Pokemon Legends Arceus - How to get a Shiny Lucario

Lucario is now one of the most well-known Pokemon out there, whose popularity has only grown since being first introduced in the film Lucario and the Mystery of Mew. As well as being a Smash Bros veteran, Lucario has been a mainstay of the Pokemon franchise for many years. Popularity polls generally have Lucario in the top 10 of all Pokemon, underlining its legendary status.

As a result, one of the most sought-after Pokemon in Pokemon Legends: Arceus is a Shiny Lucario, who can present a tricky challenge to find and catch. But rest assured, our Shiny Lucario guide will provide you with the best change of catching this elusive Pokemon.

Here’s everything you need to know about how to get a shiny Lucario in Pokemon Legends: Arceus.

What is the difference between Lucario and Shiny Lucario?

To be honest, nothing much. The only major difference between the two is the colour palette and there is nothing that translates to a gameplay benefit.

The Shiny Lucario swaps much of the typical blue colour to a yellow, and represents a far rarer and therefore sought-after version of the popular Fighting/Steel type Pokemon.

I’ve actually seen a few people comment that the Shiny Lucario variation isn’t as nice as the standard Lucario, so check out its picture first before deciding whether you actually wish to dedicate your hours to this time-consuming endeavour. But if you’re here in the first place, the chances are you already know what you want.

How to get a Shiny Lucario in Pokemon Legends: Arceus

As with most Shinies, there are only a few ways Shiny Lucario can be obtained.

Encountering a Shiny Lucario in a Mass Outbreak

Catching Shiny Lucario out in the wild
Catching a Shiny Riolu and evolving it into a Shiny Lucario

None of these offer a silver bullet, and unfortunately the Shiny Lucario is a tough one to catch whichever method you employ. There are more details below surrounding each of these different options.

Where to find a Shiny Lucario in Pokemon Legends: Arceus

There are only two places Lucario appears in the wild, which are both in Alabaster Islands:

Snowfall Hot Spring area, in the north-west area of Alabaster Islands
Icebond Falls, in the southern area of Alabaster Islands

These are also the places a wild Riolu may appear, which is the Pokemon that evolves into Lucario, meaning your slim chances are at least boosted by this option.

If you happen to come across a Shiny Riolu, you are advised to catch this instead as you never know when the Shiny Lucario will appear. Once you have a Shiny Riolu, evolve it into a Shiny Lucario by increasing to a high friendship level and then evolving during the daytime. This will likely be a far faster process – and more certain – than trying again for the Shiny Lucario.

You can increase friendship level by providing items, battling and levelling up, as well as using your Riolu to obtain resources in the wild. However, do not allow your Riolu to be KO’d as this will reduce your friendship level!

Chances of encountering a Shiny Lucario

Here’s the bad news – the odds of stumbling upon a Lucario and pretty slim to begin with, meaning your odds of a Shiny are even worse.

The odds of encountering a Shiny Lucario are 1 in 4,096. This mirrors the odds of other Shiny encounters.
If you reach Research Level 10 for Lucario, those odds will be slashed in half to 1 in 2,048.

Furthermore, if you obtain the Shiny Charm this will drop again to 1 in 819.
If you get a perfect Pokedex entry for Lucario then this is improved again to around 1 in 141
Whilst in a Mass Outbreak, the odds with all of the above conditions met become 1 in 128

Technically, if we account for the possibility of Lucario or Riolu then the actual chance will be around 1 in 64

If you are struggling, simply aim to get perfect Pokedex entries for both Lucario and Riolu, which will give you significantly better, albeit still slim, odds of ending up with a Shiny Lucario.

Tips to increase your chances of catching a Shiny Lucario

Here are the most important practical tips to bear in mind on your hunt for a Shiny Lucario in Pokemon Legends: Arceus.

Obtain the Shiny Charm

The first, most important tip is to obtain the Shiny Charm, which will boost your chances of encountering shiny Pokemon in general. Unfortunately, this is no mean feat to obtain. You must complete the Pokedex by reaching Research Level 10 for every Pokemon.

Once this is done, head to Jubilife Village and speak to Professor Laventon in Galaxy Hall, where you will finally be rewarded with the Shiny Charm.

You don’t actually need to equip the charm – it will appear as a key item and automatically increase your Shiny odds.

Head for Mass Outbreaks

The good thing about Mass Outbreaks is that you can monitor when one is taking place. Whenever you leave Jubilife City you will be notified if a Mass Outbreak is taking place.

These offer the best chance of getting a Shiny Lucario, so head to the location in question and start hunting around.

Obtain perfect Pokedex entries for Lucario and Riolu

As discussed above, your odds are significantly better if you have the Shiny Charm, plus perfect Pokedex entries. Whilst Research Level 10 also gives you a boost, the perfect entry will give you the biggest one. Since we don’t mind getting a Shiny Riolu and evolving it, then get perfect Pokedex entries for both, in order to give you two solid opportunities to catch the shiny you need.

Conclusion

A Shiny Lucario is an extremely rare Pokemon and the steps required to make your odds better will all take a significant amount of time.

There’s no real shortcut, and you will definitely require some patience and good luck. But at the end, you should eventually get your hands on that precious Shiny Lucario.

Hopefully this Pokemon Legends: Arceus Shiny Lucario guide has everything you need. Please comment below if you have any other tips that have helped obtain a Shiny Lucario.