[DI - X: PRP] [Guide] Methods of Shiny Hunting II - Soft Reset

[Nitro 2,318/3200]

FOREWORD

This article is the second in a series of articles that I will be writing to explain the different methods of shiny hunting that do not involve a glitch or exploit, such as the Cute Charm glitch or the Shiny Swapping exploit given by BlazeInfernape. These are intended to help both new shiny hunters and veteran shiny hunters who are looking to branch into different methods.

@Eastonn8@Telfer@Thesi@13thShade

OVERVIEW

Gaining an understanding of the basic methods for hunting for shiny Pokémon is crucial to finding said Pokémon. The methods of hunting are many and varied, with different techniques, tricks and chances between them. In this guide, an explanation of Soft Reset hunts (or SR hunts) will be given, with a list of sources with which soft reset hunts will work.

DETAIL

Soft resetting for shinies is a tested and true method of getting certain shinies, such as some Legendaries, starters and Game Corner obtainable Pokémon. The time investment per soft reset is variable, but it can be used in the early game to obtain a shiny starter for a playthrough or to obtain a shiny Legendary that cannot be found elsewhere. The chances of finding a shiny are the base odds of the game used, or triple that with the Shiny Charm.

How do I soft reset for a shiny Pokémon?

Maybe you’re looking for a shiny starter in a Shiny Badge Quest. Or perhaps you think that Dratini in the Game Corner would look pretty in pink for the rest of your HeartGold playthrough. Soft resetting for these Pokémon – or any other - is, in fact, a very simple process. The player obtains the Pokémon and looks to see if it’s shiny. If it’s not, they soft reset their game (using L+R+Start+Select in games before X and Y, or L+R plus Start or Select in games after X and Y) and try again until it is. Pretty simple, right? It’s not as easy as might be expected, not because of difficulty in the technique but because of the necessary time investment.

SR hunts, along with random encounters, share the lowest odds in the game of encountering a shiny. In any game from Gold and Silver up to Black 2 and White 2, the odds were 1/8192 of encountering a shiny per Pokémon per soft reset, without the Shiny Charm. With the Shiny Charm (only obtainable in Black 2 and White 2), these odds triple to 3/8192. However, this chance is still lower than 1/2048. In the sixth generation, the base odds were increased to 1/4096, and the odds with the Shiny Charm are triple that – but this is, of course, less chance than 1/1024. For a single soft reset with a single Pokémon, these odds are worse than those of flipping seven coins and having them all land on Heads.

That seems like it would be pretty time-consuming. How do I reduce the time I need to wait for my shiny?

There are only three steps that will really make a difference in the time taken during an SR hunt.

1. Obtain the Shiny Charm. If you’re in a game earlier than Black 2 and White 2, this is not possible no matter where in the game the player is found. Also, if the Pokémon must be obtained before the postgame – such as a starter – this step is impossible and may be skipped. The Shiny Charm, obtained by completing the Regional Dex in Sun and Moon and the National Dex in any game from Black and White 2 to Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, will triple your chances of obtaining a shiny Pokémon. As such, the Shiny Charm will, on average, cut the necessary time invested in three. The Shiny Charm is the only factor which increases your odds per soft reset (aside from resetting for multiple Pokémon such as a batch of fossils or the starters in HeartGold and SoulSilver). So, we want to minimize the time spent per soft reset to minimize the time investment.

2. Save the game in the spot where the least time will be taken to obtain your Pokémon. A list is given here for the locations for each Pokémon:

Starters:

• Diamond and Pearl: Facing the briefcase at Lake Verity before battling the wild Starly.
• Platinum: Facing the briefcase on Route 201 with Barry, Professor Rowan and Dawn.
• HeartGold and SoulSilver*: Facing the machine containing the three Poké Balls.
• Black and White: Facing the gift box in your room.
• Black 2 and White 2: Facing Bianca at the Aspertia lookout before talking to her.
• X and Y**: Before the cutscene trigger with your friends in Aquacorde City.
• Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire:
• Sun and Moon**: Before the cutscene with Nebby at the bridge.

* In HeartGold and SoulSilver, your odds are equal to 1-(8191/8192)^3, or 0.0366%, of obtaining one or more shinies of the three. This is roughly triple the odds in any of the other games.

** X, Y, Sun and Moon have very long cutscenes before the starter’s shininess can be verified.

LEGENDARIES:

For most legendaries, the best place to save is directly in front of the legendary before interacting with them. This is true of most cover legendaries, certain other legendaries and the portals in the Mirage areas in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.

OTHER HUNTS:

• Game Corner Pokémon: In front of the booth to exchange your Coins for the Pokémon.
• Fossil Pokémon: In front of the person who will revive the fossils.
• Other Pokémon (such as Eevee or Porygon in Platinum): In front of the NPC who gives you the Pokémon.

3. Mash the A button through any cutscenes before you can see whether your Pokémon is shiny These moments are listed here:

• Most starters: As soon as your starter is sent out into battle against your rival or a wild Pokémon by the cutscene.
• HeartGold and SoulSilver starters: While viewing the Pokémon in their Poké Balls.
• Black 2 and White 2 starters: When you are able to view your party.
• Other Pokémon: As soon as all Pokémon are obtained and you are able to view them all.

As the odds and soft reset times demonstrate, HeartGold and SoulSilver are by far the optimal pair of games for starter SR hunts. However, if you wish for a specific Johto starter, you would be better off using the Masuda Method, as this method will allow you to guarantee which you obtain.

Another optional technique that may be appreciated is to use rubber bands to hold down the L and R buttons on your 3DS. This simplifies the SR process slightly and allows you to have to hit one or two buttons instead of three or four, game-dependent.

I’ve got my shiny [Pokémon] after a lot of work. What did this get me over other methods?

Honestly, I personally don’t find SR hunts to be an amazing hunting method, but it does have its use. The main purpose of soft resetting is for a Shiny Badge Quest or for a Pokémon that you have to soft reset for to find shiny. However, soft resetting for a shiny Pokémon is also only one step away from soft resetting for a competitive Pokémon, which can be done with the right resources online and knowledge of the game.

Platinum reset spot image credit to https://www.serebii.net/platinum/pics.shtml

X and Y fossil lab image credit to http://www.siliconera.com/2013/09/20/pokemon-x-and-pokemon-y-introduce-their-fossil-pokemon/

Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire portal image credit to https://gaming.stackexchange.com/questions/196100/how-do-you-get-zekrom-and-reshiram-in-oras

[13thShade 4,323/5000]

Approved. Geez, man. You should be a writer.

[Nitro 2,318/3200]

Thanks, Shade! I wasn't a huge fan of this topic, and it's a fairly simple hunting method, but I felt that I could elaborate enough on it to be worth a guide of its own and not just meshed in with random encounters.

Speaking of random encounters, I'm conflicted as to whether I should do random encounters or Friend Safari encounters next, or simply mash them together. Thoughts?

[Telfer 0/300]

Approved, nice work!

[Guest lutonmad]

Great read, thanks!