WRITTEN BY: GRIEFY
|| Intro: So you wanna shiny hunt, huh?
(get ready to shed a lot of blood, sweat, and tears for something that gives you 0 mechanical advantage, though im sure you’re aware of that)
if youve ever shiny hunted in any pokemon game before, youre probably well initiated to how much effort it takes to get one of these stupid things. and if you aren’t, welcome! get ready to suffer!
…this is a joke, obviously. shiny hunting in pmu really isnt that bad if you’re well prepared and know what you’re doing. HOWEVER, in order to comfortably and seriously do so, you need a lot of resources and prepwork, but i want to try and make it as easy as possible to understand by breaking down all of the factors that go into shiny hunting on Pokemon Mystery Universe
through this guide (if i do my job properly), you will learn:
- The fundamentals of how shinies spawn
- How to set up the optimal shiny-hunter team, and what Pokemon are best for the job
- Basics of the PMU speedrunning meta (this isnt as scary as it sounds, i swear)
- Useful items for both shiny hunting and general exploration
- How to optimize your runs
- How to multitask and make big $$$
- How to hate the process less
- Other fun tips the pros use
…let’s get started!
| Part 1: How Shinies Work
(what even ARE shinies anyway)
shiny pokemon are weird miscolored pokemon. it bears repeating: they do not give you any intrinstic benefits and are only for your own self-satisfaction and for bragging rights. a cosmetic, if you will.
shiny pokemon work similarly to the mainline games, but due to the nature of pokemon mystery universe essentially giving a large quantity of pokemon spawns at a time via dungeon floors, and not having wait times inherent to turn-based gameplay, PMU actually has much higher shiny rates than probably any official pokemon game. lucky you!
| F.A.Q. About Shinies
CLICK!
✨ Frequently Asked Questions about the mechanics of Shiny Pokemon ✨
Q: How rare are shinies/What are the spawn chances?
A: all shinies have a unique rate of appearance assigned on a case by case basis in order to keep things fair. basically, these are the rules of shiny spawn rates:
- Dungeon Difficulty: harder (higher levelled dungeons) typically have higher rates than lower ones.
example: tanren mansion (lv 50-60, tanren) will have a higher shiny chance than fruity grotto (lv 10-15, exbel.). - Rarity of Spawn: rarer pokemon have higher shiny chances compared to common spawns.
example: beldum in mt moon, a very rare pokemon, has a higher rate of being shiny than jigglypuff in the same dungeons - Summon Pokemon: some pokemon have a much greater chance of being shiny due to being tied to item-based summons. these are:
SUMMON POKEMON
FOSSIL POKEMON (5% or 1/20)
REQUIRES: Fossil items from various locations
SUMMONED: Loch Lenile Cavern secret rooms 11-20F (Red Moon Spring)SPIRITOMB (5% or 1/20)
REQUIRES: Odd Keystones dropped by Spiritomb in Tanren Mansion Basement (needs Mansion Key from Mansion endboxes or One-Room Orbs to enter)
SUMMONED: Tanren Courtyard 11-15f secret rooms (also requires Mansion Key/One-Room Orb)PHIONE (10% or 1/10)
REQUIRES: Sea Dew from Seafloor Ruins East/West endboxes to enter Central Seafloor Ruins, Wonder Egg from Central endboxes
SUMMONED: Central Seafloor Ruins 51-59f Secret Rooms
- Event Pokemon: sometimes PMU has special yearly events. typically, these events have heavily buffed shiny rates. keep an eye out!
- Overworld Pokemon.: very rarely, pokemon can spawn shiny in the overworld rather than within dungeons, provided theyre recruitable. consider being vigilant when exploring so you don’t miss one!
Q: How can I tell if a shiny has spawned, and what do they look like?
A: shiny pokemon will play a loud noise when spawning in. [may not play in all browsers] they will also have an asterisk (*) in front of their name within the Battle Log (viewable through the menu or at the bottom of the screen).
