Summary
- Spotlight Hours in Pokemon GO do not boost Shiny rates, but offer increased spawns and resource bonuses instead.
- Certain rare Pokemon have "permaboosted" Shiny odds, making them easier to find during Spotlight Hours.
- While Shiny rates don't increase during Spotlight Hours, the raised spawn rates provide more chances to catch a Shiny Pokemon.
Catching Shiny Pokémon is one of the most exciting aspects of problem when Shiny Hunting in Pokémon GO.
Spotlight Hour is a weekly event introduced in early 2020, along with Mystery Bonus Hour, which gave players more to do in Pokémon GO. Originally, the former increased spawns of a given Pokémon for one hour, while the latter provided a chance to earn bonuses like double XP or Stardust. Eventually, the two were combined into the current-day Spotlight Hour, which offers a single, larger incentive to return to play Pokémon GO on Tuesdays from 6pm to 7pm. Considering other in-game events, it is easy to assume that Spotlight Hours directly boost Shiny rates, but this isn't actually the case.
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Pokémon GO Spotlight Hour Shiny Odds Explained
Shiny Spawn Rates Compared To Other Events
It is well known that certain events like Community Days do increase the chances of encountering specific Shiny Pokémon. According to Shiny rate in Pokémon GO for most Pokémon is approximately one in 512, much higher than the core Pokémon games’ own current base rate of one in 4,096. A Community Day then boosts this rate to approximately one in 25. However, the data observed by the community shows Shiny rates are no higher during a Spotlight Hour than normal. Instead, aside from higher spawn rates, the only benefit to be found is the event’s resource bonus.
Notably, some rarer species of Pokémon do have "permaboosted" Shiny odds. For example, Sneasel is one of these permaboosted Pokémon, with an estimated 1 in 64 chance. Another example is Bronzor, which was featured in an early Spotlight Hour. This could have contributed to the occasional misconception that Spotlight Hours boost Shiny odds. Naturally, if a permaboosted Pokémon receives a Spotlight Hour, Shinies will be found faster than if another Pokémon is featured. Alternatively, considering that Community Days do increase Shiny odds, some may simply presume the same applies to Spotlight Hours as another type of Pokémon GO event.
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There are actually several differing permaboosted Shiny rates in the game for Pokémon already considered rare to varying degrees, effectively evening the odds of an encounter being Shiny. Pokémon found in 5-Star Raid Battles even have a one in 20 Shiny rate. But on the other hand, not every Pokémon in the game has a Shiny form available, which typically debuts as part of being featured in a Community Day. Unfortunately for long-time players, this was especially prevalent during the early months of Spotlight Hours, meaning that it was actually impossible to find a Shiny form of many featured Pokémon.
Spotlight Hours Can Still Help Shiny Hunters With Raised Spawn Rates
More Pokémon Means More Chances Of Catching A Shiny
To a certain extent, Spotlight Hours can be considered miniature Community Days, as both types of events give a specific Pokémon increased spawns. However, instead of the wide array of Community Day benefits, Spotlight Hours combine a shorter runtime with one of several minor bonus effects for resources. On the other hand, although the rewards are arguably lesser, Spotlight Hours are also much more frequent, running weekly as opposed to the monthly Community Days (excluding Community Day Classics). This could explain why Spotlight Hours do not boost Shiny rates; if they did, the rarity of Shinies would decrease significantly.
The resource bonuses in Spotlight Hours affect the amount of XP, Candy, or Stardust gained from performing a specific action (either capturing, evolving, or transferring a Pokémon), doubling it.
Of course, the odds of finding a Shiny Pokémon during Spotlight Hours do increase in a way, simply because of the sheer number of spawns. With so many Pokémon around, players have plenty of chances to find a Shiny, even if the statistical odds of each Pokémon being Shiny are the same as usual. Unfortunately, without Shiny rates actually increasing, Spotlight Hours are arguably more time-consuming than other Pokémon GO events, forcing Shiny Hunters to catch more new Pokémon than they otherwise might. Nevertheless, there is always a chance that one tap will lead to a rare find.
Although Pokémon GO’s Spotlight Hours do not raise Shiny odds beyond their base for a Pokemon, the increased spawning of a given Pokémon can still be helpful to Shiny Hunters. Of course, finding any Shiny is a matter of chance, and without the raised odds common to Community Days, it is easily possible for a Spotlight Hour to go by without a single Shiny encounter, even for the most dedicated players. But even without higher Shiny odds, Spotlight Hours offer an interesting change from regular gameplay in Pokémon GO, and perhaps a slightly better chance of finding a Shiny regardless.
Source: Bulbapedia
Pokémon GO
- Released
- July 6, 2016
- ESRB
- e
- Developer(s)
- Niantic, The Pokemon Company
- Publisher(s)
- Niantic
- Engine
- Unity
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- ios, andriod
- Cross Save
- yes
- Franchise
- Pokemon
Created by Niantic, Pokémon GO is an augmented reality RPG where players can wander around catching Pokémon as they by various landmarks in real life. Players can engage in a traditional Pokémon experience via battles with other trainers, catching Pokémon to breed new ones, and even trade them with other trainers they come across.
- Platform(s)
- iOS, Android
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