Despite there being no official word on the means of obtaining Shiny Pokémon in Sword and Shield, fans have wasted no time in starting their hunts.
With each new Generation of games, Game Freak alters – sometimes subtly; others extensively – the formula or method of increasing one’s odds of encountering a coveted Shiny Pokémon, making them all the rarer. This year’s Switch exclusives are no different in that regard and, until recently, Trainers have had to rely on data mined information to increase their chances. Fortunately for those that have already sunk countless hours into the activity, it appears those early reports were more or less 100% accurate.
In a recent post on the official Pokémon website, developer Game Freak has outlined the incremental boost to Shiny encounters and by how much each ‘tier’ raises the likelihood of finding one. You can find the table below, ordered by how many Pokémon of the species being hunted have been defeated or captured.
- At least one – Brilliant Pokémon may appear
- At least 20 – Brilliant Pokémon have 1.3x the likelihood of appearing
- At least 50 – Brilliant Pokémon have 1.6x the likelihood of appearing, and Shiny Pokémon have 2x the likelihood of appearing
- At least 100 – Brilliant Pokémon have 2x the likelihood of appearing, and Shiny Pokémon have 3x the likelihood of appearing
- At least 200 – Shiny Pokémon have 4x the likelihood of appearing
- At least 300 – Shiny Pokémon have 5x the likelihood of appearing
- At least 500 – Shiny Pokémon have 6x the likelihood of appearing
Nothing particularly revelatory here, then, but there a few interesting takeaways to make note of. First, it’s now confirmed that both capturing and/or defeating Pokémon contributes to the overall modifier, and that the system extends to Brilliant Pokémon. For the unaware, that term refers to ‘Mons that appear in the wild with a yellow aura around them. These specimens are guaranteed to have two or more perfect Individual Values (IVs).
Most of this will come as little surprise to many, but it’s nice to have confirmation, none the less, that Pokémon Sword and Shield‘s resident band of Shiny chasers are on the right track. As always, we wish you the best of luck in your hunt!