Q: Do shinies have buffed recruitment rates?
A: NO. shinies have the same recruit rate as any other pokemon. it is highly reccomended you carry recruitment-boosting items for this reason. this will be covered in more detail later on in the guide.
Q: What Pokemon can be shiny?
A: as of the time of writing this post (jan 2021), all Pokemon from Kanto through Unova (1-5), all starters, all fossil Pokemon, and a miscellanious few gen 6+ pokemon, which as far as I can tell are: Phantump line, Pumpkaboo line, Pancham line, Noibat line, Carbink, Furfrou, Yungoos, Drampa, and all Alolan forms.
Q: Are there any ways to boost spawn chances for shinies?
A: no. you cannot influence shiny rates in any way yourself. shiny rates are “maximized” via keeping a constant rate of pokemon spawning.
Q: Can shinies hatch from eggs?
A: as of the time of writing this post (jan 2021), no. it is a planned feature.
Q: I keep hearing about something called a “Shiny Token.” Where can I get one?
A: these are obtainable through various events. they are seldom given out, and only distributed (in recent times) via Auctions, a type of weekly event that can occur at staff’s discretion. HOWEVER, these are highly valued and will cost you tens of millions of poke. dont bank on ever obtaining one.
CLICK!
// have further questions? ask them below, and maybe ill add them here! //
| Part 2: What Pokemon To Use For Shiny Hunting
(forming the ultimate shiny-murdering squad)
the basics of a good shiny hunting pokemon can be summed up in 4 simple qualities:
- The Pokemon is capable of reaching 4x speed, without set-up, through use bag items and/or abilities.
ALL POKEMON are capable of reaching 2x speed, but only some can reach 4x speed! - The Pokemon has access to a non-offensive health-recovery move.
good examples include recover and synthesis. bad examples include giga drain or drain punch. - The Pokemon does not rely on a weather condition that is unable to set up manually.
rain, sun, and clear weather are the way to go. sandstorm and hail arent viable, and i'll explain why in a second... - The Pokemon has access, ideally, to strong Area of Effect moves.
this one isn't necessarily mandatory, but its HIGHLY reccomended.
so… what are the pokemon for which this applies? here’s the full list:
✨Full List of Viable Speedrunning Pokemon ✨
CLEAR WEATHER
Butterfree Bug/Flying (2 Crystals) [Morning Sun: Base 60 HP]
Scyther Bug/Flying (2 Crystals) [Roost: Base 70 HP]
Dragonite Dragon/Flying (2 Crystals) [Roost: Base 91 HP]
Ledian Bug/Flying (2 Crystals or Family Item) [Roost: Base 55 HP]
Beautifly Bug/Flying (2 Crystals) [Morning Sun: Base 60 HP]
Masquerain Bug/Flying (2 Crystals) [Roost: Base 70 HP]
Ninjask Bug/Flying (Ability+Crystal) [Roost: Base 61 HP]
Altaria Dragon/Flying (2 Crystals) [Roost: Base 75 HP]
Salamence Dragon/Flying (2 Crystals) [Roost: 95 HP]
Mothim Bug/Flying (2 Crystals) [Roost: Base 70 HP]
Vespiquen Bug/Flying (2 Crystals) [Heal Order: Base 70 HP]
Yanmega Bug/Flying (Ability+Crystal) [Roost: Base 76 HP]
Vivillon Bug/Flying (2 Crystals) [Roost: Base 80 HP]
Hawlucha Fighting/Flying (2 Crystals) [Roost: Base 78 HP]
Noivern Dragon/Flying (2 Crystals) [Moonlight: Base 85 HP]
RAINY WEATHER
Gastrodon Water/Ground (Crystal+Family Item) [Recover: Base 111 HP]
Swanna Water/Flying (Crystal+Family Item) [Rest(Hydration): Base 75 HP]
SUNNY WEATHER
Charizard Fire/Flying (Crystal+Family Item) [Roost: Base 78 HP] <CAUTION!> HAS SOLAR POWER! (HP DRAIN IN SUNLIGHT)
Rapidash Fire (Crystal+Family Item) [Morning Sun: Base 65 HP]
Shroomish Grass (Ability+Crystal) [Synthesis: Base 60 HP]
Infernape Fire/Fighting (Crystal+Family item) [Slack Off: Base 76 HP]
Florges Fairy (Crystal+Family Item) [Synthesis: Base 78 HP]
Shiinotic Grass/Fairy (2 Crystals) [Moonlight: Base 60 HP]
HAIL has no viable pokemon. SANDSTORM has gliscor, but this is considered unviable due to how much sandstorm impedes vision.
