How to Use Mass Outbreaks for Shiny Hunting in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet

Mass outbreaks were first introduced in Legends: Arceus and have since become a vital component of the shiny hunting process in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. On a daily basis, you’ll find large gatherings of certain species pinpointed by glowing icons on your map. Battling these Pokemon boosts shiny rates, but you can also stack other tried-and-true methods to collect loads of these rare variants. Here’s how to use mass outbreaks to your advantage while shiny hunting in Scarlet & Violet.

How to Shiny Hunt Mass Outbreaks in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet

Mass outbreaks make shiny hunting easy in Scarlet & Violet, as the odds can be manipulated by stacking other faithful methods. Specifically, you’ll want to get your hands on the Shiny Charm and enough Herba Mystica to make Sparkling Power Lv. 3 sandwiches. This means completing the Paldea ‘dex and grinding 6- and 7-star Tera Raids in the post-game. Once you have what you need, shiny odds will skyrocket with every outbreak.

You can find these hordes of Pokemon marked on your map daily, resetting every 24 hours. I’ve managed to collect a solid variety of shinies by simply skimming these areas on Miraidon, but there are several steps you’ll want to add to your routine to find as many shiny Pokemon as possible during an outbreak.

First, don’t worry about keeping chains intact while on the hunt. In the past, you’d have to keep the process going by battling the same species of Pokemon over and over again, remaining in the same place all the while. Fortunately, you can make trips to the nearest Pokemon Center or Chansey Supply to heal your team or stock up on Poke Balls when needed without affecting your streak. With 60+ spawns down, shiny odds go way up.

Next, you should save and start a picnic to put together a Sparkling Power Lv. 3 sandwich. This way, you can soft reset if you don’t find the Pokemon you’re looking for. Many players swear by Papa Jefé’s recipes, each of which requires two kinds of Herba Mystica. I’ve found that secondary flavors don’t matter all that much, but Salty Herba Mystica is the safest bet for your primary ingredient. Top it off with a pick and keep searching.

Finally, the Let’s Go feature is a game-changer for shiny hunters. Sending your lead Pokemon out to deal with spawns on the go saves time in the process, but it’s also a foolproof way to detect shinies, as your lead will refuse to knock out any shiny Pokemon it encounters. Just log another save to be safe, then go for the catch.

Mass Outbreak Shiny Odds in Scarlet & Violet

Shiny odds are just 1/4,096 in Scarlet & Violet. Because you can easily spot shinies in the overworld nowadays, I and many others had assumed the chances actually went up in Gen IX. On the contrary, these variants are just as rare as ever, though they appear much more frequently during mass outbreaks. You can also get (and stack) increased rates with the Shiny Charm, Sparkling Power sandwiches, and the number of spawns defeated. In the best-case scenario, this hikes the odds all the way up to about 1/512.

Event Outbreaks

Every now and again, there are official announcements for mass outbreak events coming to Scarlet & Violet. Most recently, the Pokemon Company introduced an event that brings hordes of Varoom, Magikarp, Shinx, and Rellor to Paldea, Kitakami, and Blueberry Academy. This drastically increases the odds of finding shinies of these species — about 1/200 — while other Pokemon will remain unaffected for the duration of the event.

How to Get Guaranteed Shiny Pokemon in Scarlet & Violet

Technically, there’s no surefire way to run into shinies — even with the Shiny Charm and Sparkling Power Lv. 3 sandwiches. The best you can do is stack shiny hunting methods to increase the odds as much as possible, working with the regular mass outbreak schedule along the way. However, one method that made its way to X (formerly Twitter) suggests outbreaks consisting of 16 spawns guarantee one shiny per group — provided you’ve made the appropriate Sparkling Power and Encounter Power sandwiches, started (and ended) several picnics, and remained very still.

Outbreaks reset daily in Scarlet & Violet, so you’ll want to start there. You’re at the mercy of in-game mechanics, but you can override current outbreak spawns by adjusting the date through your Switch’s system settings. This is a fairly reliable practice if you’re looking for a specific Pokemon. While you generally won’t find legendaries and some fully evolved Pokemon in outbreaks, you’re good to hunt for any common non-legendary species that appear naturally in Paldea, Kitakami, or Blueberry Academy.

Apart from this, saving your game manually before you put your sandwiches together can help. By doing this, you can easily soft reset if you wind up finding a shiny you don’t want, then continue to search for a different Pokemon with the same odds.

Add each of these tasks to your shiny hunting checklist, and mass outbreaks will prove worthwhile in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. To stay up-to-date on upcoming mass outbreak events, head on over to our Scarlet & Violet guides hub.