When Shiny Hunting in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, players have the opportunity to increase the beginning odds of 1/4096 by using various methods. From the Town and Picnic method used to reset the spawns of wild Pokémon. To the use of the Shiny Charm, a crucial reward gained by completing the Paldean Pokédex. Another great way of increasing your odds in encountering Shiny Pokémon is by using the sandwich making function through the Picnic feature. This is new to Scarlet and Violet and is crucial in Shiny Hunting specific Pokémon-Types. Using these in combination with specific Paldean locations will increase your chances massively. These are the best locations to find Shiny Dark Pokémon.
Best Places to Find Shiny Dark Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet
| Dark-Type Pokémon | Shiny Location in Paldea |
| Maschiff | South Province (Area Two), you can find a large amount of Maschiff Pokémon right outside of Cortondo. Exit out of Cortondo (East) and follow the north-east path where you will find Maschiff in the nearby olive fields. |
| Houndour | Inlet Grotto cave system where you met Koraidon/Miraidon at the beginning of the game. You can enter this area via Poco Path Lighthouse in southern Paldea. |
| Bombirdier | Found on the outskirts of Medali Town. Just south of exit West of the Town. |
| Murkrow | Found in the same spot as Bombirdier. We recommend using the Town Method in Medali (West) entrance to re-enter West Province (Area Three). This Pokémon will spawn in the close proximity of the Town. Can also be found in Tagtree Thicket Forest. |
| Mabosstiff/ Zorua | North of Medali (in West Province Area Three). Bombirdier, Maschiff, Mabosstiff and Zorua can be found in this area. You can use the Town Method alongside auto-battling a minimum of 60 wild Pokémon in the area to increase your odds further of finding the Shiny Pokémon. |
| Zoroark | On Gracia Stone (above Casseroya Lake). Near the central body of water in the area by North Paldean Sea. Locate this via the brown area of Gracia Stone on the map. |
| Sandile/ Krokorok | Found in the center of Asado Desert. Look out for tiny Sandile heads poking out of the sand. Circle the rock formations for these two Pokémon. |
| Umbreon | Found in Alfornado (South Province Area Six) Caves. Due to its rarity, we recommend using the Day Skip mechanic. |
| Impidimp | Impidimp can be found in Tagtree Thicket. Between East Province (Area Three) and Glaseado Mountains. |
| Sneasal/ Weavile | Glaseado Mountains. Use the Glaseado Mountain Pokémon Centre as the specific spot to fast-travel to. Sneasal will appear directly outside of the Centre. Go through the area slowly to spot any Shiny Weavile. Another location for Weavile is at Zapipico, fast-travel to the West entrance. Use the Town Method in Dalizapa Passage and Zapipico to reset the spawns. |
| Lokix | Head to the Glaseado Mountain Watchtower, Lokix can be found in close proximity to the Tower. Go down the path heading down the mountain side where you will find many Lokix. |
| Pawniard/ Bisharp | North Province (Area Two) Bamboo Forest. Sweep the Forest for both Pokémon. You can use the Town Method via the Pokémon Centre. |
| Stunky/ Stuntank | West Province (Area Two) directly underneath Casseroya Lake. Follow the Lake edge, between the Lake and the River south of here. Sweep and repeat this path to reset spawns or alternatively, use the Picnic Method as a faster means of spawn reset. |
| Sableye | Predominately found inside Alfornado Caves. In the Forest we recommend using the Picnic Reset method. Can also be found via Casseroya Lake Watchtower One, inside the Cave area of the rocky biome in West Province (Area Two). |
| Spirttomb | Can be found right on the western edge of Glaseado Mountain, overlooking Casseroya Lake. Due to only one spawning in at a time, you must knock out the Pokémon and execute a Day Skip (manually save beforehand). |
| Iron Jugulis (Violet) | Enter Area Zero and just off. Fly into the central Crystal Formations. Look over to the Rock Formation next to where you are standing and many Iron Jugulis will appear here. You can reset this spawn simply by walking to the other side of the Crystal platform and returning. |
| Deino (Scarlet) | Spawns in Alfornado Cave systems. |
Related: Best Locations to Find Shiny Water-Type Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet.
