How to Hunt Shiny Pokemon in Pokemon Legends Z-A

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Shiny Pokémon in *Pokémon Legends: Z-A* work a bit differently than in past games. Unlike previous titles, there aren’t any items or features—like the mass outbreaks in *Scarlet & Violet*—that easily boost your chances of finding them.

This guide explains how shiny Pokémon work in *Legends: Z-A*, including the chances of finding them, how shiny spawns have changed, and the best ways to hunt for specific shiny Pokémon.

How Do Shiny Pokemon Work in Pokemon Legends: Z-A

Unlike in some other Pokémon games, shiny Pokémon in *Pokémon Legends: Z-A* won’t vanish when you move to a different area. They’ll stay in the exact spot where you found them, as long as you don’t approach and interact with them.

When a player finds a shiny Pokémon, the game remembers its location and saves it. This ensures that specific shiny Pokémon will always appear in that spot whenever the game is saved or automatically saved.

When players approach a shiny Pokemon in Legends: Z-A, a chime will play to indicate their presence.

After saving a shiny Pokémon encounter, players can leave the area knowing the Pokémon will still be there when they return, ready to be caught.

Shiny Pokemon will not despawn if:

  • You fail to catch it with a Poke Ball.
  • You black out.
  • You leave the area.

Shiny Pokemon will despawn if:

  • You faint it by bringing it down to 0 health.
  • It runs away (like Abra).
  • The day/night cycle triggers before an autosave.

In this game, certain Pokémon – including those that Mega Evolve as part of the Rogue mechanic, Gift Pokémon, and Pokémon found in fixed locations – are programmed to never appear as shiny. This means you won’t be able to find a shiny version of these Pokémon.

What Are Shiny Odds in Pokemon Legends: Z-A & How to Increase Them

In *Pokemon Legends: Z-A*, the standard chance of finding a Shiny Pokemon is 1 in 4096, which is the same as in many recent *Pokemon* games. You can improve these odds by getting the Shiny Charm. This item boosts your chances to 1 in 1024, making a Shiny Pokemon four times more likely to appear.

Getting the Shiny Charm is a big accomplishment! You need to reach level 50 in Mable’s Research, which means completing almost all of the content in the game, including the main story and everything after. It generally takes over 100 hours of playtime to achieve this.

How to Shiny Hunt in Pokemon Legends: Z-A

Method #1: Wild Zone Shiny Hunting

As a huge shiny hunter, I’ve found the absolute best way to find those sparkling Pokemon is by using the Wild Zones! Not only are they super convenient for fast travel, but that fast travel actually *resets* all the Pokemon spawns in the area. Basically, every time you warp to a Wild Zone, you’re giving yourself a fresh chance at finding a shiny! So, the best way to do it is to…

  1. Fast travel to a Wild Zone where a Pokemon you want to shiny hunt spawns.
  2. Enter and look for the Pokemon.
  3. If it is shiny, catch it.
  4. If it isn’t shiny, fast travel and repeat from step 1.

When you’re trying to find a shiny Pokémon, avoid defeating any Pokémon you encounter. Once a Pokémon is fainted, it won’t reappear even if you fast travel to a different location.

Method #2: Overworld Shiny Hunting

Some Pokémon aren’t found in the Wild Area and can only be caught in certain spots within Lumiose City. If there’s a fast travel point close by, use the previous method. Otherwise, follow the instructions below.

  1. Find the Pokemon you want to shiny hunt in Lumiose City.
  2. If it isn’t shiny, move away from it until its silhouette disappears from view due to draw distance.
  3. Once it despawns, run back to its location, and a new version of the Pokemon will spawn with rerolled shiny odds.
  4. Repeat.

Method #3: Passive Shiny Hunting

Wild Zone 3 features a central tower guarded at the entrance by an Alpha Litleo, and at the top by an Alpha Fletchling. Climbing up and down this tower will reset all the Pokémon in the zone, giving players a new chance to find shiny Pokémon with each reset.

If you hold the left stick down while going inside the tower, your character will get stuck running up and down, constantly resetting the area where shiny Pokémon appear. Don’t worry, though – any shiny Pokémon that *do* appear will be saved because the game automatically saves while loading.

Currently, this technique only functions in Wild Zone 3. We haven’t found any other areas like the tower where it works.

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2025-10-17 18:43