Pokémon Let’s Go! – Best Way to get Shiny Pokemon
If you are looking for the best way to get shiny pokemon in this game, I have you covered! Please keep reading for the full details on shiny hunting in Pokemon Let’s Go Eevee and Pikachu!
Table of Contents
One of the most exciting things about Pokemon games is the inclusion of shiny Pokemon. Shiny Pokemon are incredibly rare variants of regular Pokemon, distinguished by their unique color scheme. While they may or may not have the best stats, they are nevertheless highly sought after by players due to their rarity and aesthetic appeal.
What’s the Deal with Shinies?
If you’ve been playing Pokemon for quite some time, then you’ve probably heard of the term “shiny Pokémon” get spoken out often. For many years I honestly thought the red Gyarados that was found in Pokemon Gold, Silver, and Crystal was the only shiny Pokemon you could catch… Hoo boy, was I wrong!
Had I realized sooner, I probably would have paid more attention to each of those wild ‘mons I chose to faint each time.
It wasn’t until Pokémon GO came out in 2016, that I returned to play Pokemon once again. And once I learned more about the nature of shinies, I felt that need to “catch’em all” over again! Soon after, I set out to play the older games and newer ones that have come out since then… But anyways, I digress.
The big reason that shiny Pokemon hold a special place in the hearts of players is the fact that they represent a mark of accomplishment. Catching a shiny Pokemon requires a significant amount of patience, luck, and dedication. When a shiny Pokemon appears before you, with its unique color and sparkles, it shows that you have truly encountered something rare and special.
In addition to their visual appeal, shiny Pokemon can also be a symbol of personal achievement. Trainers take pride in building a collection of shiny Pokemon, as each one represents countless hours of dedication and perseverance.
The first time I set out to hunt for my first shiny Pidgey took me roughly 4 hours, and there’s a good chance that it was all luck! There have been people who have spent days if not weeks hunting for one given Pokemon. And now with the new Pokemon Scarlet and Violet games, we now have up to 1000 different shiny Pokemon to catch!
Overall, shiny Pokemon serve as a constant motivation for trainers to explore, hunt, and strive for that elusive encounter. Whether it’s the thrill of the hunt, the pride of ownership, or simply the beauty of these rare creatures, shiny Pokemon are an integral part of your journey to catch them all.
How do you Find Shiny Pokemon?
As you may know from playing Pokemon Let’s Go, wild Pokemon appear in the game’s overworld as you play, and each time one shows up, the game calculates a special number roll to determine if it might be shiny. If it is, the Pokemon will appear with its shiny colors and a noticeable sparkle.
The same situation applies for Gift Pokemon, trades for Alolan Pokemon, and Legendary Pokemon Encounters. Keep in mind that your partner Pokemon has no chance of being shiny.
The good news about Let’s Go! is that Pokemon appear in the overworld instead of those tall grass encounters in traditional Pokemon games. This can save you a lot more time because you can simply wait for a pokemon to show up!
What are the odds of finding Shiny Pokemon in Let’s Go?
The chance of encountering a shiny Pokemon is is 1 in 4096 … Ouch! That is a 0.024 % chance of finding one!
I should also mention that these odds don’t get better with each encounter. Even if you manage to catch 4096 Pokemon, there’s never a guarantee that at least one of them will be shiny.
(A friendly reminder that apart from the visual difference, shiny Pokemon do not possess any unique or enhanced stats compared to their regular counterparts. They all have the same abilities, movesets, and base stats as their non-shiny counterparts.)
As you can probably imagine, people are probably going to take a hard pass from catching these rare Pokemon!
The good news is that there are ways to improve your overall odds of finding one, Which I will be discussing below.
How to Improve your Odds of Finding Shiny Pokemon
So, if you are looking to catch that elusive shiny, I have a few methods that you can try out to see if this helps. The good news is that these methods all stack the odds, so if you use all 3 methods, you will have a much better chance of encountering a shiny Pokémon.
Method 1: Increase your Catch Combo
This is the most straightforward way of increasing your odds of finding a shiny. It is simple too! All you have to do is go out and catch the same species of Pokemon, over and over! The more of the same Pokemon you catch, the better the odds get!
The game will tell you before and after catching a Pokemon if you are in a catch combo, and will be noted with a number. Since the goal is to build this combo by continually catching Pokemon of the same species, you’ll know your are doing it right if the you see a screen that shows the combo and says, “Keep it Up!“
The combo will only end if one of the following happens:
- You catch a different Pokemon species than the one you are “comboing”
- You exit the game completely (Note: saves won’t keep track of your combo!)
