‘Pokémon Legends: Arceus’: Mass Outbreaks Make Finding Shiny Pokémon Easier — What Are They?
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is now available for the Nintendo Switch, and the game offers a mix of old and new Pokémon for trainers to catch. Naturally, some players are hoping to find shiny Pokémon during their journey across the Hisui region. And Mass Outbreaks make that process much easier in Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
What are Mass Outbreaks in ‘Pokémon Legends: Arceus’?
Pokémon Legends: Arceus introduces the concept of Mass Outbreaks, which occur sporadically throughout the game. Essentially, Mass Outbreaks are events during which one species of Pokémon appears in large numbers in a specific area. Players are notified of them when they depart from Jubilife Village, but they only last for a brief period of time.
These instances happen at random, so there’s no controlling when Mass Outbreaks occur. However, players may want to take advantage of them when they do. They’re one of the easiest ways to come across shinies in the new Nintendo game. And the more Mass Outbreaks trainers engage with, the more likely they are to add shiny Pokémon to their Hisui Pokédex.
Why Mass Outbreaks are better for shiny encounters
So, why are Mass Outbreaks better for finding shiny Pokémon? To start, the more of one species players come into contact with, the more likely they are to encounter a shiny. Increasing encounters inevitably increases the chances of finding one. However, Mass Outbreaks go beyond that.
According to well-known player Anubis, the shiny rate during Mass Outbreaks in Pokémon Legends: Arceus is actually increased. While the normal rate of finding a shiny is reportedly one out of every 4,096 encounters, Mass Outbreaks add 25 additional shiny rolls.
That gives players much better odds. And now that Pokémon appear above-world, it should be easy to spot these rare catches. Naturally, skilled trainers have already come up with tips and tricks to make the most of Mass Outbreaks.
Tips for taking advantage of ‘Pokémon Legends: Arceus’ new feature
With Mass Outbreaks proving such a useful method of getting shinies in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, players have already come up with strategies to improve their chances.
Kotaku covers the basics, which include saving the game before traveling to the region where a Mass Outbreak is taking place. Players who don’t come across a shiny the first time around can reset and start over rather than waiting for another outbreak later on.
This is a strategy that’s long been used by players when it comes to finding shiny Legendary Pokémon. It would be too time-consuming to do for ordinary encounters, but Arceus’ new feature makes it worthwhile.
The outlet also recommends turning off autosave when a shiny Pokémon crops up, just in case it gets away. Once again, players can simply reset and return to when they first encountered the shiny. If they keep doing this, they’re bound to catch it eventually.
Of all the new features in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Mass Outbreaks promise to become one of the most popular. Gamers have made a habit of “farming” shinies even before this exciting addition made its debut. This makes that task significantly easier — and dare we say, more fun.
