Changes to Shiny hunting in Pokémon Legends: Arceus has made catching Shiny Pokémon easier than ever before, but it may also be causing Shiny fatigue. Pokémon Legends: Arceus introduces major changes to staple Pokémon mechanics like exploration, battling, and catching Pokémon. While many of these changes have given the game a more immersive RPG feeling, there have also been setbacks for certain mechanics like Shiny hunting, removing much of the challenge that made them satisfying and rewarding in past Pokémon titles.
Shiny Pokémon have been a part of the main series Pokémon games since Generation Two's Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal. While the Shiny Pokémon were only a part of the newly introduced breeding mechanics at the time, the introduction of alternately colored Pokémon Species grew in popularity with each following title, making the inclusion of Shiny Pokémon a staple of the series. However, Shiny Pokémon aren't easy to catch, with the odds of encountering a random Shiny set as a possible 1 in 8192 from Generation Two through Generation Five, and then a possible 1 in 4096 from Generation Six forward. This difficulty level forced players to seek out Shiny-odds-boosting items, and engage in mechanics that improved odds, which vary depending on the game being played.
In recent years, Shiny hunting has become one of the most popular mechanics in the Pokémon game series. Dozens of YouTube channels and Twitch streams are dedicated to the long and tedious hunts for alternately colored Pokémon, and many official Pokémon events specifically feature Shiny Pokémon. In mobile games like Pokémon GO, getting a Shiny can be as easy as participating in a Community Day event, where the combination of improved Shiny odds and large spawns of the same Pokémon usually guarantee players at least one Shiny of the featured species. However, in an attempt to feature Shiny hunting as a primary feature, Pokémon Legends: Arceus Shiny catches may be the easiest of any game, and it can cause burnout for Shiny fans.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus' Shiny Hunting Is Different
Shiny hunting has undergone large changes throughout the games of each new Pokémon generation. Generally considered a post-game challenge, players can fill out the region Pokédex to obtain the Shiny Charm. This item cuts the odds of finding a Shiny variant of a Pokémon, greatly improving the chances of encountering one in the wild. From here, players can also increase the odds of catching a Shiny using breeding tricks like the well-known Masuda Method, or chaining using in-game mechanics like Poké Radar chaining, DexNav Hidden Pokémon, or Sword And Shield's Dynamax Adventures. Because players must battle each Pokémon to see if it is Shiny, the time spent looking for the desired species can be grindy, but is often worth the effort for the satisfaction of the eventual Shiny encounter.
However, Pokémon Legends: Arceus allows players to start improving Shiny odds right from the start of the game. While the base random encounter odds are still a possible 1 in 4096, these begin improving as the player starts filling Pokédex entries. An entry of "level 10" brings the odds to a possible 1 in 2048, and a "perfect" entry makes it a possible 1 in 1024. Additionally, Pokémon Legends: Arceus' Shiny Charm is easy to get, with the full Pokédex sitting just under 250 species. Once obtained, the Shiny Charm cuts the odds down to a possible low of 1 in 585 encounters.
These odds can be improved even more dramatically by participating in Pokémon Legends: Arceus' Mass Outbreaks. These special events, which seem similar to the Spotlight Hours in Pokémon GO, allow a certain species to spawn in large numbers in specific locations throughout the Hisui region. Players can see these outbreaks on the main map when leaving Jubilife Village, with multiple Mass Outbreaks possible at once. The base odds for a potential Shiny Pokémon encounter in a Mass Outbreak are 1 in 158 and can be as low as 1 in 128 with a perfect Pokédex entry and the Shiny Charm. Because of this, players can hunt Shiny Pokémon almost effortlessly by jumping from one outbreak to another, taking out much of the grind from previous games.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus' Easy Shiny Hunts Remove The Challenge
Additionally, Pokémon Legends: Arceus Shiny Pokémon appear in the overworld, making random Shiny spawns easy to spot. Due to the number of Pokémon that spawn on a map at one time, the chances of encountering a Shiny go up substantially. While stumbling across Shiny Pokémon can be exciting, and populating Shiny encounters through Mass Outbreaks can provide most players with a quick and easy Shiny of their favorite Pokémon, the sheer number and ease of Shiny encounters in Pokémon Legends: Arceus can create an empty sense of lacking fulfillment when hunting, quickly leading to boredom.
The main issue is that Shiny hunting was never meant to be a major mechanic in the Pokémon series, primarily considered a completionist task after the main story, or a very lucky rare surprise in standard gameplay. Because most of Pokémon Legends: Arceus' gameplay and post-game content appear to hinge on Shiny hunting, there is little else for players to do. There are also few ways to actually use the comically large number of Shiny Pokémon they have caught.
Unfortunately, after becoming fatigued on Shiny hunting, and completing Pokémon Legends: Arceus' side quests, there is little content to encourage players to keep opening the game. Additionally, because there is no second save file possible, players are unlikely to erase their game loaded down with Shiny Pokémon and completed entries to start over. Restarting would also be frustrating due to the majority of replay focusing on catching the same Shiny Pokémon a second time. The combination means that despite only having been released in January of 2022, many may already be setting Pokémon Legends: Arceus aside for other options, or turning their attention to the recently announced Generation Nine games Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
To help improve long-term playability, and give Pokémon fans more ways to enjoy the open-world-inspired gameplay of Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Game Freak could release paid DLC or content updates. This was already seen with the Pokémon Legends: Arceus Daybreak update, which added Massive Mass Outbreaks. However, further new content needs to focus on better narratives, side tasks, or new characters instead of expanding Shiny hunting possibilities. This will allow players to take a break from Shiny hunting in Pokémon Legends: Arceus and explore the Hisui region in new and exciting ways.