'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Shiny Pokemon make a return in Pokemon Legends: Arceus and are just as rare to encounter. However, an interesting method seemingly gives trainers the opportunity to "swap" shiny Pokemon for another.
By successfully pulling off this trick, shiny Pokemon change from one species to another, yet retain the shiny ID. It’s a tedious method, one that you shouldn't try on a shiny Pokemon you don't own.
If you’d like to give it a try, here’s how shiny switching works.
How Swapping Shiny Pokemon works in Pokemon Legends: Arceus
To start shiny swapping in Pokemon Legends: Arceus, start by making a few changes in the Settings menu. Disable autosaving completely. Autosaving can and will disrupt the method. Now you should start hunting for shiny Pokemon.
The catch here is that it has to be a Pokemon that spawns and despawns based on the time of day and exists in the same area. For example, Dustox only appears at night whereas Beautifly appears during the day.
After you’ve found a shiny Pokemon, open the map and mark its location. Don’t get too close and scare it off. Follow these steps:
- Step 1: Travel about 125 meters away and save your game.
- Step 2: Wait until night turns to daytime or vice versa, then save your game. Use the map to check the time.
- Step 3: Close Pokemon Legends: Arceus, then launch the game again.
- Step 4: Go back to the marked location. The original Pokemon will be gone, replaced with a different shiny species.
YouTuber “Austin John Plays” theorycrafts what might be going on. It’s hypothesized the original Pokemon and the shiny ID are separate. Using this method, the Pokemon changes, but the shiny ID stays and is applied to a new Pokemon. Hence the term “shiny switching.”
It seems exploitable—and it is—but trainers would have to encounter a shiny Pokemon in Pokemon Legends: Arceus to begin with. Another caveat is that players are limited to Pokemon that rely on a day and night cycle.
How to increase the chances of finding shiny Pokemon
According to Serebii.net, shiny Pokemon have a 1 in 4096 chance of appearing in the wild. For those being diligent with completing their Pokedex, a Research Level 10 increases their chances to 1 in 2048.5. Mass outbreaks further increase it to 1 in 152.9.
Completing the Pokedex awards you the Shiny Charm, which raises the chance exponentially. Wild shiny Pokemon have a chance of 1 in 819.6 and 1 in 137.02 during Mass Outbreaks. A perfect research page further increases it to 1 in 585.57 and 1 in 128.49 during a Mass Outbreak.
