Pokémon Legends: Arceus basically gives you a shiny Ponyta

Look, some of us just aren’t built for shiny hunting. We’re impatient and just like to throw Poké Balls with reckless abandon. I wish I had the wherewithal to grind for shiny Pokémon: I would love to have a rare color variety by my side, a symbol of my dedication and love for the Pokémon franchise.

But alas, I don’t have that patience. I like to run wildly around the world and I often scare off Pokémon, which is not good for shiny hunting. But, there is good for me and people like me. Pokémon Legends: Arceus basically gives players a shiny Ponyta for free — no real grinding required. With only some effort, we can have a Ponyta with a glowing blue mane in our Pokémon lineup. It may not give the same satisfaction as grinding for hours for a rare hue, but it works for me.

How to get a shiny Ponyta

Here’s how to grab your very own shiny Ponyta: A few hours into the game, a side quest (called a request in-game) will pop up on the Professor’s community board. It’s labeled as the 19th request: “A Peculiar Ponyta.” Once you’ve found Yota, the request-haver, in Jubilife Village, he’ll tell you about a weird Ponyta in the Horsehoe Plains. The weird thing about it? Its mane is firey blue instead of the regular red. Head out to Horseshoe Plains and look for the Ponyta; you’ll want to sneak up on it so it doesn’t run way.

Catch the shiny Ponyta if you can — but it’s not the end of the world if it runs away. You can go back to the village and come back to Horseshoe Plains, and it’ll be back. Once you’ve caught the Pokémon and returned to Yota, he’ll let you keep the Ponyta and give you five Razz Berries, which either restore Pokémon HP or make wild Pokémon a bit easier to catch. What a generous guy!