Shiny Pokémon are the crown jewels of Scarlet and Violet-rare, radiant, and endlessly sought after. This guide breaks down the secrets, methods, and odds behind finding them, turning chance encounters into calculated success.
While the rate at which shiny Pokémon appear is initially very low, using things like the Shiny Charm, shiny sandwiches, or the Masuda method (which involves using foreign Pokémon to breed) will help you snag your desired shiny in no time. Using the catching methods below, we’ve been able to find shiny Pokémon in less than 30 minutes.
If you’re new to shiny hunting, we list out the best methods to do this below, including using Mass Outbreaks, picnics, shiny sandwiches, and breeding.
Shiny Rates
Shiny rates in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet determine how frequently players encounter alternate-colored Pokémon. The base chance without bonuses is approximately 1 in 4,096, but this can be improved through various methods. Using the Shiny Charm increases the odds, and creating Sandwiches with specific Sparkling Power boosts can raise them even higher. Mass Outbreaks also provide improved chances when many of the same species appear in one area. Combining these strategies significantly improves the likelihood of finding a Shiny Pokémon.
The base rate for finding a shiny Pokémon is 1/4096, which is miniscule. However, with sandwiches, the Shiny Charm, and Mass Outbreaks, the chances rise dramatically:
- Base shiny rate:
- Shiny rate with Shiny Charm: 1/1365.67
- Mass Outbreak rate (after defeating at least 60 Pokémon): 1/1365.67
- Mass Outbreak rate (after 60 Pokémon) with Shiny Charm: 1/819.6
- Shiny rate with Lv. 3 Sparkling Power sandwich: 1/1024.38
- Mass Outbreak rate (after 60 Pokémon) with Lv. 3 Sparkling Power sandwich: 1/683.08
- Mass Outbreak rate (after 60 Pokémon) with Shiny Charm and Lv. 3 Sparkling Power sandwich: 1/512.44
- Shiny rate when breeding with Masuda method: 1/682.6
- Shiny rate when breeding with Masuda method and Shiny Charm: 1/512.44
If you put in the effort to grab Herba Mystica from raids (to make Sparkling Power sandwiches) and get the Shiny Charm, you will end up with lots of shiny Pokémon.
How to get the Shiny Charm
To get the Shiny Charm in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, players need to complete the entire Paldea Pokédex by catching all 400 Pokémon. After filling the Dex, visit Director Clavell at the Academy to receive the charm as a reward. This special item boosts the chance of encountering shiny Pokémon, making it much easier to find rare color variants. Trading with friends or using Pokémon HOME can speed up collecting version exclusives needed for completion.
To get the Shiny Charm, you have to complete the Pokédex, which means you have to have at least one of each of the 400 Pokémon of Paldea in your possession at one point (trading Pokémon back and forth between players is fine). Some regional Pokémon that are obtainable in Scarlet and Violet don’t count toward the Pokédex, such as Charmander, Quagsire, or Perrserker.
Once you complete your Pokédex, you can talk to Jacq in the biology room of your respective academy to get the charm.
Completing the Pokédex isn’t too bad, as you can catch most Pokémon – even evolutions – in the wild. You can also get version-exclusive Pokémon fairly easily using specific trade link codes (though this method requires Nintendo Switch Online).
Shiny sandwich recipes
Shiny sandwich recipes boost your chances of encountering shiny Pokémon through the power of meal buffs. By combining specific ingredients that grant Sparkling Power, Encounter Power, and Title Power for the desired type, players can dramatically increase shiny appearance rates. Using Herba Mystica with ingredients like bacon, lettuce, or avocado based on Pokémon type can create targeted boosts, letting trainers tailor their sandwiches for maximum results during shiny hunts.
If you’re trying to find shiny Pokémon in the wild, using sandwiches is a must. You’ll need Herba Mystica, which you can only get from high-level raids. Using specific ingredients in “Creative Mode,” you can make sandwiches that both boost the encounter rate and the shiny rate to find specific types of Pokémon.
