Only the Best Trainers Will Be Able to Get Shiny Starters in 'Pokémon Scarlet' and 'Violet'

Any longtime Pokémon fan knows that there's more to the game than just completing the PokéDex and becoming the regional Champion. Shiny Hunting has long been an important aspect of the franchise, with players spending hundreds of hours trying to obtain as many Shiny Pokémon as they can.

Now that Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are here, players are already hunting down their favorite Shinies, but can you get Shiny versions of the three starters?

The base rate for finding a Shiny Pokémon in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is one in 4096 — meaning without the help of Shiny boosts, your chances of encountering a Shiny Pokémon are incredibly low.

That being said, there are plenty of players who have managed to snag a Shiny starter Pokémon before diving into previous Pokémon games, but unfortunately, that won't be an option in Scarlet and Violet.

Though Shiny versions of the starters have been available during the first few moments of gameplay in the past, Quaxly, Sprigatito, and Fuecoco are Shiny-locked in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. No matter how many times you soft-reset the game in an attempt to get the Shiny variants of these three Pokémon, you will not be successful.

Though you won't be able to get a Shiny Quaxly, Sprigatito, or Fuecoco at the start of the game, you will be able to get the Shiny Pokémon through breeding later on in the game.

If you breed a female starter Pokémon with a Ditto, you have a chance of hatching a Shiny starter Pokémon — though again, the odds for finding a Shiny Pokémon are low, and you'll likely have to hatch multiple eggs before finding that Shiny starter.

Quaxly, Sprigatito, and Fuecoco also aren't found in the wild, meaning that you won't be able to obtain the other two Pokémon after you start your game unless you have a friend who is willing to trade them with you. You'll also have to make sure you start the game with a female starter Pokémon if you plan to breed it for a Shiny version later.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are now available for the Nintendo Switch.