Whether it’s hunting down a new debut in Pokemon Go or chasing your favorite in a main series game, searching for Shiny Pokemon is a core part of the experience for many. Shiny Pokemon have been around since that first red Gyarados in Pokemon Gold and Silver. But in recent years, hunting them down has become a more popular pastime, and The Pokemon Company has taken note. Like prior Pokemon games, Pokemon Legends: Z-A gives players a way to make Shiny hunting a little bit easier. But some players say it comes at too high a cost.
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Since Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 released in 2012, main series games have offered players a way to attract more Shiny Pokemon. This item is called the Shiny Charm, and it boosts your Shiny odds in wild encounters and other situations. Getting your hands on a Shiny Charm is never meant to be easy, and chasing one down is often a post-game activity that keeps players busy long after credits roll. But in Pokemon Legends: Z-A, some fans feel that earning the Shiny Charm might just be a little too tricky.
Finishing Mabel’s Research to Earn the Shiny Charm is a Grind
Each game gives players a task to complete before they can unlock the Shiny Charm. Typically, in true Pokemon spirit, this involves completing the game’s national Poke Dex by catching ’em all. But like many things in a Legends game, earning a Shiny Charm in Legends Arceus, and now Legends: Z-A looks a little bit different. Rather than completing a national dex, players must instead complete research.
In Pokemon Legends: Arceus, getting the Shiny Charm meant hitting Research Level 10 for every Pokemon in the game. That’s a lot of research tasks to complete, but it still follows somewhat in line with the spirit of all prior Shiny Charm unlocks. To get the charm, you must catch ’em all. But in Pokemon Legends: Z-A, the Shiny Charm is earned by finishing all of Mabel’s research tasks. And as players are realizing, hitting Level 100 makes one of the most difficult tasks impossible to skip.
To reach Level 50 in Mabel’s Research and earn the Shiny Charm, you don’t have to finish every one of her tasks. However, getting the amount of points required does make one of her most challenging requests mandatory. It’s basically impossible to unlock the Shiny Charm without ticking off a task that asks you to complete 1,000 battles. For many, this request is a step too far compared to earning the Shiny Charm in prior games. As one Redditor puts it, “The 1,000 battles task is diabolical.”
Sure, catching every Pokemon in a national dex is no small feat. But it’s something many trainers plan to do anyway, what with the gotta catch ’em all vibes of the franchise. But trainer battles, even in a battle-heavy game like Pokemon Legends: Z-A, are a point of contention for many fans. Grinding through these battles does earn you some money and XP, but many see trainer battles as a skippable aspect of Pokemon games. So, forcing players to do 1,000 of them to get the Shiny Charm has been quite a controversial part of Shiny Hunting in Z-A.
Of course, you don’t need a Shiny Charm to hunt for Shiny Pokemon. But the boosted odds do make it a lot easier to find them, making the Shiny hunting grind a bit less punishing. But for some, grinding through battles after the game ends doesn’t feel worth it. That said, not everyone is upset about the requirement. It’s an interesting change from the usual dex requirement, bringing the focus on battling in a game where the battle system is a core element. Even so, 1,000 battles does require a lot of work above and beyond what you’re likely to get through typical gameplay.
What do you think of the Shiny Charm requirements in Pokemon Legends: Z-A? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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Image courtesy of Focus Features.