There are two types of recipes we recommend using for shiny hunting:
One set (which we’ll refer to as the “simple recipe“) uses specific Herba Mystica (mostly Salty), so if you have lots of Herba Mystica, then you can use these recipes to make the sandwiches quickly without fear of the sandwich tipping over or losing ingredients.
The second set (which we’ll refer to as the “complex recipe“) uses almost any Herba Mystica, so if you don’t have many, you can use these recipes. That said, this set of recipes has lots of ingredients inside, so it’s easy to make a mistake while building if you’re not careful.
You can also make these recipes with friends in a Union Circle to share the buff. Once you make the sandwich, everyone will have the buff, so it’s a great way to minimize Herba Mystica usage. We recommend disbanding the Union Circle after making the sandwich (which won’t remove the buff) in order to maximize Pokémon spawns.
Regardless of which sandwich recipe you use, make sure to save before you make the sandwich. This way, you can just restart your game if you mess up or if you don’t find your desired shiny Pokémon.
Minimizing your game by pressing the Nintendo Switch home button does pause the time on the sandwich powers, but closing or restarting the game will make the effects of any active sandwich end immediately, which is why you should save before you make the sandwich. You can check how much time you have left on the sandwich by pressing right on the D-pad.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Sparkling Power sandwich recipe list
Sparkling Power sandwiches boost Shiny encounter rates by aligning specific Herba Mystica with ingredient types tied to each Pokémon category. Each recipe combines two Herba Mystica with ingredients that match the desired typing-such as tomatoes and salt for Fire-types or cucumbers and pickles for Water-types. These sandwiches are most effective at Meal Power Level 3, allowing trainers to fine-tune their encounters for specific Pokémon species across Paldea.
Recipe type |
Pokémon type |
Base ingredients |
Specific ingredients |
Herba Mystica |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Complex | Normal | One cucumber and one pickle | Three tofu | Any two except one Sweet and one Sour, two Sweet, or two Sour |
| Complex | Fire | One cucumber and one pickle | Three red peppers | Any two except one Sweet and one Sour |
| Complex | Water | One cucumber and one pickle | Three cucumbers | Any except one Sweet and one Sour or two Sweet |
| Complex | Electric | One cucumber and one pickle | Three yellow peppers | Any two except one Sweet and one Sour |
| Complex | Grass | One cucumber and one pickle | Three lettuce | Any two except one Sweet and one Sour |
| Complex | Ice | One cucumber and one pickle | Three Klawf sticks | Any two except one Sweet and one Sour or two Sour |
| Complex | Fighting | One cucumber and one pickle | Three pickles | Any except one Sweet and one Sour or two Sweet |
| Complex | Poison | One cucumber and one pickle | Three green peppers | Any two except one Sweet and one Sour |
| Complex | Ground | One cucumber and one pickle | Three ham | Any two except one Sweet and one Sour |
| Complex | Flying | One cucumber and one pickle | Three prosciutto | Any two except one Sweet and one Sour |
| Complex | Psychic | One cucumber and one pickle | Three onions | Any two except one Sweet and one Sour |
| Complex | Bug | One cucumber and one pickle | Three cherry tomatoes | Any two except one Sweet and one Sour, two Sweet, or two Sour |
| Complex | Rock | One cucumber and one pickle | Three bacon | Any two except one Sweet and one Sour |
| Complex | Ghost | One cucumber and one pickle | Three red onions | Any two except one Sweet and one Sour or two Sour |
| Complex | Dragon | One cucumber and one pickle | Three avocados | Any two except one Sweet and one Sour, two Sweet, or two Sour |
| Complex | Dark | One cucumber and one pickle | Three smoked fillets | Any two except one Sweet and one Sour |
| Complex | Steel | One cucumber and one pickle | Three hamburgers | Any two except one Sweet and one Sour |
| Complex | Fairy | One cucumber and one pickle | Three tomatoes | Any two except one Sweet and one Sour, two Sweet, or two Sour |
