports from within the community supporting the latter point, however.
How to get shiny Mareep in Pokemon Legends: Z-A
If you want an easy shiny Pokemon in Pokemon Legends: Z-A, you'll encounter a side mission early on – number 17, "A Shiny Mareep?" – which you can find near Wild Zone 1. An NPC named Duve wants you to look for a shiny Mareep she thinks she saw in Wild Zone 1.
Accept the mission, enter Wild Zone 1, and head towards a fence in the west section – there are some boulders there you might need to use Rock Smash on if you've not already, but after clearing them, you'll see a ladder up onto a nearby roof. Climb up, and you'll see the shiny Mareep.
Duve will head over, and the quest will be completed – after it ends, the shiny Mareep will stay spawned in and you can catch it yourself.
Get more special Pokemon for your team! Find out all Pokemon Legends: Z-A Legendaries here and how to get them, or discover the full Pokemon Legends: Z-A map and where everything is!
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