A Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Shiny hunter’s worst fear came true while hunting in the caves of Area Zero, but their quick reflexes turned a potential failure into a daring rescue.
Hunting for Shiny Pokemon is a unique experience in Scarlet & Violet. Gone are the days of random encounters and soft resetting; players just have to roam around and wait for one to pop in. While this sounds identical to Pokemon Legends Arceus, it’s actually a lot riskier.
In Pokemon Legends Arceus, every Pokemon’s Shininess is determined when the world is loaded in. But in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, a Pokemon’s Shininess is determined when it spawns. This also means that a Shiny Pokemon that leaves the player’s render distance will despawn completely.
And in a diverse region like Paldea, the topography is cause for concern, especially since Pokemon can spawn behind walls, out of bounds, and even teetering on the edge of a cliff. And this becomes frighteningly apparent when exploring the caves of Area Zero.
Player throws self off cliff to save Shiny Iron Valiant
Players who have spent any amount of time in the depth of Area Zero know how concerning the spawns can be. Pokemon almost constantly spawn on or near the edge of cliffs, some sliding to their doom before they can walk a single step.
And for Shiny hunters, this can be a nightmare. It’s all they can do to hope a Shiny doesn’t spawn on the edge and fall out of their render distance. But for Reddit user gujosh, this fear became a reality.
In a video captioned “well that was scary,” gujosh was riding Miraidon around the caves of Area Zero, hunting for Shiny Iron Valiant. And as they rode past Research Station 4, an all-silver Iron Valiant popped in… and promptly jumped to the lowest regions of Area Zero.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
But in the knick of time, gujosh and Miraidon leaped off the cliff in pursuit of the Shiny Pokemon. And to Josh’s relief, the Iron Valiant stayed within his render distance, keeping it from despawning.
“Good reactions saved you there. GGs,” one user commented. “So you ‘fell’ for it huh,” another joked. Gujosh replied, “And I’d fall for it again.”
Shiny Pokemon are fairly rare, and players value them because of the difficult practice of Shiny hunting. So, to see one ripped away from a trainer due to poor spawning mechanics is heartbreaking. Luckily, gujosh’s daring acrobatics ensure this wasn’t the ‘one that got away’.