One popular feature that makes its return in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is the Mass Outbreak mechanic. This feature has existed in one form or another since Gen 2 and has changed drastically as the series has gone on. Prior to the release of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, this mechanic had made its most recent appearance in Pokemon Legends: Arceus. Despite the similarities in the way this mechanic functions between Pokemon Scarlet and Violet and Pokemon Legends: Arceus, there are still a lot of differences that players will need to account for when approaching its latest incarnation.
Mass outbreaks allow players to find an abundance of a certain species of Pokemon around different areas of the map. This can be very helpful for shiny hunting as it allows for an increased chance of finding the shiny they're looking for due to the high volume of creatures on screen at a time. Both Pokemon Scarlet and Violet and Pokemon Legends: Arceus have been a breath of fresh air for shiny hunters as a result of the changes made to this mechanic. Players making the jump from one game to the other will need to know the differences in how Mass Outbreaks function if they want to optimize their shiny hunting strategy.
How Mass Outbreaks Work in Pokemon Legends: Arceus
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With the more action-oriented approach Pokemon Legends: Arceus takes with its capture mechanics, players will need to carefully consider how they take on the hordes of Pokemon that spawn during Mass Outbreaks. Players will unlock the ability for Mass Outbreaks to spawn after completing the Galaxy Team's Entry Trial and defeating Mai in battle in the Obsidian Fieldlands. From this point onward, Mass Outbreaks will start occurring after speaking with the guard near the gate in Jubilife Village and an icon will be shown on the map denoting there area where the outbreak can be found. Keep in mind that only one Mass Outbreak will occur in each area at a time.
Once the player has reached the location of the outbreak, they will find a group of four of the same species near each other with the potential for up to 15 total to spawn as the others are captured or defeated in battle. Once the outbreak ends, players can return to Jubilife Village where they will have a 20% chance of another Mass Outbreak spawning in one of the five main regions. Additionally, each Mass Outbreak has the chance to spawn an Alpha Pokemon, but only one can be spawned at a time.
Depending on the behavior of the mons spawning, players will need to be prepared to work stealthily if they wish to capture the creatures without initiating a battle. There is also an increased shiny chance during Mass Outbreaks with the base odds being 26 in 4096 and the max being 32 in 4096 with both the Shiny Charm and the Species Research level being Perfect. This is a drastic increase in shiny odds that players intent on shiny hunting should absolutely take advantage of.
After the player has reached the end credits of the game, Massive Mass Outbreaks have the chance to spawn which offer players a new twist on the Mass Outbreak formula. These differ from the standard Mass Outbreaks in that they only spawn in rain or snowstorms in a given area and last for a limited time. Massive Mass Outbreaks also feature more than one species of Pokemon appearing per region with the potential of a second wave of mons spawning once the initial outbreak of eight to 10 have been captured or defeated. The second wave may feature evolved forms of the creature in the original outbreak and even the possibility of multiple Alpha Pokemon spawning which make these limited events a race against the clock for those looking to capture some rare mons.
How Mass Outbreaks Work in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
With the return to encountering Pokemon before being able to catch them, mass outbreaks require a different approach in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. To begin with, Mass Outbreaks now change daily in real time with new outbreaks appearing after the date rolls over at midnight. The location and species available in the current Mass Outbreaks can be viewed from the map at any time with any undiscovered species showing up as a question mark.
Unlike Pokemon Legends: Arceus, Mass Outbreak here spawn a larger volume of mons per outbreak—up to 10 on the screen at a time with the possibility for even more when combined with Encounter Power buff from sandwiches. As these creatures are captured or defeated, more will continue to take their place with around 100 to 120 total spawning during a given outbreak. The game will notify players every 20 to 30 Pokemon defeated that the outbreak is reducing in size, giving players some idea of how many spawns they will see before the outbreak disappears.
Chances for shinies to spawn during Mass Outbreaks are also increased in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Players will get one additional chance for a shiny per every 30 Pokemon defeated. This means that after 30 are defeated, the odds will increase to two in 4096 or four in 4096 for Shiny Charm holders. The odds increase again after 60 are defeated resulting in a three in 4096 or five in 4096 chance for Shiny Charm holders and adding in the new mechanic of Meal Powers can further boost these odds with the right combination of ingredients.
While these shiny odds may seem lower overall compared to Pokemon Legends: Arceus, players have the advantage of more Pokemon appearing on-screen at a time which means there are more chances for a shiny to appear in a given batch of spawns. There is no option for Massive Mass Outbreaks yet, however, they were a late addition to Pokemon Legends: Arceus which means it is possible a future update to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet could see them return. Since both versions of Mass Outbreaks have their advantages and disadvantages, it is ultimately up to players to decide which method they prefer.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available now for Nintendo Switch.