Shiny Rates in Pokémon Legends: Z-A
Pokémon Legends: Z-A does not have much in terms of Shiny Hunting. Only wild encounters and fossils can be shiny. Additionally, all Pokémon are generated entirely randomly, which means there will be no manipulation like we could do in Legends: Arceus. Thanks to Anubis (@Sibuna_Switch) for the datamine.
Update 12/14/2025: Anubis has released an updated table detailing the shiny rates for the update thanks to the Mega Dimension DLC. This page has been updated to reflect those changes.
Wild Encounters
| Conditions | Base Shiny Rolls | Shiny Chance |
|---|---|---|
| Base Shiny Rate | 1 | 1/4096.0 |
| Sparkling Power Lv. 1 | 2 | 1/2048.25 |
| Sparkling Power Lv. 2 | 3 | 1/1365.67 |
| Sparkling Power Lv. 3 | 4 | 1/1024.38 |
| Shiny Charm | 4 | 1/1024.38 |
| Shiny Charm + Sparkling Power Lv. 1 | 5 | 1/819.60 |
| Shiny Charm + Sparkling Power Lv. 2 | 6 | 1/683.08 |
| Shiny Charm + Sparkling Power Lv. 3 | 7 | 1/585.57 |
All wild encounters (including Alphas) follow these rates.
At least the Shiny Charm gives +3 rolls instead of the normal +2!
Sparkling Power
Sparkling Power gives an additional roll for each level you have. Level 1 gives +1, Level 2 gives +2, and Level 3 gives +3. This bonus only applies to Pokémon that share a type with the Sparkling Power the donut provides. Sparkling Power is also only possible in Hyperspace Distortions.
Sparkling Power Level 3 Guaranteed Shiny
When you enter a Hyperspace Wild Zone with any type of Sparkling Power Lv. 3, the game forces the first Pokémon that spawns in that also matches the Sparkling Power type to be shiny. Note though that this forced shiny will only happen to Pokémon that have spawned close enough to the player.
Catch a Shiny Pokémon Task
When the player first arrives to a distortion, if any of the close-enough Pokémon are shiny (it doesn't matter if it was because of Sparkling Power Lv. 3 guaranteed shinies, a "full-odds" shiny or any other shiny), this task will appear. It does not cause the shiny to appear, but is rather an indicator that it happened.
Fossil Encounters
| Conditions | Base Shiny Rolls | Shiny Chance |
|---|---|---|
| Base Shiny Rate | 1 | 1/4096.0 |
| Shiny Charm | 1 | 1/4096.0 |
Fossils can be Shiny and can be Alpha (at a 1% rate). Unfortunately, the Shiny Charm does not apply.
Special Scan Legendaries
Latios, Latias, Cobalion, Terrakion and Virizion are available as special encounters in Hyperspace via the special scans. All five of these can be shiny!
All other Legendary and Mythical Pokémon are shiny locked.
Shiny Locks
All starters are Shiny locked!
All "static encounters" are also Shiny locked. This means all legendaries (except for the special scans listed above), the Rogue Mega Absol, DLC Rogue Mega encounters, all NPC gifts, all in-game, and any scripted battle encounter. Fossils are an exception to the gift rule.
Also please note "fixed Alpha" spawns are not the same as static encounters.
Shiny Charm Location
You can get the Shiny Charm by completing all of Mable's Research. That's all it takes!