Pokemon Legends: Arceus Players Have Discovered a Shiny Duplication Exploit

Some players in Pokemon Legends: Arceus have discovered a way to duplicate shiny Pokemon while out on the field.

Shiny hunting has taken off in Pokemon Legends: Arceus—an ununsurpring development given that one of the main requests in the game has trainers track down and catch a shiny Ponyta early on. Trainers were quick to learn that shiny Pokemon spawn all over the map when loaded up, including places that may not be regularly checked such as far-reaching areas and twitching nodes. The latter of these appears to be the focal point of the new exploit which allows trainers to duplicate any shiny Pokemon they find.

Pokemon Legends: Arceus Players Have Discovered a Shiny Duplication Exploit

According to player reports, after locating and catching a shiny Pokemon from a jumping ore cluster or shivering tree, trainers who leave and return to reset the area may be able to prompt that shiny Pokemon to appear again in the same spot.

For example, if a trainer encounters a shiny Burmy from a shaking tree, they could catch it, leave the immediate area to travel just far enough away for it to reset the area’s nodes, and return to do it all over again. The shiny Burmy will spawn for a second time if the method is done correctly—allowing trainers to collect an army of shiny Burmys.

Since its discovery, fans have been at odds about whether or not the process is honorable. Using this exploit isn’t strictly cheating or perpetrating a glitch in the game. Rather, it’s taking advantage of already existing mechanics, making this more of an unintended exploit.

Additionally, shiny Pokemon aren’t any stronger or better to use than their traditional counterparts. They don’t provide any bonuses or help further the plot of the game in any way, either. They’re simply a different color palette. This, according to some fans, makes the exploit harmless.

Neither Nintendo nor Game Freak have come forward to publicly comment on the exploit. DBLTAP cannot confirm if it will be patched out in the future.