Z-A Shakes Up How Shiny Pokemon Spawns Work

Pokemon Legends: Z-A has made a big change to the way that Shiny Pokemon spawn, which could potentially make it a lot easier for players to capture them. Opinions on the change are mixed, with some feeling that Pokemon Legends: Z-A is taking a step in the right direction, while others prefer the old way of doing things.

Shiny Pokemon have been a big deal for as long as they’ve been in the series, as they are a rare variation that can be hard to come by. Shiny Pokemon don’t offer any significant benefits over their standard versions, but they tend to impress the community, making fans covet them.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A Changes How Shinies Spawn

Now, players have discovered that there seems to be a significant change made to the way that Shiny spawns work in Pokemon Legends: Z-A. In the event that a player is lucky enough to have a Shiny Pokemon spawn on the map, those Shiny Pokemon will no longer despawn unless they run away from a battle or are purposefully chased off by a player. Numerous players have tested this, and discovered that while some Shiny spawns will disappear temporarily when the time of day changes, they’ll return during their normal spawning hours in the same location they were originally spotted in. Walking away, zoning, or even restarting the game doesn’t cause the Shinies to disappear anymore.

Pokemon Legends Z-A_ A Big Ol' Bunnelby Guide (Side Mission 001)

As long-time fans of the series know, this is a major change that could eliminate some headaches with Shiny hunting. Plenty of fans have been through the experience of spotting a Shiny only to lose it because they got too far away, or were interrupted by another Pokemon battle, or even something as simple as having their system’s battery die, forcing them to reset the game. While there are mixed feelings about Pokemon Legends: Z-A‘s auto-save system, players won’t have to worry about the auto-save ruining their chances at a Shiny.

As noted, fans are having a mixed reaction to this news. Some are delighted, as it should make it harder to lose Shinies by accident. However, others feel that this move devalues Shinies, as it eliminates a lot of the chance and challenge involved in spotting and successfully catching them. It’s also likely that this move could lead to a lot more Shinies per player, and since Pokemon Legends: Z-A will be integrated with Pokemon Home in 2026, that could mean more Shinies in the overall Pokemon population.