Pokemon Legends: Z-A's Legendary Hunt Doesn't Hold a Candle…

The Pokemon franchise has always been known for its blend of strategy, exploration, and a healthy dose of randomness, especially when it comes to shiny hunting. Players have long sought ways to track down those elusive, rare shiny variants of their favorite Pokemon, and with each new installment, Game Freak has introduced new methods to make the hunt more engaging. In Pokemon Legends: Z-A, the shiny hunt for Legendary Pokemon like Latios, Latias, Terrakion, Virizion, and Cobalion is a departure from what players may be used to.

Finding Legendaries in the game is a more immersive experience, fitting with the open-world format and approach to storytelling. However, while Legends: Z-A brings an exciting twist to the classic shiny hunting formula, it doesn't quite hold up to what Pokemon Sword and Shield introduced in the Crown Tundra DLC with Dynamax Adventures. Pokemon Legends: Z-A's shiny hunting loop is unique, it can be quite fun, and it's arguably a solid step forward, but ultimately, Sword and Shield's Dynamax Adventures still reigns supreme even after 5 years.

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Want to Catch 'em All? This is How You Find All Legendary and Mythical Pokemon in Legends: Z-A

Pokemon Legends: Z-A's Mega Dimension DLC brings back multiple Legendary and Mythical Pokemon, and here's how to catch 'em all.

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By Andrea Trama

Pokemon Legends: Z-A's Shiny Hunting Legendary Method is Great, But Limited and Repetitive

Shiny hunting Legendaries in Pokemon Legends: Z-A is a relatively new and immersive experience. The game has adopted a more narrative-driven approach to Legendary encounters, especially with the story-related ones in the base game and DLC, such as:

Xerneas (The One That Gives)
Yveltal (The One That Takes)
Zygarde (To Keep The World in Balance)
Darkrai (Hyperspace Mission 11)
Rayquaza (The Greatest Gift)

On top of that, there are five specific Legendaries you can shiny hunt in the game, and they are: Latios, Latias, Terrakion, Virizion, and Cobalion. This allows players to actively pursue these Legendaries through special in-game "quests," which are repeatable Hyperspace Surveys that eventually grant Special Scans. These will always guarantee one of seven results after five Special Scans, and the possible outcomes are:

Latias
Latios
Cobalion
Terrakion
Virizion
Keldeo
Meloetta

Of these, Keldeo and Meloetta are shiny-locked in Pokemon Legends: Z-A, thus making them impossible to shiny hunt. However, the other five can be found in specific locations in their respective Hyperspace Wild Zones, and the odds of getting them shiny can be as low as 1 in 512 with both the Shiny Charm and a Sparkling Power Level 3 Donut, making them more interesting and special than simple tall grass encounters in the series.

sparkling power donut pokemon legends za mega dimension

The problem is that this method requires players to spawn and despawn the Legendaries multiple times in quick succession, which becomes frustrating and boring very quickly. However, Sparkling Power Lv 3 Donuts are easy to get, and only require a minimum of 420 Sweet and Sweet as the highest flavor, with the best recipe being 3x Hyperspace Haban Berries and 5x Hyperspace Tanga Berries.

Why Dynamax Adventures in Sword and Shield Are Still The Best Shiny Hunting Method Ever

While Pokemon Legends: Z-A’s shiny hunting for Legendaries is certainly a step in the right direction, it doesn't quite hold a candle to the innovation that Pokemon Sword and Shield introduced with Dynamax Adventures in the Crown Tundra DLC. This is due to multiple reasons:

1. Co-op Gameplay With Friends, Online Players, and Bots

One of the most beloved features of Dynamax Adventures is the cooperative gameplay. Players team up in a group of four to tackle raids against Dynamaxed Legendary Pokemon. The co-op element of Dynamax Adventures brought an entirely new level of excitement to the hunt, allowing players to experience Legendary hunting not as a solo task, but as a shared challenge. This multiplayer aspect makes the hunt more engaging, adding social interaction to the shiny hunting process. Whether you’re teaming up with friends or matching with random players online, the experience feels alive, dynamic, and communal—something that Pokemon Legends: Z-A’s solo quest system doesn’t quite replicate.

2. Guaranteed Legendary Encounters

Dynamax Adventures provided a guaranteed Legendary encounter at the end of each dungeon, which is a major plus for shiny hunters. Players didn’t have to worry about whether or not they would encounter a Legendary Pokemon—if you went through the adventure, you’d face off against one of the many Legendary Pokemon featured in the Crown Tundra. This certainty was a game-changer for shiny hunters, as it allowed them to repeatedly hunt for shiny Legendaries in Dynamax Adventures without worrying about missing out on the opportunity. In comparison, Pokemon Legends: Z-A requires players to work through quests and conditions, which introduces a lot of uncertainty and makes it harder to target specific Legendary Pokemon for shiny hunting.

3. Shiny Rate Boosts and Repeated Attempts

In Dynamax Adventures, the chances of encountering a shiny Pokemon were significantly boosted, especially after completing multiple runs of the adventure. The more you participate in Dynamax Adventures, the higher your chances of finding a shiny Legendary. This made shiny hunting a much more streamlined process, where repeated attempts increased your odds, and the excitement of seeing the different Legendaries (including their shiny variants) made the hunt feel rewarding and exciting. Pokemon Legends: Z-A offers increased shiny odds once players reach certain milestones, such as the Shiny Charm, or via Donuts, but it’s only applicable to a few critters, as opposed to Dynamax Adventures, where every encounter was a chance to catch a shiny version of a Legendary.

4. Variety of Legendaries in One Place

Another significant advantage of Dynamax Adventures was the variety of Legendary Pokemon that players could hunt in one go. Each run featured a rotating selection of Legendary Pokemon in Dynamax Adventures, making the experience feel fresh and full of surprises. For shiny hunters, this was especially exciting as it allowed players to go after multiple shiny Legendaries without having to farm for each one separately. In Pokemon Legends: Z-A, however, the focus is more on specific Legendary groups like Latios, Latias, Terrakion, Virizion, and Cobalion. While this is still great for fans of these Legendaries, it lacks the same level of variety and flexibility that Dynamax Adventures provided.

It's unclear whether the series will ever return to the heights of Dynamax Adventures, especially after making most Legendaries in Gen 9 shiny-locked, and only a handful of them being shiny huntable in Z-A. In fact, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet players flocked back to Gen 8 precisely because of Dynamax Adventures, so it's clear that this system was beloved and a huge success. Hopefully, Gen 10 will use something like it, at long last.

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