Pokemon Legends: Z-A’s Legendary Hunt Doesn’t Hold a Candle to Sword and Shield’s, Even After Over 5 Years

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The Pokemon series is famous for combining strategy, adventure, and a bit of luck, particularly when players try to find shiny Pokemon. Fans have always looked for ways to track down these rare versions, and each new Pokemon game has added different methods to make the search more fun. In Pokemon Legends: Z-A, finding shiny Legendary Pokemon like Latios, Latias, Terrakion, Virizion, and Cobalion works differently than in previous games.

Discovering Legendary Pokémon in the new game feels more connected to the open world and the way the story unfolds. While Pokémon Legends: Z-A offers a fresh take on finding shiny Pokémon, it doesn’t quite reach the same level as the Dynamax Adventures introduced in Pokémon Sword and Shield’s Crown Tundra expansion. The shiny hunting in Pokémon Legends: Z-A is different and enjoyable, and it’s a good improvement overall, but even after five years, Dynamax Adventures remain the best way to hunt for rare Pokémon.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A’s Shiny Hunting Legendary Method is Great, But Limited and Repetitive

Finding shiny versions of Legendary Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels fresh and engaging. The game focuses more on storytelling during these encounters, particularly for Legendaries tied to the main story and downloadable content, like…

  • Xerneas (The One That Gives)
  • Yveltal (The One That Takes)
  • Zygarde (To Keep The World in Balance)
  • Darkrai (Hyperspace Mission 11)
  • Rayquaza (The Greatest Gift)

Okay, so get this – you can actually shiny hunt five different Legendaries in the game: Latios, Latias, Terrakion, Virizion, and Cobalion. It’s pretty cool because you don’t just stumble upon them. You have to actively go after them by doing these repeatable things called Hyperspace Surveys. After doing five of those, you get Special Scans, and those scans guarantee one of seven things will happen. It’s a set result, so you know what you’re getting!

  • Latias
  • Latios
  • Cobalion
  • Terrakion
  • Virizion
  • Keldeo
  • Meloetta

Keldeo and Meloetta can’t be found as shiny Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. However, the other five mythical Pokémon appear in specific areas within the Hyperspace Wild Zones, and with the Shiny Charm and a Level 3 Sparkling Power Donut, they have a 1 in 512 chance of being shiny – making them more exciting to hunt than Pokémon found in regular grass.

It’s annoying and repetitive to repeatedly spawn and despawn Legendaries using this method. On the plus side, Sparkling Power Lv 3 Donuts are simple to create – you only need 420 Sweet and Sweet as your highest flavor, and the most effective recipe uses 3 Hyperspace Haban Berries and 5 Hyperspace Tanga Berries.

Why Dynamax Adventures in Sword and Shield Are Still The Best Shiny Hunting Method Ever

Although Pokemon Legends: Z-A’s method for finding shiny Legendary Pokemon is a good improvement, it doesn’t quite match the creativity of Dynamax Adventures in Pokemon Sword and Shield’s Crown Tundra expansion. Several factors contribute to this difference.

1. Co-op Gameplay With Friends, Online Players, and Bots

Dynamax Adventures were especially popular because they let players work together. Up to four players could team up to battle powerful Dynamaxed Legendary Pokemon in raids. This cooperative gameplay made hunting these Pokemon much more exciting, turning what was once a solo activity into a shared experience. Playing with others, whether friends or people online, added a social element to the hunt and made it feel more lively and connected – something the single-player quest system in Pokemon Legends: Z-A doesn’t quite capture.

2. Guaranteed Legendary Encounters

Dynamax Adventures were great for players trying to find shiny Legendary Pokémon because they always guaranteed a Legendary encounter at the end. This meant hunters could repeatedly try for shinies without worrying about whether a Legendary would even appear. In contrast, Pokémon Legends: Z-A makes it much harder. Players have to complete quests and meet specific requirements, which adds a lot of randomness and makes it difficult to focus on hunting for shiny versions of particular Legendary Pokémon.

3. Shiny Rate Boosts and Repeated Attempts

Dynamax Adventures made it much easier to find shiny Pokémon, especially Legendary ones. The more adventures you completed, the better your chances became. This system allowed players to repeatedly try for shinies, increasing their odds with each attempt, and discovering a shiny Legendary was a thrilling experience. While Pokémon Legends: Z-A also improves shiny odds through things like the Shiny Charm or Donuts, these boosts only apply to a limited number of Pokémon. In contrast, Dynamax Adventures gave you a chance to find a shiny version of any Legendary you encountered.

4. Variety of Legendaries in One Place

Dynamax Adventures really stood out because players could encounter a wide range of Legendary Pokémon in a single playthrough. The available Legendaries changed with each adventure, keeping things exciting and unpredictable, especially for those hunting for shiny versions, as it meant a chance at multiple shiny Legendaries without endless, separate hunts. Pokemon Legends: Z-A, on the other hand, concentrates on specific groups of Legendaries like Latios, Latias, Terrakion, Virizion, and Cobalion. While fans of those particular Pokémon will enjoy this focus, it doesn’t offer the same broad variety and freedom that Dynamax Adventures did.

It’s uncertain if future Pokémon games will recapture the popularity of Dynamax Adventures. The limited availability of shiny Legendary Pokémon in the newest games, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, has frustrated some fans, as many returned to older games specifically for Dynamax Adventures. This shows how much players enjoyed the feature, and hopefully, the next generation of Pokémon games will bring back something similar.

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2026-01-27 07:05