Mass Outbreaks are back in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, but they're a bit different than in previous games. Now, Mass Outbreaks are much larger, with a higher chance of obtaining Pokemon with better stats, or even Shinies.

If you want to know everything there is to know about Mass Outbreaks in Scarlet and Violet, you've come to the right place. Below, we'll take a look at each mechanic involved in Mass Outbreaks, the chances to obtain Shiny Pokemon, and the best way to do so.

Updated January 12, 2023: We've updated this guide again to make a few things a bit clearer, so you can get back to hunting for Shinies in Mass Outbreaks as soon as possible. We've also included information on new Mass Outbreak Events.

What Are Mass Outbreaks?

Mass Outbreaks are large gatherings of a single type of Pokemon that can appear around Paldea, Kitakami, and the Terarium. Every day, new Outbreaks will appear, changing over at midnight. Outbreaks are marked on your map, either by an image of the target Pokemon, or a question mark if you haven't logged the Outbreak Pokemon in your Pokedex.

Mass Outbreaks appear as a group of around ten Pokemon at a time. More will appear as you either capture or defeat Pokemon in the Outbreak.

In any given Outbreak, you can encounter around 100 of a single Pokemon. As you defeat Pokemon in an Outbreak, more will appear, until you've fully cleared about 100 Pokemon. For every 20 to 30 Pokemon you defeat, a notification will appear letting you know that the Outbreak is decreasing in size, until you fully clear the Outbreak.

Typically, around ten Pokemon will appear on screen at once, but this can be increased using the Sandwich Encounter Power of the same type as the Pokemon in the Outbreak. Keep in mind, however, that this will not increase the total size of the Outbreak, just the number of Pokemon you can see at the same time.

You can't add Pokemon back into the Outbreak after you've started defeating them. However, you can turn off auto-save, manually save your game at the start of an Outbreak, then close and open your game back to this save later on, if you want to keep a particular Outbreak around for as long as possible.

How To Reset Mass Outbreaks

If you're hunting for a specific Pokemon, it can be frustrating to wait, sometimes days at a time, for it to appear in a Mass Outbreak. Luckily, there's a way around this.

By changing the time on your Switch, your Mass Outbreaks will be updated. To do this, go into your Switch's settings and find System, then go to Date and Time. Turn off the option to sync your time with the internet. Doing this will allow you to manually enter the date and time.

Now, simply move the time forward by a day, and new Mass Outbreaks will appear. You can even do this with the game still open to reduce load times.

Mass Outbreak Shiny Chances

As mentioned above, Mass Outbreaks can greatly increase your chances of finding Shiny Pokemon. The exact chances are detailed below.

The table below describes the exact Shiny chances at each threshold.

If you're using Sparkling Power level 3, the chances increase even further.

If defeating 60 Pokemon sounds time-consuming, don't worry. You can use the Let's Go! feature to quickly auto-battle through these encounters. Your Pokemon won't attack a Shiny using this feature, so you won't knock one out by accident.

These increased rates make Shiny hunting through Mass Outbreaks very efficient. Herba Mystica can be expensive, so think carefully before using Sparkling Power sandwiches for Mass Outbreaks.

This is also where saving and reloading becomes important, as you can effectively make one sandwich last until you find the Shiny you're looking for by reloading your save to before you ate the sandwich.

Mass Outbreak Events

Mass Outbreak Events are special, time-limited events that occasionally appear in the game. These will bring an increased chance to find a specific Pokemon for the duration of the event in Mass Outbreaks. Additionally, these Pokemon may have other special characteristics, like an increased chance to be Shiny or have a specific Mark.

Mass Outbreak Events appear on the map with glowing sparkles.

These events can range anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. If a Mass Outbreak Event pops up with a Pokemon you're interested in, you should definitely set aside some time to take part.