| Simple | Normal | – | One chorizo | Two Salty |
| Simple | Fire | – | One basil | One Salty and one Sweet |
| Simple | Water | – | One cucumber | Two Salty |
| Simple | Electric | – | One yellow pepper | One Salty and one Spicy |
| Simple | Grass | – | One lettuce | One Salty and one Sour |
| Simple | Ice | – | One Klawf stick | Two Salty |
| Simple | Fighting | – | One pickle | Two Salty |
| Simple | Poison | – | One noodle | Two Salty |
| Simple | Ground | – | One ham | Two Salty |
| Simple | Flying | – | One prosciutto | Two Salty |
| Simple | Psychic | – | One onion | Two Salty |
| Simple | Bug | – | One cherry tomato | Two Salty |
| Simple | Rock | – | One jalepeno | Two Salty |
| Simple | Ghost | – | One red onion | Two Salty |
| Simple | Dragon | – | One avocado | Two Salty |
| Simple | Dark | – | One smoked fillet | One Salty and one Sweet |
| Simple | Steel | – | One hamburger | One Salty and one Sweet |
| Simple | Fairy | – | One tomato | Two Salty |
How to find a shiny Pokémon using Mass Outbreaks
Mass Outbreaks are one of the fastest methods to encounter shiny Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet. These events feature large groups of the same species spawning in one area, giving you many chances to spot a shiny variant. To improve your odds, activate the Sparkling Power Sandwich that matches the Pokémon’s type and defeat or capture around 60 of them to maximize the outbreak’s shiny rate. Regularly reset the game or move in and out of the area to refresh spawns until a shiny appears.
Shiny hunting in Mass Outbreaks is advisable (if you have an outbreak of interest) as shiny rates are higher. To do so, you’ll need to do the following.
- Find the Mass Outbreak that you want to shiny hunt. (You can change the date on your Nintendo Switch to get a different set of outbreaks. They also change at midnight.)
- Save your game in case something goes wrong.
- Defeat 60 of the mass outbreak Pokémon. There is no way to 100% track this in game, so you’ll need to manually count and keep tabs on it. There will be messages that note that the number of Pokémon in the outbreak is decreasing every 20-30 Pokémon defeated, so you can use this to help keep track. When it says the number of Pokémon is “definitely getting lower,” that means you’ve knocked out at least 50 Pokémon. Be careful not to overhunt the Pokémon, as this can cause the outbreak to end. This typically requires you to defeat over 100 of the Pokémon. (Restart your game if this happens.) Note that this is not a “chain” as used in previous Pokémon games. You can battle other Pokémon between the 60, run from battles, leave the outbreak and come back, etc. There is no “chain” to break.
- Save your game again once you’re sure you’ve defeated at least 60.
- If you have Herba Mystica, make a sandwich for the outbreak Pokémon’s type using the recipes above. Rates are quite high even without the Sparkling Power sandwich, so don’t stress if you don’t have any Herba Mystica.
- Run in and out of the outbreak area to despawn and respawn the Pokémon, refreshing for shinies. If you’re hunting for a Pokémon where it’s hard to tell if it’s shiny, you can use the auto-battle feature, as your Pokémon will refuse to fight the wild Pokémon if it’s shiny.
- If the outbreak ends (from accidentally defeating too many) or if your 30-minute sandwich window expires, close your game and repeat steps 5-7 until you get your desired shiny.
If the Pokémon is in a place where it’s convenient to set up a picnic, you can set up and then quickly take down a picnic to despawn and respawn all the Pokémon in the area, allowing you to quickly look for shinies. This method is referred to as the “picnic method,” but it obviously doesn’t work in water or on some inconveniently steep cliff sides.
Nearly every Pokémon can have an outbreak (excluding legendary Pokémon and Paradox Pokémon) according to Serebii.net. However, we noticed that some Mass Outbreaks seemed to be more common than others. For example, we’ve never seen a Zangoose or Mareep outbreak, but we’ve seen tons of Flittle and Drifloon outbreaks.
If you don’t want to wait for an outbreak of your target Pokémon, you can try the method below (which we’ve had tons of success with).
