Can Exeggcute and Exeggutor be shiny in Pokemon GO? (April 2023)

One of the reasons why Pokemon GO remains popular among players is the frequent weekly events and rotation of fresh content. With the start of a new month, the list of creatures that will receive attention during the weekly Spotlight Hours has been revealed. The first one will feature the Egg Pokemon, Exeggcute.

Debuting in the first iteration of the franchise back in 1995 in Pokemon Red and Blue for the Nintendo Gameboy, Exeggcute and Exeggutor have been some of the most iconic creatures from the Kanto region. As such, a lot of players will be happy for the chance to catch their fill of these monsters during the upcoming Spotlight Hour.

As Shiny Hunting is one of the most popular side activities in the Pokemon franchise, many Pokemon GO players may have their sights set higher than just filling out their Pokedex during the upcoming Spotlight Hour. However, Niantic is notoriously selective with which creatures they allow to appear as shiny in the game. Therefore, players will need to do their research before dedicating their time and resources to hunting a specific species.

Thankfully, it has been confirmed that Shiny Exeggcute will be spawning during the upcoming Spotlight Hour event. However, it should be noted that the Spotlight Hour does not directly increase the spawn rate of Shiny Pokemon like some players may think. Rather, the drastically increased spawn rate of creatures simply decreases the time it would take for a Shiny Pokemon to hypothetically spawn.

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Tips for finding Shiny Exeggcute and Exeggutor in Pokemon GO

Exeggutor as it appears in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

For players hoping to add a Shiny Exeggutor to their collection, it may be more practical to focus on hunting for a Shiny Exeggcute first. You can hunt for a Shiny Exeggcute, then use the Spotlight Hour's boosted spawn rate as well as the event's bonus to capture candies to gather the necessary resources to evolve one.

Since the odds of finding a Shiny Exeggcute are determined by the base spawn rate for creatures of the rare variant, a lot of players will be looking for ways to tip the scales in their favor. Thankfully, there are tons of ways to better such odds in Pokemon GO.

The first factor is one that goes highly overlooked by a lot of trainers. Weather plays a key role in Pokemon GO's encounter table, thanks to the game's weather boost feature. This mechanic increases the spawn rates of a specific type of creature depending on the weather. In the case of Exeggcute, it receives this bonus in sunny and windy weather.

There are also two types of consumable items that players can use to increase the spawn rate of Exeggcute during the Spotlight Hour event. Lure Modules and Incenses are must-haves for every trainer looking to catch a Shiny Pokemon in Pokemon GO, thanks to their large boosts to an area's general spawn rate. These items can be purchased from the in-game store or they can be found by spinning phot disks at Pokestops and Gyms.