Are starter Pokémon shiny locked in Pokémon Legends: Arceus?

A shiny version of a Pokémon is one of the most sought-after forms in the game, and you can capture dozens of them in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. You might encounter one while exploring the overworld, and when you do, we highly recommend going out of your way to capturing it. When you initially start the game, you’ll receive one of three starting Pokémon that will aid you in your adventure. Can your starter Pokémon be shiny in Pokémon Legends: Arceus?

From multiple experiences, it looks like the starter Pokémon you select at the beginning of the game is shiny locked. It means no matter how many times you attempt to restart the game or try to select the Pokémon you want at the beginning, you cannot obtain the shiny version. Some players try to reset their Pokémon games to ensure their starter is shiny, and while some Pokémon games allow it, Pokémon Legends will not.

While your initial starter Pokémon cannot be shiny, these Pokémon are not shiny locked for your adventure. For example, when you complete the main story of Pokémon Legends, there’s a chance for you to encounter these Pokémon in the wild in space-time distortions, which means you might find a shiny version running around.

If you want to begin your adventure with these Pokémon as shiny versions, it looks like you’ll have to complete the game to capture them. After that, you can start a new game, sharing the shiny starter Pokémon you caught with your new game file.