If you’ve ever played a Pokemon game, you know there is almost no better feeling in the world than finding a shiny Pokemon. (Well, except for beating a Trick Room team in competitive matches.). No matter the Pokemon game, finding an alternately shaded Pokemon is always a rush — and Pokemon GO is no exception!
However, while you may be able to somewhat manipulate the rates in the mainline games with key items such as the Shiny Charm or breeding methods such as the Masuda Method, in Pokemon GO, there are no such options. Instead, you have to rely on event rates, a cycling system of increasing and decreasing rates for certain species. Below, we’ve got a short starters guide to catching shinies in Pokemon GO.
Understanding Rates
To start with, all data for this article was obtained from the fine folks over at The Silph Road, which is bar none the best resource for Pokemon GO data. Furthermore, the listed rates below are constantly being updated by Niantic; it is entirely possible the spawn rates for certain Pokemon may change next week. It’s something to keep in mind as we get to work on our shiny collections.
The first thing to understand is that all naturally spawning Pokemon in the wild have a base shiny rate of 1 in 500. This doesn’t mean you will find a shiny every 500 encounters, however; it simply means you have a 0.2% chance of finding a shiny every encounter. Furthermore, not every Pokemon has a shiny form implemented in the game — you will have to do some research and see if your target is shiny obtainable or not.
Certain Pokemon, such as Togepi, have an increased shiny rate of up to 1 in 125, likely due to only being obtainable from 7km Eggs. Furthermore, there are certain Permaboosted Pokemon that receive heavily increased shiny rates: 1 in 64, to be exact. There are a number of Pokemon that have received this treatment, such as Lapras or Alolan Vulpix, likely because they’re so rare to find in the wild.
Finally, we have the last two categories: Community Day boosts and Legendary Raids. Community Day increases both the spawn rates and shiny rates of specific event Pokemon up to a whopping 1 in 25. However, Community Day is only available once a month for a few hours and features only a handful of Pokemon each day, so you really need to get out there if the Pokemon you want is featured!
Legendary Raids, on the other hand, also have a massive shiny rate increase: 1 in 20. However, Raids require Raid Passes, so there’s a limit to how many chances you get at them unless you want to open up your wallet.
|
Rate Type | Rate |
|
Overworld/Wild | 1 in 500 |
|
Medium Boost | 1 in 125 |
| Permaboost |
1 in 64 |
| Community Day |
1 in 25 |
| Legendary Raids |
1 in 20 |
Boosting Your Catch Rate
While not strictly limited to catching shiny Pokemon, this short catching guide will nevertheless help you if you’re just starting out. If you’re targeting a specific Pokemon, keep in mind that they can be affected by a variety of environmental factors — for example, weather and day/night may cause your target to spawn more or less frequently. A Pokemon like Lotad pops up a lot more frequently in Rainy weather, while Duskull is primarily found at night.Be aware that each spawned Pokemon only exists for a certain period of time, anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes.
While the Pokemon will never travel from its spawn point, if you fail to catch the Pokemon within that time frame, it will run away. If you stumble upon a shiny while out and about, utilize your Razz Berries (boosted catch chance) and Ultra Balls to heavily increase your chances of catching the Pokemon. If you have a stockpile of Golden Razz Berries, don’t feel bad about using them!
Finally, once you have caught your shiny, don’t forget to favorite it in your collection so you don’t accidentally sell it for candy. (Speaking from experience here, folks. It’s not fun).
