Gotta catch ‘em all
For the hardest of hardcore Pokemon fans, shiny hunting is the true endgame. Once upon a time, these palette swaps of existing Pokemon used to be extraordinarily rare. When they debuted in Generation 2, you had a roughly .01% chance to encounter one in the wild. Thankfully, modern Pokemon games have made shiny hunting much easier, and Generation 9 is no exception.
For instance, the Shiny Charm item makes its return in Scarlet & Violet. With this in your inventory, your odds of encountering a shiny Pokemon in the wild will double. They’ll still be incredibly rare, since this will merely boost your odds to roughly .05% per spawn. Still, shiny hunters will want any advantage they can get. Here’s what you need to do.
Where to find the Shiny Charm
The Shiny Charm is your reward for catching all 400 Pokemon in Paldea. This goal fortunately has a few shortcuts. For starters, your Pokedex doesn’t require every form of a Pokemon to earn the Shiny Charm. This means only one Polteageist or Flabébé will suffice. Also, event specific Pokemon like Charizard do not count towards your Pokedex completion.
You will have to obtain Pokemon from both Scarlet & Violet, which can be a hassle without a friend. Keep in mind that Pokemon from both versions of the game will spawn when traveling closely with another player playing the opposite version by using the Union Circle. This even works in The Great Crater of Paldea, though this gets difficult since you can’t see other players in this location. Trading will be essential to fill your Pokedex sooner than later, since there’s no other way to get both Koraidon and Miraidon in a single game.
Once you’ve caught ’em all, you’ll get a special message when you go to collect the rewards in your Pokedex. Though you’ll receive a single Beast Ball, Jacq will ask to see you back at the academy to celebrate your accomplishment. After the relevant cutscene plays out, Jacq will award you with the Shiny Charm. If this option does not appear for you, make sure to advance the many optional storylines at the academy by taking classes and visiting any location marked with an exclamation point. There’s a lot of content here that is easy to miss!
Remember, the Shiny Charm is not your only way to boost your odds of encountering shiny Pokemon. You’ll also want to grab Herba Mystica to make special sandwiches that boost the odds of shiny Pokemon appearing. These can be found as rare drops from Tera Raids of 5-Star difficulty or higher. These are a heck of a grind, but if you’re a shiny hunter, you’ve endured grinds as arduous as this. Good luck!