How to find a shiny Pokémon in the wild (without Mass Outbreaks)
Shiny Pokémon can appear anywhere in the wild, but the odds are low without special conditions. Boost your chances by using the Shiny Charm, which slightly increases the probability of encountering one, and crafting sandwiches that apply Sparkling Power for a chosen type. Roam areas where many Pokémon of that type spawn to maximize encounters, and reset zones by moving far enough away to refresh the spawns. Patience and repetition are key-keep scanning the same spots and watch for color differences that signal a rare find.
This method is almost the same as the above method, just without the Mass Outbreak. You need to make a sandwich for this method.
- Find an area with your desired Pokémon. It’s best if your Pokémon has a unique type in this area. For example, shiny hunting Klawf (a rock-type) in the rocky canyon area may be hard because there are other rock-type Pokémon in the area. Finding an effective spawn location is not possible for every single Pokémon, but do your best.
- Save your game.
- Make a sandwich that attracts and increases the shiny rate of your desired Pokémon’s type using the recipes above.
- Either auto battle the target Pokémon or despawn/respawn them (by using picnics or by just leaving and reentering the area) until you find your desired shiny.
- If you do not find your shiny within the 30-minute sandwich period, restart your game.
This method is a bit easier depending on the Pokémon, as you don’t have to worry about the Mass Outbreak going away and you’re a bit more free to choose whatever Pokémon you want. This method will also work on Paradox Pokémon, but you’ll need to make the sandwich before heading to Area Zero.
However, this method can still be cumbersome depending on the area. For example, shiny hunting Finizen in the ocean can be a pain, as it’s only water-type, and using a water-type sandwich will boost the appearance of many other Pokémon in the ocean as well. (Also, our frame rates consistently tank while in water, so it makes shiny hunting in the water extremely unpleasant.) If you don’t want to deal with that, you can always try to breed a shiny Pokémon.
How to breed a shiny Pokémon
Breeding a shiny Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet relies on increasing your odds through specific strategies. First, obtain two compatible Pokémon and place them in a Picnic to produce Eggs. Using the Masuda Method-breeding Pokémon from games of different language origins-greatly raises shiny chances. Holding a Shiny Charm, earned after completing the Paldea Pokédex, boosts the odds even further. Keep collecting and hatching Eggs until you encounter that rare alternate-colored Pokémon, marking a rewarding milestone in your collection.
The “Masuda method” is a shiny breeding technique that involves breeding a foreign Pokémon with your own. This means that the Pokémon comes from a game that uses a different language, which it will say on its profile as seen below.
The best way to use the Masuda method is to grab a foreign Ditto, which you can do somewhat quickly by using the link trade code 4448-4448. There are lots of English speakers searching for foreign Ditto, so it may take a few tries before you get a non-English Ditto. You can try trading late at night or early in the morning, depending on your time zone, when players in other countries may be more available in order to get a non-English Ditto faster.
Once you have the foreign Ditto, all you need to do is breed the target Pokémon with the Ditto. However, to avoid having hundreds of dud eggs, we specifically do the following:
- Set up your party to only have your desired shiny Pokémon and the foreign Ditto.
- Head somewhere that’s easy to travel around. Medali is good, as we haven’t experienced too many frame-rate drops there and it’s nice and flat.
- Open your boxes and find a completely empty box. Close your boxes with the empty box selected. (This will be where your eggs will go.)
- Save your game.
- Open a picnic.
- Make any Egg Power sandwich. We normally use the Great Peanut Butter Sandwich (#17).
- Wait by the picnic basket at the end of the table.
- Check on it periodically until you have 30 eggs total. Once the basket has 10 eggs, it won’t get any more, so make sure to clear it out.
- Take the Ditto and Pokémon out of your party and replace them with a Pokémon that knows Flame Body (which hatches eggs faster). We use Talonflame.
- Use the minus button to select an entire column of five eggs at once and put them in your party.
- Run around until all five eggs hatch.
- If you did not get a shiny Pokémon, repeat step 10 until you hatch all 30 eggs.
- If you still did not get a shiny, restart your game and start again from step 5. If you don’t mind having lots of Pokémon to release or trade, you can just start again without restarting your game.
Whether or not an egg will hatch into a shiny Pokémon is decided when the egg is created, not when it is hatched, so you need to make sure to create 30 new eggs, rather than saving and hatching the same 30 eggs.
