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Mass Outbreaks are a returning feature with new wrinkles in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. They’re a way to farm for materials, XP, or Shiny Pokemon and the new Let’s Go feature can make grinding a breeze. These special events appear in random locations each day, spawning 120 of a single type of Pokemon on a certain spot. The icon on your map will be a Pokemon (or ??? if you’ve never encountered the Pokemon before) with a red glow. The Mass Outbreaks don’t look too special, but if you wade in deep enough, you’ll definitely see the area completely swarming with a single Pokemon type.
Learn all about how you can use Mass Outbreaks in the guide below. They’re not just for farming shiny Pokemon.
More Pokemon Scarlet & Violet guides:
Beginner’s Guide | Combat Tips | All Version Exclusive Pokemon | All Version Exclusive Features | All New Pokemon | All New Evolution Methods | Which Starter To Pick First | Best Gym Leader Order | How To Breed Pokemon | How To Unlock Evolution Stones | Pre-Order Bonuses | How To Catch Shiny Pokemon | Best Shiny Chances | How To Get A Starter Pikachu | Where To Catch Eevee & All Evolution Methods | Where To Catch Ditto | How To Catch & Evolve Charcadet
How To Find Mass Outbreaks
Mass Outbreaks are random locations where a specific (randomly chosen) Pokemon will spawn in great numbers — you’ll find 120 in the area. They’ll just keep spawning until you’ve wiped them all out through battles or catching. Making them flee will not count toward the total.
- To spot a Mass Outbreak event, check your map by pressing [Y] — the Mass Outbreak event will look like a Pokemon Symbol or a“???” Symbol if the spawning Pokemon is not in your Pokedex.
- The event will also feature a soft red glow on the map icon.
Events will spawn in random locations daily and will stay until the daily reset or until the Pokemon are defeated. 120 Pokemon of the same type will spawn at the location. They’re always marked on your map, and a message pop-up will alert you when new Mass Outbreaks have occurred.
What Are Mass Outbreaks For?
Why visit a Mass Outbreak? There are multiple reasons — and even more in Scarlet & Violet.
- Mass Outbreaks can give you fast XP. Visiting a Mass Outbreak in a high-level area makes farming for XP easy. Select a Pokemon that is strong against the Mass Outbreak Pokemon, then use the Let’s Go feature to auto-battle.
- Press [RB] to send out your lead Pokemon and target enemies in the wild. This will initiate auto-battles.
- Auto-battling also makes grinding for resources easier. Mass Outbreaks spawn 120 Pokemon of the same type, making hunting much easier because you can focus on defeating a single type and using type advantages in your favor. Send out your Pokemon and start cleaning up.
- Naturally, you can also catch the Pokemon in the Mass Outbreak event. If it is a Pokemon you don’t have, you have 120 chances to catch it.
- The most important reason for most players to fight Mass Outbreaks is for the Shiny Chances. By defeating more Pokemon during a Mass Outbreak, you’ll exponentially increase your odds of seeing a Shiny Pokemon.
- Defeat 20-30 Pokemon: Get x2 Shiny Chances. Goes from 1-in-4096 to 1-in-2048. Increases your chances of seeing a Shiny Pokemon by 50%.
- Defeat 50-60 Pokemon: Get x3 Shiny Chances. Increases Shiny Chances to 1-in-1366.
And the Shiny Charm you earn by completing the Paldea Pokedex gives an additional +2x to your odds. Even better, you can use Let’s Go to autobattle and grind battles. Your Let’s Go Pokemon will not attack Shiny Pokemon in the wild. Seriously.