Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have added even more monsters to Gen 9’s Pokédex thanks to the latest Indigo Disk DLC. This last half of The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero expansion is meant to wrap up the story of this ninth generation, and that means reintroducing dozens of Legendaries alongside a handful of new Pokémon. The sad news, however, is that the Indigo Disk has Shiny locked a wide variety of Pokémon now, which means Shiny hunters will be left wanting.
The odds of finding a Shiny Pokémon have been steadily increasing over the years thanks to features like Mass Outbreaks. Additionally, free-roaming Pokémon in games like Legends: Arceus and Scarlet and Violet have made it easier to spot Shinies in the overworld. However, Indigo Disk marks a bit of a step backward for Shiny hunting, since a lot of the Pokémon in the DLC are Shiny locked, meaning they’re impossible to catch in their Shiny form. While not all Pokémon in The Indigo Disk are Shiny locked, it is far more than what was previously seen in Gen 9, and it’s a bit of a letdown.
“The Good Outweighs The Bad” – Pokémon Scarlet & Violet: The Indigo Disk DLC Review
The Indigo Disk DLC for Pokémon Scarlet & Violet is an enjoyable addition, but it’s bogged down by the same problems as the base games.
Are Legendary Pokémon Shiny Locked In Indigo Disk?
There are 25 returning Legendary Pokémon in the Indigo Disk DLC, found throughout the Terarium as part of Snacksworth’s questline. For those who missed catching these Legendaries in past generations, or trainers who just want to add more to their collections, it’s a fantastic way to catch them. It also means adding these rare Pokémon into Gen 9’s games, since some were previously incompatible with Scarlet and Violet.
Sadly, all the Legendaries in the Indigo Disk are Shiny locked – likely due to being static encounters. It’s unclear why this decision was made, but it could be that Shiny versions of Legendaries have been used as event Pokémon or Mystery Gifts for quite some time, so Game Freak may be wanting to save Shinies for special occasions. Otherwise, it may just be an attempt to curb the Shiny inflation that has taken place since Gen 8.
Are Paradox Pokémon Shiny Locked In The Indigo Disk DLC?
There are multiple new Paradox Pokemon featured in the Indigo Disk. Introduced in Gen 9’s base games, Paradox Pokémon fall under the Future Forme and Ancient Forme types, and most are version exclusives to either Scarlet or Violet. In this DLC, Gouging Fire and Raging Bolt are exclusive to Scarlet, while Iron Boulder and Iron Crown are exclusive to Violet. Unfortunately, it seems that these new Paradox Pokémon are Shiny locked in the Indigo Disk, too.
Pokémon Indigo Disk’s Map Size Compared To Teal Mask DLC & Paldea Region
The Indigo Disk is a substantial addition to Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, and it’s interesting to see just how it stacks up against what came before.
Paradox Pokémon are still a fairly new gimmick, so it’s possible Shiny versions will become event exclusives, Mystery Gifts, or added to future games in the series, similar to how returning Legendaries from past gens have been added to the Indigo Disk DLC. For now, however, it’s not possible to get Shiny versions of these Paradox Pokémon in-game. Shiny Paradox Pokémon were already extremely hard to get in the base games, so it’s sad that the new ones appear to be Shiny locked. Those looking to complete a collection of Shiny Paradox types won’t be able to do so.
What Other Pokémon Are Shiny Locked In Indigo Disk
At this time, it appears the only other Pokémon that are Shiny locked in Indigo Disk are Tera types. This seems to only apply for those fought during Tera Raids, as it may be possible to get Shiny Tera types that roam around the Terarium in the wild. It’s worth noting that Shiny Terastallized Pokémon were already pretty rare in Gen 9, so it’s always possible they exist in Indigo Disk and no one has found them. However, due to datamining and the DLC being out for almost a week, the chances of that seem unlikely.
To be clear, this means the known Shiny locked Pokémon for Indigo Disk are:
- Paradox Pokémon
- Tera Pokémon
- Legendaries
The common trait of all these Shiny-locked Pokémon is that they are static encounters (as in, their location, cutscene, etc. will not change and once caught or defeated, they will be gone for good). This has been a trend for locking Shinies in Pokémon games, so this is likely the best explanation for why these specific types of Indigo Disk Pokémon are Shiny locked.
The good news is that other new Gen 9 Pokémon like Hydrapple aren’t Shiny locked. So, while it’s certainly disappointing that so many types are unavailable in Shiny forms, there’s at least a bit of a silver lining. And there’s always the chance some of these Pokémon will be Shiny in later events or as Mystery Gifts, even if it’s in games released after Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
- Franchise
- Pokemon
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch
- Released
- November 18, 2022
- Developer(s)
- Game Freak
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo , The Pokemon Company
- Genre(s)
- RPG , Adventure , Action
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op , Online Multiplayer
- ESRB
- E
