How to Hunt Shiny Pokemon in Pokemon Legends Z-A

Although there are a few similarities, shiny Pokemon in Pokemon Legends: Z-A function a little bit differently compared to previous games. There are no easily accessible shiny-odds-increasing items for players to rely on or mechanics like the mass outbreaks in Scarlet & Violet to make the process easier.

This guide covers how shiny Pokemon in Legends: Z-A function, details about the shiny odds, the new changes to shiny spawns, as well as the most efficient methods to shiny hunt a particular Pokemon.

How to Change Your Outfit and Appearance in Pokemon Legends_ Z-A feature image

Pokemon Legends Z-A: How to Change Your Outfit & Appearance

Pokemon Legends: Z-A allows players to customize their outfits as well as change their appearance from head to toe. Here’s how.

Posts

By Hamza Haq

How Do Shiny Pokemon Work in Pokemon Legends: Z-A

In Pokemon Legends: Z-A, shiny Pokemon do not despawn or disappear when players leave an area, but remain permanently present where they were first found, as long as the player does not interact with them directly.

The way this works is that if players encounter a shiny Pokemon, the game stores that information in its memory on the next autosave or hard save, making it so that the location and spawn point become reserved for that shiny Pokemon.

When players approach a shiny Pokemon in Legends: Z-A, a chime will play to indicate their presence.

Once a shiny encounter has been saved, players can freely leave the zone with the assurance that the shiny will always be present in that location for them to catch later.

Shiny Pokemon will not despawn if:

You fail to catch it with a Poke Ball.
You black out.
You leave the area.

Shiny Pokemon will despawn if:

You faint it by bringing it down to 0 health.
It runs away (like Abra).
The day/night cycle triggers before an autosave.

All Rogue Mega Evolutions, Gift Pokemon, and static encounters are shiny-locked, meaning you cannot get a shiny version of them.

What Are Shiny Odds in Pokemon Legends: Z-A & How to Increase Them

shiny alpha litleo in pokemon legends za

The default shiny odds in Pokemon Legends: Z-A are 1/4096, similar to the other recent games in the franchise. The only way to change these odds is by acquiring the Shiny Charm, an item that increases the shiny rate to 1/1024, essentially multiplying the chance for a shiny to appear by 4x.

However, the Shiny Charm is only available by reaching level 50 in Mable’s Research, a monumental task that requires players to finish almost everything there is to do in the base game, as well as the post-game. At an estimate, it takes 100+ hours of gameplay to reach level 50 and get the Shiny Charm.

Pokemon Legends Z-A: Best Tips & Tricks

Pokemon Legends ZA is a little different from previous titles. Here are some helpful tips and tricks to help you reach Lumiose City's top ranking.

Posts

By Lucas Simons

How to Shiny Hunt in Pokemon Legends: Z-A

Method #1: Fast Travel Shiny Hunting

The most straightforward and efficient way to shiny hunt Pokemon is using the fast travel method. Every time a player fast travels to a location, all Pokemon within a 50-meter radius around the fast travel spot location are spawned in (even if you cannot see them directly). Since fast traveling triggers an auto save, if you then fast travel away and then back again, that shiny Pokemon will be saved to the game. Here’s how this works.

Find a Pokemon that spawns within 50 meters of a nearby fast travel spot.
Fast travel to the nearby location.
Repeat Step 2.

Every time you fast travel, the shiny odds reroll. If they succeed, the shiny Pokemon gets saved to the game state, and fast traveling away again does not despawn it.

Do not defeat any Pokemon while shiny hunting, since fainted Pokemon do not respawn upon fast travel.

Method #2: Overworld Shiny Hunting

There are quite a few Pokemon that aren’t available near any fast travel spots and can only be found in isolated locations in Lumiose City. If there is a fast travel point nearby, use the method described above. If there isn’t, use the method detailed below.

Find the Pokemon you want to shiny hunt in Lumiose City.
If it isn’t shiny, move away from it until its silhouette disappears from view due to draw distance.
Once it despawns, run back to its location, and a new version of the Pokemon will spawn with rerolled shiny odds.
Repeat.

Method #3: Passive Shiny Hunting

alpha shiny litleo in pokemon legends za

In Wild Zone 3, players will find a tower in the middle of the garden. Its entrance is guarded by an Alpha Litleo, and at its top is an Alpha Fletchling. Going up and down the tower resets all Pokemon in Wild Zone 3, rerolling the odds for shiny Pokemon each time it happens.

If players hold down on the left stick when entering the tower, they will enter a cycle where the player character is constantly running up and down the tower, repeatedly resetting the Wild Zone for shinies. If any shinies do spawn, they are saved since the game also autosaves during the loading screen.

We’ve only been able to make this method work in Wild Zone 3 so far, as we haven’t encountered locations similar to the tower anywhere else.

Rating block community and brand ratings Image