The Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Indigo Disk DLC gives players the best opportunity to catch legendaries that we’ve seen since Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. However, fans are wondering if Indigo Disk Legendaries are shiny-locked. If this is the case, who knows how long we’ll have to wait until we get a chance to obtain these rare Pokemon’s even rarer shiny forms.
Are the Pokemon Indigo Disk DLC Legendaries Shiny-Locked?
Yes, the Pokemon Indigo Disk DLC legendaries are shiny-locked. That means no matter how often you reset the encounter with them, they’ll never spawn as a shiny. This is confirmed by prolific Pokemon content creator AustinJohnPlays. In fact, all static encounters in The Indigo Disk are shiny-locked, so you’ll only find shinies in random spawns.
However, there is an upside to all these legendaries being added to the game. While you can’t catch any shiny legendaries, you can move any that you have in previous titles or Pokemon Go to Pokemon Home, then transfer them to Scarlet or Violet. In particular, it’s pretty easy to get shiny legendaries in Pokemon Go raids, so you just have to wait for the one you want to be featured.
What does “shiny locked” mean in Pokemon?
Typically, any Pokemon you encounter has a chance to spawn as a shiny. However, if an encounter is shiny locked, the Pokemon is flagged to never spawn as a shiny. This mechanic has existed since Gen 2 but wasn’t used in earnest until Gen 5. Game Freak stated that it implemented shiny locking to prevent players from repeatedly resetting the game for hours or days to manipulate RNG.
As of Gen 9, the trend is for starters, legendaries, NPC trades, NPC gifts, and egg gifts to be shiny-locked. However, seeing the Indigo Mask legendaries shiny-locked is a bit surprising since they’re not linked to the story. This wasn’t the case in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, as only mythical Pokemon were shiny locked in those games.
