During normal gameplay in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, wild Pokémon will have a chance to be Shiny when encountered. There are certain exceptions to this however — some Pokémon cannot be Shiny and those are generally referred to as being “Shiny Locked”.
The reason players should be aware of shiny-locked Pokémon is to avoid resetting or trying to catch a Shiny that is actually impossible through normal gameplay.
Although we’ve listed specific Pokémon below, all static encounters with Pokémon are Shiny Locked. This includes:
- Pokémon received through an in-game trade with an NPC
- Gifted Pokémon
- Legendary Pokémon
This does not apply to fossil Pokémon that are revived or what some sources refer to as “static Alpha Pokémon”.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A starters
The starters, or First Partner Pokémon, Chikorita, Tepig and Totodile cannot be Shiny. Do not try restarting your game trying to get a Shiny starter to begin Legends: Z-A with.
Eternal Flower Floette
Since Eternal Flower Floette is a gifted Pokémon, it cannot be Shiny when received.
Thank you to Pokémon researcher Anubis for their work extracting data about Shiny rates and locked Pokémon.
