This is a bit of a beginners guide for those, like me, who had a hard time understanding the garbled muk (lol pun) that people spewed when trying to explain to me how the Poke radar worked. I normally wouldn't even bother with this, but since the Radar has made a startling return in X and Y, I feel it's necessary to share my findings on how this works in the newer games. As there are some slight, but very important differences.
So, first off,
what is a Poke Radar?? A poke radar is a device that can be used to find the same species Pokemon one after another in a row. This only works in grassy areas and cannot be used for caves, water, etc... When used, several patches of grass around the player will shake. Each of these patches will usually contain a different Pokemon. When you run into the shaking grass a battle will start. If you catch or faint the Pokemon in the battle the grass will shake again and if you run into the correct patch another of the same Pokemon you just fought should appear. This will continue until you step out of the grassy area, or accidentally run into a different Pokemon. This system is referred to as Chaining.
Why would you want to chain? The reason chaining is such a wonderful this is that, after chaining 40 of the same Pokemon in a row, your chances of finding a shiny Pokemon are now 1/200 instead of the usual 1/8,192. In other words, it makes finding shiny Pokemon much easier.
What IS a shiny Pokemon?For those who don't already know, A shiny Pokemon is a Pokemon that is a different color from the normal ones. Such as an orange Pikachu, a gold Vulpix, or a purple Ducklett. Shiny Pokemon are extremely rare and very sought after. They do not give you any advantages, (Other than bragging rights) but they look really cool and having one is a lot of fun. :>
How DO I chain? Well, unfortunately, this is where it gets a tad bit complicated. Chaining sounds easy at first, but you will soon find out it is not. If you are interested in chaining then there are first, a few items you're going to need.
Poke Radar- This is self explanatory. In order to chain you NEED the radar. Can't do without. In X and Y you can only get the radar after beating the Pokemon league. Once you do that, go to the professor's lab in Lumiose city. On the second floor, next to the floating poke balls one of the aid's will give it to you.
Repels- You are going to need a TON of these. I suggest going with super repels, they give you more steps than regular repels and are more cost effective than max repels. I suggest having anywhere from 100-200 of these if your only looking for one shiny Pokemon.
Poke balls- Also an obvious one, you can't catch Pokemon without them. I suggest having Quick balls, Ultra balls, Level balls if the Pokemon is a much lower level, or repeat balls if it's a Pokemon you've caught previously. Also, Dusk balls can be useful if you're playing at night.
Strong Team- You're going to need a team with a lot of PP for their moves and moves that can one hit the Pokemon you are chaining, otherwise it will take MUCH longer to get to the 40 chain. If you are going after an Electric type, I HIGHLY suggest that you have a Pokemon with the ability static at the front of your party, as it gives you a 50% higher chance of running into electric types. This is the same with Magnet Pull for steel types. :>
Ethers or Leppa Berries- During all this chaining your Pokemon's PP might get low even if they have a lot of it. I suggest having some item on hand that can restore it. Ethers are nice, but they're not too easy to come by. So I suggest planting a ton of Leppa berries in the farm on route 7, and harvesting them later.
So about Chaining... Oh right. Got a bit carried away with the items there. Mkay, now that you have all the essentials, it's time to chain. The first things you need to know are as follows:
THE GRID:
X 4 4 4 X 4 4 4 X
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
X 3 2 1 P 1 2 3 X
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
X 4 4 4 X 4 4 4 X
Mkay, so, the grid.
This represents the ideal grassy area. Most of the time you want to go into the largest grassy area you can find. The bigger the better in this case. So the P on the grid is the player, you in other words. The numbers are the grass squares and how far away from you they are. Shaking grass will only show up within this grid. They will never go farther than 4 and will never shake beneath your feet. So, 1 is right next to and around you while 4 is the farthest away. This Grid is IMPORTANT. You MUST remember it! The reason why is simple. In order to get the best chain results and not run into unwanted Pokemon you should almost always go into shaking grass that's 4 away from you! If you go into the 1, 2, or 3 patches there is a chance they will break your chain.
What are the Xs?
The X marks on the grid are places that, despite being in the 4 aways, are still likely to break your chain, it is best to avoid these if your chain is pretty high.
Resetting the Radar.
This was a grey area for me at the very beginning. A lot of people mentioned resetting the Radar, but never said how to do that. It is actually very simple. If all the grass shakes and you don't see any patches you like, then you can easily just run in the grass for 50 steps. Doing this will completely recharge the radar, and you can use it again without breaking your chain. The grass will shake in different spots that might be better then the ones before. You can actually do this as often as you want without worrying about the chain breaking, unless of course you accidentally run into a shaking grass while recharging the radar. I've done this before, often, it's very aggravating.
Shaking grasses.
So This is a very X and Y specific thing that I noticed. I can't be sure that this is true, but from my personal experience it seems to be correct. When chaining in X and Y the grass will shake at different rates. Some with shake very fast, slowly, or just normally. While chaining NEVER step into the slowly shaking grass, even if it is at the perfect spot. It will ALWAYS break your chain with a message saying there was no Pokemon there to begin with. You should almost always strive to go into the grass that shakes very quickly. This will almost always be the Pokemon your chaining for. So if you want the best way to chain I suggest going into the grass that are 4 away and shake a bunch. If they shake regularly they MIGHT be the Pokemon you want, but sometimes won't be.
Be weary of edges and Corners!
Edges, often the end of the grass or up against objects, will sometimes break your chain for no reason. Other times if you are in a corner, there will not be enough grass for the radar to make shake. So you will end up not getting any shaking grass at all, breaking the chain immediately. These spots are to be avoided if possible.
After hitting chain 40.
After you hit 40, your chances will be at the best they can be for finding a shiny. After this DO NOT chain any further. Just keep resetting your radar until a shiny appears. There is no merit in chaining more than 40 and it might break your chain.
How do I know if I've found a shiny?
If you've found a shiny you will probably know, but outside of battle the shaking grass with a shiny will make a sound and glitter quite obviously. When in battle the Pokemon will sparkle and be a different color than the regular ones.
Tips? My tips for chaining are as follows:
1. Never step directly behind you if you can help it. Often times that grass behind you might shake and you won't see it, this will most times give you a Pokemon you don't want, and break your chain.
2. Take lots of breaks. If your chain breaks and you get frustrated, go get something to eat. Take a walk, do something else. When you come back you'll feel better and refreshed. I always find I enjoy chaining more if I take small breaks occasionally.
3. Always pay attention. If you make one miss your going to end up in a grass patch you don't want. I suggest having very little distractions when chaining, some light music is fine, but you should also have the 3DS sound on to make sure you can hear the shiny grass when it pops up.
4. I can't stress this one enough, TAKE YOUR TIME. If you rush you will make mistakes. It's best to take it slow and not get too ahead of yourself. I end up breaking my chain much more often when I'm rushing to get to 40.
Questions?
If you have any questions or think I may have missed something in this guide then feel free to PM me or leave a comment below. I'll do my best to get back to you as soon as I can.
