A couple of months ago, Pokemon GO hosted a special Limited Time Research event that gave players the opportunity to catch a shiny Feebas. The problem with this event was that the shiny Feebas encounter rate was low, leaving many Pokemon GO fans disappointed when they were unable to catch one. Now Niantic is trying another Limited Time Research event, this time with shiny Lotad as the star, but players seem to be running into the same issues.

Perhaps as a way to address the complaints about the Feebas Limited Time Research, the shiny Lotad Limited Time Research lasts from 11:00am local time to 8:00pm. Theoretically, this gives Pokemon GO players basically all day to catch a shiny Lotad, though not everyone is going to be able to - or be willing - to spend literally the whole day playing the game.

Unfortunately, it appears that just may be what some Pokemon GO players will have to do if they hope to catch shiny Lotad. Some users on Reddit reported odds of catching a shiny Lotad as low as 3/165. Others went 2/150 and 1/80. Shiny Castform, which is also a part of this event, appears to be easier to catch than shiny Lotad, perhaps because players don't have to complete Field Research tasks to catch it.

It's unfortunate that the shiny Lotad spawn rate seems low, as it may once again rub Pokemon GO fans the wrong way. Those burned by the Feebas Limited Time Research who still decided to give the Lotad Limited Time Research a try may decide that these events are no longer worth their time at all if the encounter rate for the shiny Pokemon is so low.

An easy fix seems to be for Niantic to increase the spawn rate for the shiny Pokemon featured in these events. After all, the main reason why Pokemon GO players participate in these Limited Time Research events or Community Day events is to catch shiny Pokemon, which are usually ultra rare. It's a shame that some players can be playing and completing dozens of Field Research tasks only to walk away from the event empty-handed, whereas they can easily catch an entire family of shiny Pokemon and then some on Community Days.

Niantic has yet to respond to fan complaints about the Lotad Limited Time Research, but as can be seen by the increased time compared to the last one, it seems to be listening to the community. It will be interesting to see if the next Pokemon GO Limited Time Research event is adjusted based on fan reaction to the Lotad Limited Time Research or not.

Pokemon GO is out now for iOS and Android mobile devices.

Source: Reddit