Since the introduction of Shiny Pokemon in Pokemon Gold and Silver on the Game Boy Color, players have found new and interesting ways to hunt the alternately-colored monsters. While Shiny Pokemon can be found in the wild in most Pokemon games, players have discovered different methods to increase their chances of finding Shiny Pokemon over the years, such as Pokeradar chaining in Diamond and Pearl, chain fishing and the Friend Safari in X and Y, and using the S.O.S. system in Sun and Moon.
Like other mainline games, 2019's Pokemon Sword and Shield introduced new shiny hunting methods, and its DLC added Dynamax Adventures as another option on top of battling a Pokemon species 500 times to increase its Shiny odds. However, just over a year after the games' initial release, it seems a player has discovered a new Shiny hunting method in Sword and Shield.
Twitter user Sibuna_Switch posted a video of themselves catching a Shiny Feebas in Pokemon Sword and Shield on December 22, which usually has a 1 percent encounter rate. Factoring in that 1 percent rate with the base Shiny odds of 1/4096 makes the fish Pokemon an incredibly rare Shiny, but Sibuna_Switch explains they were able to find Shiny Feebas more easily at a 13.16 percent encounter rate simply by following their Pokedex's recommendations.
Sword and Shield introduced a feature to the Pokedex that shows a list of Pokemon the player should go catch, and most players didn't realize that the Pokemon recommended have higher chances of appearing in the wild, greatly speeding up the process of Shiny hunting. This method increases the chances of Pokemon appearing, not the chances of finding a Shiny Pokemon. Now dubbed the "Dex rec" method, players can open up their Pokedex, go to the "Current Recommendations" section, and navigate to an area containing one of the Pokemon listed to encounter that it much more often than usual. Additionally, if players aren't satisfied with the Pokemon being recommended, they can re-roll the recommendations if they have a complete Pokedex.
To re-roll Pokedex recommendations, players simply need to find a Max Raid Den, select the "Invite Others" option, then change their Nintendo Switch's date and time to one day ahead, and go back to their game to see new recommendations in their Pokedex. This way, players can re-roll their chances of being recommended a Pokemon they want to Shiny hunt.
Even with the chances of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl remakes on the horizon, players are still enjoying aspects of Sword and Shield well after their release. Hopefully the franchise's 25th anniversary this year holds even more surprises for Pokemon fans throughout 2021.
Pokemon Sword and Shield are available now for the Nintendo Switch.