- The wild Pokemon runs away
The combo will not end if you choose to run away from a wild Pokemon encounter, so if you accidentally run into a different ‘mon than the one you are comboing, you can escape without any penalty.
As the Catch Combo goes higher than 10, the shiny odds start to get better with a 1 in 1024 chance. Once you have a catch combo of 31 or higher, the odds go to approx. 1 in 341. At this point, you don’t actually have to catch more Pokemon; you can simply wait around for a shiny to appear.
Another thing to note; increasing your catch combo above 10 with a given Pokémon also increases the rate at which that same Pokemon will spawn. So for example, if you want to catch a shiny Pikachu, you’ll want to keep on catching it in Viridian Forest.
On a side note: By catching multiple Pokemon of the same species, you also have a higher chance of obtaining Pokemon with better Individual Values (IVs). IVs are hidden stats that determine a Pokemon’s potential and can affect their overall strength in battles.
Method 2: Use a Lure
Lures are items that can be purchased in PokeMarts in the game. When used, these attract more Pokemon, essentially increasing the chances of rare Pokemon spawning, including the chances of encountering shiny Pokemon. The odds are 1 in 2048, and this is without even having a catch combo.
Lures come in 3 different levels, with the only difference between them being how long they last.
Remember that since you have to buy these items, make the most of your lures! Try to use them in places where a lot of Pokemon can spawn, such as Viridian Forest. Also try combining lures with catch combos, which can bring your odds down to about 1 in 315.
Method 3: Obtain the Shiny Charm
This is a special item that is awarded to players who manage to complete the Pokédex. You can find it in Celadon City, at the GameFreak headquarters. By having this item in your inventory, you boost the chances of you finding a shiny to a 1 in 1365… which is much better than that base 1/4096th chance we had before.
Also note that the Shiny can be combined with the Catch Combo and Lure methods above to bring your best odds of catching a shiny to 1 in 273! If you are truly intent on catching shiny Pokémon, you might want to consider going after Pokédex completion first!
Tips for Catching Shiny Pokemon
Below are some helpful tips that might make catching these things a little less stressful:
- Exit and re-enter an area to force new Pokémon to spawn. Each time you enter a route or a location with wild Pokemon, the game forces Pokémon to spawn in the area, thus increasing the number of encounters(and shinies) you can get!
- Use your Berries! Always remember that those berries will make things a lot easier when it comes to catching Pokemon, especially ones that you have trouble with.
- Practice your catching! Whether you are playing with Joy-Cons or in handheld mode, you should take some time to study the Pokemon you are catching. Some might move around a lot, while others may stay in place.
- Know the “flee animation” of Pokemon. As you try to catch Pokemon, they will usually either stand still, move around, or attack, causing you to potentially miss your ball throws. There is sometimes a moment where Pokemon will play a different animation, which indicates that the Pokémon will flee if you either wait to long, or fail to catch it altogether. If you want to save your catch combo, try to run away if you see this animation play!
- Stop catching Pokémon after Catch Combo 31 to save time. Since your odds don’t get better at that point(unless you use lures or a Shiny Charm), you can just wait for Pokemon to spawn until you get the shiny that you want.
- Save Legendary Pokemon until after you get the Shiny Charm. These Pokemon must be interacted with directly to see if they are shiny. Without the Shiny Charm, you have the base 1/4096th chance of catching one. Keep in mind that for this tip, you need to already own these Pokemon, so you’ll have to acquire them via trading, Pokemon HOME, or importing one from Pokemon GO.
The Last Word on Shiny Hunting
So, to quickly recap things for you, you will have the best odds if you use all three methods above: get Catch Combos above 31, Using Lures, and have the Shiny Charm.
If you are deadset on hunting for many different kinds of shinies, I would recommend that you try to beat the game first, as this will unlock the post game area called Cerulean Cave. It is home to rare and powerful Pokemon, but also has an endless supply of Balls and Berries, making it easier to catch more Pokemon. Additionally, the Shiny Charm is invaluable, as it will make the long trek to catch combo 31 a little less boring.
If you have access to HOME and Pokemon GO, I would highly suggest transferring some of your Pokemon over to the game in which you want to unlock the Shiny Charm; this will save time having to trade when you can just switch ‘mons between games.
But most importantly, remember that shiny hunting will take up a huge amount of your time! Even with It all comes down to luck in most cases, and unless you make a living streaming video games, you might not have enough free time to fully catch all 150 shiny Pokémon.
Anyways, I think this is about all I have for now. I really hope that this guide helps you out with your shiny hunting endeavors. If you are interested in reading my review of this game, you can read it here. I would also suggest checking out Serebii.net, as they are an excellent source for everything you need to know on Pokémon games.
Until next time, have fun!