We found that it took almost exactly 30 minutes to breed 30 Wooper eggs and hatch all of them, allowing us to use the Egg Power from the sandwich to both decrease the time it takes for egg creation (lol) and egg hatching. However, Pokémon that require more steps to hatch, like Bagon or Goomy, may take longer and may require multiple sandwiches.
Shiny sandwich recipes for each Sparkling Power level
Shiny sandwich recipes in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet target Sparkling Power to boost shiny encounter odds, with Level 3 recipes using two Herba Mystica (often Salty) plus type-specific ingredients for the best results (1/1024 base odds, better with Shiny Charm). Level 1 and 2 are weaker (no dedicated recipes emphasized; they occur via imperfect Level 3 fails or simpler combos) and mainly useful early-game before Herba farming.
Level 3 Recipes by Type
These yield Sparkling Power Lv. 3, Encounter Power Lv. 3, and Title Power Lv. 3. Place ingredients on bread; add Herba last. Most use 1-2 type items + 3 peppers (green/red/yellow) + Prosciutto filler, but specifics vary.
| Type | Key Ingredients | Herba Mystica |
|---|---|---|
| Bug | Cherry Tomatoes x2 | Salty x2 |
| Dark | Smoked Fillet x2 | Salty + Sweet |
| Dragon | Avocado x2 | Salty x2 |
| Electric | Yellow Bell Pepper x2 | Salty + Spicy |
| Fairy | Tomato x2 | Salty x2 |
| Fighting | Pickles x1 | Salty x2 |
| Fire | Red Pepper x2, Basil x1 | Salty + Sweet |
| Flying | Prosciutto x1 | Salty x2 |
| Ghost | Red Onion x2 | Salty x2 |
| Grass | Lettuce x2 | Salty + Sour |
| Ground | Ham x2 | Salty x2 |
| Ice | Klawf Stick x2 | Salty x2 |
| Normal | Tofu x1 or Chorizo x1 | Salty x2 |
| Poison | Noodles x1 or Green Pepper x1 | Salty + Spicy |
| Psychic | Onion x2 | Salty x2 |
| Rock | Jalapeño x1 or Bacon x2 | Salty + Sour |
| Steel | Hamburger x2 | Salty + Sweet |
| Water | Cucumber x2 | Salty x2 |
Usage Tips
Set a picnic after crafting to spawn 32 Pokémon; reset by packing up. Farm Herba Mystica from 5-6 star Tera Raids (highest drop: Salty). Add peppers/Prosciutto to fill without overpowering powers.
Where to buy or find Herba Mystica ingredients
Herba Mystica ingredients in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet cannot be bought from shops; they are rare rewards from high-level Tera Raid Battles and specific DLC activities.
Primary Source: Tera Raids
Complete 5-, 6-, and 7-star Tera Raid Battles after beating the main story, as these offer the highest drop chances (not guaranteed). Target bosses that drop multiple types or your needed flavor (e.g., Salty from Slowbro, Cloyster, or Garganacl in base game; all types from Poliwrath or Snorlax in Kitakami).
| Expansion | Example Bosses for Specific Drops |
|---|---|
| Base Game | Salty: Slowbro; Sour: Slowking; All: Gengar, Blissey |
| Teal Mask | Sweet: Shiftry; Bitter: Politoed; All: Basculegion |
| Indigo Disk | Sour: Galarian Slowking; Spicy: Alolan Golem; All: Lapras |
DLC Alternatives
-
Ogre Oustin’ (Teal Mask): Unlock Hard Mode after Easy/Normal; play with a group of 3-4 players to earn Herba as rewards.
-
Blueberry Academy: Defeat special coaches in the League Club Room post-Indigo Disk for drops.
-
Picnic Chair Quest (Teal Mask): Collect all tablecloths (buy most in Paldea shops, win one in Cortondo olive challenge) and give to the crafter near Kitakami Hall for two of each Herba.
Farming Tips
Join online raids via the PokéPortal (e.g., Speletons events for bulk Herba); save before raids to reroll. Past Mystery Gifts offered free ones, but most expired by 2024.
