Shiny Pokémon are a rare and exciting find in any Pokémon game, sporting flashy color variations compared to their normal counterparts, and trainers can get a free Shiny Ponyta early on in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Unlike most Shinies in the game, this Ponyta appears as part of a Request that players can pick up in Jublifie Village and is guaranteed to spawn, so players won’t have to go Shiny hunting to add it to their team. The “A Peculiar Ponyta” Request becomes available after players complete “The Frenzy of the Lord of the Woods” Mission by calming the Frenzied Kleavor, which is one of the first major story Missions players beat in the game.
New Requests will appear on the Request Board in Professor Laventon’s office as players level up in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, and most of them are locked until players beat certain story Missions or catch specific Pokémon in the wild. The “A Peculiar Ponyta” Request has two prerequisites, and players will have to not only have calmed Kleavor, but they’ll also need to have caught a non-Shiny Ponyta before this request becomes available. Fortunately, Ponyta is relatively easy to find in the Obsidian Fieldlands, which is the first major area players explore in Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
Ponyta can be found in the Horseshoe Plains located in the northern part of the Obsidian Fieldlands. However, they’re pretty skittish, and players will have to sneak up or distract them with Berries to catch them with Pokémon Legends: Arceus’ new catching mechanics. Players can use a Heavy Ball to increase their chances of catching a Pokémon they’ve snuck up on after unlocking the crafting recipe at Star Rank One. Once a Ponyta has been caught and Kleavor has been calmed, players can return to Jubilife Village to pick up the Shiny Ponyta Request.
How To Complete A Peculiar Ponyta Request In Pokémon Legends: Arceus
After accepting the “A Peculiar Ponyta'' Request from the Request Board in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, players will have to speak with Yota on the bridge on the west side of Jubilife Village. He’ll explain that he spotted a strange Ponyta in the Horseshoe Plains that Professor Laventon wanted to study and will ask the player to investigate. The exact location of the Ponyta in question is marked on the player’s Arc Phone map, and once players approach the area, the Shiny Ponyta will appear.
Like other Ponytas players have encountered, the Shiny Ponyta is skittish and will run away if players scare it. If the Ponyta escapes, players can return to Jubilife Village and come back later to try again. Once the Ponyta has been caught, players can speak with Yota again to claim their reward of 5 Razz Berries, but they’ll also get to keep the Shiny Ponyta to add to their party in Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is available on Nintendo Switch.