'Pokémon Sword and Shield' Shiny Hunting Guide: How to Find Rare Pokémon

Shiny Pokémon are a huge part of the franchise, and with each new game the method to finding them are sometimes changed.

While other methods remain the same, Pokémon Sword and Shield brings some elements of Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee into its Shiny Hunting methods and the rates have been discovered.

The rate of finding Shiny Pokémon is increased when obtaining the Shiny Charm. To obtain the Shiny Charm, trainers will need to fill their PokeDex and talk to the game developer in Circhester.

Here's everything you need to know about Shiny Pokémon in Sword and Shield and how to catch one.

POKEMON SWORD AND SHIELD NEW SHINY HUNTING METHOD

As we alluded to, the new Shiny Hunting method in Pokémon Sword and Shield is similar to the "catch combo" in Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee.

However, instead of increasing your combo by catching Pokémon you can increase it in Sword and Shield by battling Pokémon. While the specifics of this "battle combo" have yet to be determined, the more consecutive Pokémon of the same species you faint the higher the chance of encountering a Shiny Pokémon.

It's unclear how this combo can break and we'll update with information as we learn more.

Here are the rates of Shiny Pokémon in Sword and Shield using this new method:

Number of Pokémon Chance with Chain Count (0-2) Chance with Chain Count (3-6) Chance with Chain Count (7-14) Chance with Chain Count (15-25) Chance with Chain Count (25+) Rate w/o Shiny Charm Rate w/ Shiny Charm 1 1.5% 3.5% 6.5% 13.5% 31.5% 1 in 2048 1 in 1024 20 2.0% 4.0% 7.0% 14.0% 32.0% 1 in 2048 1 in 1024 50 2.5% 4.5% 7.5% 14.5% 32.5% 1 in 1365.333 1 in 819.2 100 3.0% 5.0% 8.0% 15.0% 33.0% 1 in 1024 1 in 682.6667 200 3.0% 5.0% 8.0% 15.0% 33.0% 1 in 819.2 1 in 585.1429 300 3.0% 5.0% 8.0% 15.0% 33.0% 1 in 682.6667 1 in 512 500 3.0% 5.0% 8.0% 15.0% 33.0% 1 in 585.1429 1 in 455.1111

RANDOM ENCOUNTERS

Of course, the most tried and true method of finding Shiny Pokémon in Sword and Shield is via a random encounter. It should be noted that Shiny Pokémon don't appear in the overworld sprites, but can once you interact with the Pokémon similar to how it's done in Pokémon Go.

The chance of finding a Shiny Pokémon randomly in Sword and Shield is the same as in X and Y, 1 in 4096 or 1 in 1365.33 with the Shiny Charm.

MASUDA METHOD

Another way to get a Shiny Pokémon in Sword and Shield is the Masuda Method. This method revolves around breeding two Pokémon from different regions.

Each Pokémon captured has the region of the world the Nintendo Switch is located, with the country found in the upper right hand corner of the info screen. To obtain a Pokémon from another region, you can trade with someone via Link Trade but it's much easier using the Surprise Trade function.

Once you leave two compatible Pokémon from different regions, there's a chance that Pokémon will hatch as a Shiny. The rate for a Masuda Shiny Pokémon is 1 in 682.7 and 1 in 512 with the Shiny Charm.

Pokémon Sword and Shield is available now for Nintendo Switch.

Which Shiny Hunting method is your favorite? Let us know in the comments section.