but we can go further than that!!! some of these options are far better than others, of course. there are four TOP TIER picks for speedrunning pokemon, and i will provide sets for them now!
ABILITIES: Frisk, Speed Boost, Tinted Lens
SUGGESTED MOVESET: Roost, Bug Buzz/Silver Wind, Air Slash, Giga Drain/Psychic
ASSOCIATED ITEMS: Mobile Scarf (held), Clear Rock (team held) Sky/Guard Crystal (either), Sky/Guard Gem (either), Yanmega Bow (Rock HP absorption family item), [Optional: Sky Dust, Wonder Dust, Green Silk, Sky Silk]
OBTAINED: Happiness Lake (B1-5F) (Dawn/Day/Dusk only), Boggy Wastes (B1-29F) (Egg B25-48F), Voltaic Rainforest (Egg 30-50F), evolves when knowing Ancient Power (lv. 33)yanmega is a great, easy to obtain option! you only need one crystal to get it up and running due to its innate speed boost ability, and frisk uncovers hidden items, which are usually highly valued and you can passively collect as you shiny hunt to farm money at the same time. however, it is slightly frail, its moves are a bit shorter range than the other options, and roost doesn’t work in walls. otherwise, its a solid option that’s easy to get and inexpensive!
ABILITIES: Natural Cure, Cloud Nine
SUGGESTED MOVESET: Roost, Outrage/Draco Meteor, Haze/Fly, Heat Wave/Earthquake/Dazzling Gleam/misc. (Refresh and/or Safeguard if you’d also like Altaria to be a support during normal dungeon runs)
ASSOCIATED ITEMS: Mobile Scarf (held), Sky and Dragon Crystal (both), Sky/Dragon Gem (either), Cloud Ruff (Ice HP absorption family item), [Optional: Sky Dust, Dragon Dust, Royal Silk, Sky Silk,]
OBTAINED: Mt. Skylift (11-25F), Archford (Overworld), Harmonic Tower (Egg 75-99F), Sky Fortress/Dragon Path (Egg All floors)altaria is AMAZING and one of the best pokemon in PMU, even outside of shiny hunting! you can build yours specifically for speedrunning, or keep status moves like refresh, safeguard, and haze to make it a multi purpose support! it has an insane movepool, and cloud nine means you dont need clear rock! (however, id still reccomend it as weather-affecting pokemon can still spawn in such as pelipper or ninetails.) its dragon typing also gives it a lot of bulk. its drawbacks are that roost cant be used in walls or over water, and its dual-crystal requirement makes it expensive to obtain 4x speed. however, the investment is greatly worth it!
