Pokemon Legends: Z-A Changes Shiny Hunting Forever

"Shiny hunting is a beloved pastime for many fans. Finding these rare critters with different shades and color palettes than their species' default appearance is such an involved undertaking with secret math and other nonsense to contend with that some people spend hours looking for just one of these guys. Others spend even longer trying to find one of every 'mon in the Pokédex."

"When you enter 's Wild Zones, designated areas where wild Pokémon live and can be captured, typically every monster you encounter is refreshed when the game's day and night cycle changes, your party is knocked out, or if you fast travel. However, that doesn't seem to be the case for Shinies. Players have tested this on Pokémon they've found in the overworld, and it seems like, unless you defeat it in battle, Shiny Pokémon don't despawn."

Shiny hunting remains a time-consuming pursuit that involves rare color variants and complex mechanics. Pokémon Legends: Z-A changes Shiny behavior by preventing found Shiny Pokémon from despawning unless they are defeated in battle. The game appears to stash up to ten Shiny Pokémon and keeps them present across day/night cycles, fast travel, and player party knockouts. Non-shiny encounters continue to refresh normally, while Shiny encounters persist. Community reactions are mixed, with some players celebrating the reduced difficulty of capture and others lamenting the diminished challenge of completing Shiny collections.

Read at Kotaku