Shiny hunting may have just become easier in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
YouTuber PhillyBeatzU discovered an easy method for players to find shiny Pokémon. The strategy requires trainers to open their map and navigate toward the mass outbreak of their choice. The popular trainer then explains that fans can take advantage of Scarlet/Violet's picnic feature to drastically increase the chances of encountering a shiny Pokémon.
Before tackling the mass outbreak, players must teach one of their Pokémon the move "False Swipe." This attack leaves the opposing Pokémon with 1 HP, an essential move when it comes to avoiding accidentally knocking out one of the ultra-rare pocket monsters. After teaching the desired creature "False Swipe," the YouTuber advises players to start "killing Pokémon, like a normal mass outbreak." After beating 60 Pokémon in the outbreaks, players now gain an increased shiny rate of 1 in 1365. PhillyBeatzU then saved his game and set up a picnic table to cause the mass outbreak to disappear. "When you get out of your picnic, all those Pokémon are going to respawn," he said.
Pokémon Is a Game of Numbers
"Think about it like this: Instead of having a one, one, one chance every time you knock out something, now [there are] all those, like, 20 Drifblim in the background," explained the YouTuber. After 15 resets, the PhillyBeatzU found the shiny version of Drifblim. "This was HUGE for me. Got a shiny Magnemite and Psyduck after 15-20 picnic resets," commented another player. Despite its benefits, it's unclear if Scarlet/Violet will fix this bug, among the games' many other technical problems that have plagued its shaky launch.
In the past, players could increase their shiny rate by obtaining the Shiny Charm, which first appeared in Black/White 2. To gain this Key item, trainers would have to complete the specific region's Pokédex before its awarded to them by an NPC. Additionally, the Masuda Method, named after Game Freak director Junichi Masuda, increases players' odds. Masuda explained the breeding method on his blog in 2007, explaining that players must place two Pokémon from games of different languages in the Day Care. As a result, the shiny rate increases from 1/4096 to 1/1638.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are available exclusively on the Nintendo Switch.