ABILITIES: Frisk, Infiltrator, Telepathy
SUGGESTED MOVESET: Moonlight, Outrage/Draco Meteor, Boomburst, Heatwave/Fly
ASSOCIATED ITEMS: Mobile Scarf (held), Clear Rock (team held), Sky and Dragon Crystal (both), Sky/Dragon Gem (either), Boom Scarf (Ice HP absorption family item), [Optional: Sky Dust, Dragon Dust, Royal Silk, Sky Silk,]
OBTAINED: Sky Fortress/Dragon Path (Egg and recruit, All floors)noivern combines a lot of the great parts about altaria and yanmega. it has altarias great typing, bulk, and move choices, as well as yanmega’s ability to frisk. what it has over the other two, however, is that moonlight can be used while in walls and over water, making it a very safe option if you find you’re going through reviver items too quickly as a result. however, it has the issue altaria has in that it is more expensive than yanmega, as well as the fact that it’s obtained in one of the game’s latest dungeons. it’s well worth it, however, and is a great choice for blasting through dungeons quickly
ABILITIES: Storm Drain, Sticky Hold, Sand Force
SUGGESTED MOVESET: Recover, Rain Dance, Surf, Earth Power/Clear Smog
ASSOCIATED ITEMS: Mobile Scarf (held), Damp Rock (team held), Aqua Crystal, Aqua Gem, Gastro-Torc (Grass HP absorption family item), Awake Bow (Shellos) [Optional: Water Dust, Ground Dust, Blue Silk, Brown Silk]
OBTAINED: [West Sea] Mineral Cavern (All floors), Western Seafloor Ruins (22-30F)
[East Sea] Boggy Wastes (B30-48F), Eastern Seafloor Ruins (22-30F)time to shill for my favoritest pokemon!! while gastrodon might initially seem like a lesser pick due to the fact that it relies on rain rather than overriding weather with clear rock, don’t be fooled! gastrodon in pmu effectively has no weaknesses with its family item, and has great hp and sp.def bulk! sticky hold makes it so you will never lose your mobile scarf, and its moves are incredibly powerful! it’s also easy to get, recover works in walls and over water, and requires only one crystal due to its family item! it doesnt have frisk, but its so cute you cant stay mad at it for that!!!
while of course these aren’t your only options (and you can even pick 2x speed pokemon with recovery moves), these are the ones i most reccomend!
these pokemon shouldn’t need any sort of support, and will work fine on their own with little assistance. however, if you want to use something else, you might need some extra help!
OPTIONAL MON #1: REFRESHER/HEALER SUPPORT
in case you run into a situation where you accidentally get status-effected, its a good idea to carry a pocket support. AKA, a pokemon that has Refresh, and optionally, Safeguard and Rain Dance/Sunny Day. these pokemon are good for all situations too, and its highly reccomended you have one at all times even if you don’t have one!
(Level Up: eevee family, happiny family, corsola, swablu family, feebas family, lickitung family, audino)
(Egg Move: squirtle family, psyduck family, poliwag family, chikorita family, natu family, azurill family, mudkip family, taillow family, clamperl family, tympole family, alomomola, furfrou, spritzee family)
OPTIONAL MON #2: U-TURN USER
besides these two, it’s a good idea to have a pokemon that knows U-Turn, because it allows you to move more quickly on the overworld, which may help optimize repeated runs. many pokemon can learn this move!
OPTIONAL MON #3: HM MULE
many dungeons need HMs to access, including ones you plan to hunt in. you should already have a dedicated HM user by this point, but if the dungeon calls for it, you may need to take it with you!
the best HM user in the game is Bibarel. it can learn cut, rock smash, surf, dive, and rock climb, and you can obtain it from the very start of the game.
there are a few other options, but they aren’t as versatile (youll also need dive or rock climb on a seperate pokemon, as well as fly, for general play)
OPTIONAL MON #4: DEDICATED LEVEL 100
since recruitment chance is maxed at lv 100, it’s a good idea to have a pokemon to be your “recruiter.” this isn’t strictly necessary, but i like having my “runner” pokemon under level 100 so it’s able to gain exp while i run, where i have a lv 100 in my pocket when i see a shiny. this is up to you though, but i highly reccomend having atleast one lv 100 in general!
…now that you’ve hopefully picked a pokemon you’d like to build, a good support if need be, and your ideal team set-up, let’s talk about what items you’ll need:
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