Pokémon Sword and Shield: Guide to Catching Shiny Pokémon

Shiny Pokémon are the rarest Pokémon to get in the franchise. This guide will tell trainers everything they need to know to maximize their chances.

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Shiny Pokémon have been a staple in the franchise since Generation II and the release of Pokémon Gold and Silver. Since then, players have been obsessed with getting shinies throughout every generation, and some of these shiny Pokemon are the rarest Pokemon anyone can find in Pokémon Sword and Shield.

Shiny Pokémon are Pokémon that have different color schemes than the original, but their stats are completely the same. For example, the normal Magikarp has reddish-orange scales while the shiny version is completely golden. These rare Pokémon are caught as a challenge for trainers everywhere and serve mostly as bragging rights. This is because of just how rare these Pokémon are. At the base rate, there is a 1 in 4,096 chance to encounter a shiny Pokémon in the wild. However, the odds are not impossible. With this guide, players will learn how to increase their chances of getting a shiny Pokémon nearly tenfold through the Shiny Charm, battle counters, and breeding.

How to Get the Shiny Charm in Pokemon Sword and Shield

The first thing every shiny hunter should have on their hunt is a Shiny Charm. This little item increases the chance to encounter a shiny from 1/4096 to about 1/1365. However, getting the Shiny Charm in Pokémon Sword and Shield is not an easy task. Trainers will first have to complete the entire Pokédex, and then go to Hotel Ionia in Circhester. Take the elevator to the next floor and go to the room on the far left. There will be a doctor there that will give players the Shiny Charm once their Pokédex is complete.

How to Use Battle Counters to Catch Shiny Pokémon

In Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee, trainers can chain catches of the same Pokémon in order to increase their chance at a shiny. While this mechanic is not in Pokémon Sword and Shield, there is something similar that plays can do to make their odds better. Trainers will need to battle (not just run away) the same Pokémon 500 times to maximize the shiny rate increase they can get. Once they battle the Pokémon 500 times, their shiny chance will become about 1/683 and with the Shiny Charm, it gets even better at 1/512. Trainers can check the number of times they’ve battled a Pokémon by going to their Pokédex entry.

How to Breed Shiny Pokémon in Pokémon Sword and Shield

Along with encountering shiny Pokémon in the wild, trainers can also hatch shinies from breeding. If breeding with a foreign Pokémon, the shiny rates are exactly the same as battling a Pokémon 500 times. Breeding with a foreign Pokémon gives trainers about a 1/683 chance of a shiny without a Shiny Charm and a 1/512 with one. This makes foreign Dittos one of the most sought-after Pokémon in Pokémon Sword and Shield because of this.

Star Shiny VS. Square Shiny Pokémon in Pokémon Sword and Shield

While shinies have been extremely rare to get throughout the franchise, Pokémon Sword and Shield take it one step further. There are two different kinds of shiny Pokémon in the game: square and star shinies. When a shiny Pokemon is sent out, they have a special animation of either sparkle of stars or squares. Originally, square shinies were supposed to be the rarer of the two, with a 1/16 chance to get one, and a 15/16 chance to get the star animation. However, due to a programming issue, the rates have essentially been reversed, and a chance to get a star shiny Pokémon is 1/4096 and a square shiny is 4095/4096. These shiny varieties are completely random, and there are currently no known ways to increase the chances of a star shiny.

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