Pokemon Sword & Shield “cheating” Shiny hunting tool resurfaces & fans are furious
The Pokemon Company / Game FreakA Pokemon Sword & Shield tool that allows players to hatch eggs automatically has sparked a debate among fans, with some claiming it’s “cheating” and gives an unfair advantage when Shiny hunting.
Egg breeding and hatching have always been one of the main ways to hunt for Shiny Pokemon as it’s a quicker method than trying to run into one in the wild. Throw a male and female of the same ‘mon in the Day Care (or one and a Ditto), wait, and you’ll get an egg. It can take hundreds, even thousands, of eggs, and constantly breeding and hatching can be tedious and tiresome.
There is a tool that eliminates that in Sword & Shield, though, automatically pressing the right buttons so you just have to sit back and wait until you get a Shiny rather than doing it yourself. While it’s not hacking per-se, some players are frustrated and angry, calling them “illegitimate” and “no effort.”
Pokemon Sword & Shield “cheating” Shiny hunting tool
On August 8, Reddit user Specialist-Walrus864 posted their newest purchase to the r/PokemonSwordAndShield subreddit. “Shinies, here I come. I ordered one, got 6,” they wrote, alongside a photo of the ‘Switch Up Game Enhancer.’
The tool works with multiple games, including Fortnite (which seems like a whole other debate in itself), but one of its main advertised uses is to make Shiny hatches easier in the Gen VIII title by using automatic button presses to move and skip dialogue.
- Read More: When is Pokemon Unite coming to mobile?
It can also generate Max Raid Watts, farm Raid Dens, auto-spin for Milcery evolutions, and more. It’s not new, though, and has been around since at least 2019.
While some commenters were intrigued as to how the third-party product works and many were in support of the tool, others were furious that the Trainer wasn’t going to play unaided.
“What’s the point in shiny hunting if there is no effort in getting the shiny…” one person wrote. “that thing is taking away the fun of shiny hunting,” said another.
“if you’re into collecting shinies what’s the point of this? They’re meant to be rare and take a lot of grinding, that’s the whole appeal,” someone else argued.
RedditThe OP later replied to detractors. “I’m still spending lots of time catching and breeding the parents to get the stats I want before farming for a shiny. I have kept all my Surprise Trades in their own box and don’t use them for my Living Dex I’m making on Home.” they said.
“…So don’t worry yourselves, it’s still going to take some effort to get a shiny, so I will totally still get satisfaction out of having one.”