Best Sandwich Recipes to Use to Locate Shiny Dark Pokémon
| Dark-Type Pokémon | Best Sandwich Recipes to Use |
| Maschiff | Dark Sandwich – x1 Smoked Fillet, x1 Salty Herba Mystica, x1 Sweet/Sour/Spicy Herba Mystica. |
| Houndour | Dark Sandwich |
| Bombirdier | Flying Sandwich – x1 Prosciutto, x1 Salty Herba Mystica & x1 Sweet/Spicy/Sour Herba Mystica. |
| Murkrow | Flying Sandwich |
| Zorua | Dark Sandwich |
| Zoroark | Dark Sandwich |
| Sandile/ Krokorok | Ground Sandwich – x1 Ham, x1 Salty Herba Mystica & x1 Spicy/Sour/Spicy Herba Mystica. |
| Umbreon | Dark Sandwich |
| Impidimp | Fairy Sandwich – x1 Tomato, x1 Salty Herba Mystica & x1 Spicy Herba Mystica (Simple) or x1 Tomato, x1 Cheese, x1 Egg, x1 Salty Herba Mystica & x1 Sweet/Spicy/Sour Herba Mystica (Intermediate) |
| Sneasel/ Weavile | Dark Sandwich Ice Sandwich – x1 Klawf Stick, x1 Salty Herba Mystica & x1 Spicy/Sour Herba Mystica (Simple) or x1 Klawf Stick, x1 Cheese, x1 Salty Herba Mystica & x1 Spicy/Sour/Sweet Herba Mystica (Intermediate) |
| Lokix | Bug Sandwich – x1 Potato Salad, x1 Salty Herba Mystica & x1 Sweet/Spicy Herba Mystica (Simple) or x1 Potato Salad, x1 Cheese, x1 Salty Herba Mystica & x1 Sweet/ Spicy/ Sour (Intermediate) |
| Pawniard/ Bisharp | Steel Sandwich – x1 Hamburger, x1 Salty Herba Mystica & x1 Sweet/Sour/Spicy Herba Mystica. |
| Stunky/ Stuntank | Poison Sandwich – x1 Noodles, x1 Salty Herba Mystica & x1 Spicy/Sour/Spicy Herba Mystica. |
| Sableye | Ghost Sandwich – x1 Red Onion, x1 Salty Herba Mystica & x1 Spicy/Sour Herba Mystica (Simple) or x1 Red Onion, x1 Cheese, x1 Herbed Sausage, x1 Salty Herba Mystica & x1 Sweet/ Spicy/ Sour Herba Mystica (Intermediate) |
| Spiritomb | Ghost Sandwich |
| Iron Jugulis (Violet) | Dark Sandwich |
| Deino (Scarlet) | Dark Sandwich |
Best Methods to Increase Shiny Odds
Town Method
To use the Town Method all you have to do is head to a Town/City following the exact locations listed above when searching for a specific Shiny Dark Pokémon. Upon entry, you will see the pop-up that you have entered this area. When leaving the area, you will see the Passage/Province you have walked into. This invisible line acts as a spawn reset. By returning to the Town/City you will reset the spawns of the Pokémon right outside of the area. This way will massively increase your chances of encountering a Shiny when done with Shiny Sandwiches.
Shiny Sandwiches
Shiny Sandwiches are a new method to Shiny Hunt. They allow you to create specific Pokémon-Type sandwiches to increase your chances of encountering that Typing. All you have to do is gather ingredients, purchasable in stalls: Deli Cioso, Artisan Bakery and Sure Cans, open the Picnic in the wild and make a sandwich. All Shiny Sandwiches require Herba Mystica however, so this process is best used in the post-game as you can farm Herba Mystica in 5- and 6-Star Raids. Sandwiches can be made using the Picnic function in Scarlet and Violet. Its effects last for 30 minutes at a time.
Picnic Reset
The Picnic Reset Method can be done by setting up a Picnic in the vicinity of the specific Dark-Type Pokémon locations listed above. If you stand in the central area and place a Picnic, you can use this as a means of resetting the spawn around you. What you need to do first however is auto-battle and knock out a minimum of 60 Pokémon in the area to force the spawns to reset and increase your odds of finding the specific Shiny Pokémon you are looking for. Once done, place down your Picnic and close it immediately. Spawns will reset, check the area and repeat if no Shiny is found.
Shiny Charm
This Charm can be obtained through completing the Paldean Pokédex. Once done, you will receive the Charm as a reward from Mr. Jacq in the Academy. This is the best way to get those numbers down and increase the odds however its process is much longer than that of using the Town and Picnic Methods.
Day Skip
This goes hand in hand with the Picnic Reset Method if you are looking for a Pokémon which is much harder to reset their spawns. This can be used for targeting a specific Mass Outbreak or by resetting a single spawn Pokémon. What you need to do here is set up a Picnic, use the specific Type Sandwich to increase encountering odds and then manually save your game (turn off auto-save). Then, open your Switch Home Screen and manually change the Date and Time by moving the date to a day forward. If you do not get the Mass Outbreak you were expecting, or the reset you wanted, exit the game and reopen to get a different spawn. Repeat until the Pokémon you are looking for is found.
We hope our list of the best locations to encounter specific Shiny Dark-Type Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet was useful. Remember to use both the Town Method and specific Sandwich recipes to target the Dark-Type Pokémon in Paldea. If you are looking for more Scarlet and Violet articles, feel free to check out our related articles of Top 7 Strongest Generation 9 Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet, Ranked or Top 10 Weakest Generation 9 Pokémon, Ranked. You can also check out our Facebook for all the latest gaming content.
