Symbol encounter

From Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon encyclopedia.

The subject of this article has no official English name.
The name currently in use is the official English translation of the Japanese name.

Concept art from theLet's Go, Pikachu and Eevee! Super Music Collection

Asymbol encounter (Japanese:シンボルエンカウントsymbol encounter)^[1] is a type ofwild Pokémon encounter introduced inPokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, in which a wild Pokémon can be seen walking around in the overworld.

Unlike most wild encounters in previouscore series games, a battle can be avoided by not making contact with the Pokémon in the overworld, similarly tophenomena andambush encounters.

Differences between games

Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!

This section is incomplete.
Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it.

InPokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, all regular wild encounters are symbol encounters.

Shiny symbol encounter Pokémon are visibly Shiny in the overworld.

Pokémon Sword and Shield

InPokémon Sword and Shield, symbol encounters can have different responses to the player's presence. Upon noticing the player, a Pokémon may do one of the following depending on its species:

Flee from the player, disappearing if it evades the player for long enough. This behavior is denoted by sweat drops emerging from the Pokémon.
Ignore the player and resume its regular activity.
Approach the player and greet them repeatedly with its cry and a species-specific animation. If ignored for long enough, it will return to its regular activity. This behavior is denoted by a speech bubble with a question mark "?" appearing above the Pokémon before it approaches.
Pursue the player and attempt to force them into a battle. This behavior is denoted by a speech bubble with an exclamation mark "!" appearing above the Pokémon before it approaches.

In Pokémon Sword and Shield, if the player knocks out a Pokémon, there is a 50% chance^[2] that the next symbol encounter the game generates will be of the same species and form as that defeated Pokémon, as long as it is possible for that species and form to appear as a symbol encounter.^[3]^[4]

Depending on the number of encounters the player has with a particular species, it has a chance of appearing in the overworld as aBrilliant Pokémon. Brilliant Pokémon visibly have a golden aura in the overworld, with only one Brilliant Pokémon being able to appear at a time. Brilliant Pokémon are the highest possible level in the possible level range, know anEgg Move (if possible), have at least two perfectIVs, and are more likely to be Shiny.

Shiny symbol encounter Pokémon are not visibly Shiny in the overworld—the player can only tell if a Pokémon is Shiny after they encounter it.

Due to a bug, all overworld symbol encounters are forced to have a 1:1gender ratio, excluding species that are 100% male, 100% female, orgender unknown.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl

InPokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, symbol encounters exclusively occur in theGrand Underground. Whenever the player enters aPokémon Hideaway, several symbol encounter Pokémon will be present, roaming the hideaway. New Pokémon will only spawn when the player leaves and re-enters the area—they do not spawn while the player is inside the hideaway.

If the player crosses a symbol encounter Pokémon's line of sight, it will notice the player (indicated by an "!" above it) and chase the player down, until the player leaves its line of sight and it resumes wandering.

Shiny symbol encounter Pokémon are not visibly Shiny in the overworld—the player can only tell if a Pokémon is Shiny after they encounter it.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus

InPokémon Legends: Arceus, all regular wild encounters are replaced with symbol encounters. Unlike other games with symbol encounters, walking into a wild Pokémon will not start an encounter. Instead, players can choose to start a battle with the wild Pokémon by throwing one of their Pokémon at the wild Pokémon, or players can choose to avoid battle entirely and catch the Pokémon without entering a wild encounter. When wild Pokémon spot the player, it is likely that they will either attack the player or attempt to flee. The specific behavior of the wild Pokémon depends on its species. If a wild Pokémon that will attack the player spots the player, they will almost always become immune toPoké Balls until they are either stunned by items such asSpoiled Apricorns or the player starts a battle with the wild Pokémon.

Alpha Pokémon have glowing red eyes while still wild, and have special music for when the player is nearby. Wild Alpha Pokémon will always attack the player instead of running away. Some Alpha Pokémon are pre-determined and will periodically respawn in the same place, though all wild Pokémon have a low chance of becoming Alpha Pokémon after calming the Noble Pokémon in the map's section. When the player starts a battle with a wild Alpha Pokémon, they have special music and are "filled with wild might", which increases their stats and reduces damage from effects such asstatus conditions and moves such asStealth Rock.

Shiny Pokémon appear in the overworld in their Shiny coloring. A sound effect plays when one spawns, along with the typical Shiny sparkle effect. When a battle starts, both the audio cue and visual effect play again, and an icon indicating the Pokémon is Shiny is displayed next to its name. Example of the audio cue can be found below:

ByDiflic

This video is not available on Bulbapedia; instead, you can watch the video on YouTubehere.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

This section is incomplete.
Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it.
Reason: Add more information about the Let's Go! mechanic, including Experience rates, and if the drop rates forTM Materials differ depending on if the Let's Go! mechanic is used.
Add more information about what dictates whether a Pokémon will defeat a symbol encounter in an Auto Battle, as well as if different Pokémon have a different radius for Auto Battles.

InPokémon Scarlet and Violet, all regular wild encounters continue to be one of several types of symbol encounters:

Wild encounters - Wild Pokémon that spawn randomly depending on the player's location and biome
Fixed encounters - Predetermined wild Pokémon that spawn daily at a fixed location (e.g. Wild Tera Pokémon)

Static (or "scripted") encounters are not considered symbol encounters, despite appearing in the overworld. These are special, predetermined Pokémon at a fixed location that must be interacted with to begin the encounter (e.g. Chest FormGimmighoul,Titan Pokémon,Legendary Pokémon, etc.), which differentiates them from fixed encounters which can be encountered simply by running into them.

Like inPokémon Sword and Shield, walking into a wild Pokémon will start an encounter, though the battle will take place within the same overworld environment, like withPokémon Legends: Arceus.Shiny Pokémon will appear in the overworld in their Shiny coloring, but the sound effect and accompanying visual effect will only occur once an encounter is initiated. Static encounters cannot be Shiny, fixed encounters are unaffected byShiny Charm and Meal Powers provided bySandwiches, and neither can naturally generate withMarks/Titles (Except the Titan Mark).

Using theZR button, a player can throw their leading Pokémon'sPoké Ball at a symbol encounter to begin a battle. Hitting a Pokémon from behind with this method will stun the Pokémon, which prevents them from doing any action in the first turn of the battle. A player can press theZL button to lock the camera onto a symbol encounter, allowing them to see the name andlevel of the Pokémon. All of these details will be obscured if the player has not seen the targeted Pokémon in theirPokédex. This is sometimes necessary to encounter specific Pokémon that may appear underwater, or at great heights that the player cannot reach. If the player has acquired the Lock on upgrade from theLeague Club Room, the player will also be able to see the size type of the Pokémon as well as if it has a mark.

If the player is ridingKoraidon orMiraidon and falls onto a symbol encounter from above, the player will repelled away a short distance, and an encounter will not begin.

The player can also use theR button to command the leading Pokémon to initiate anAuto Battle against a targeted Pokémon. The player's Pokémon will automatically hone in on any Pokémon within a set radius, attempting to defeat them in a single attack until it either gives up, or there are no symbol encounters within its immediate vicinity. Pokémon that cannot swim cannot target Pokémon on or beneath the water, and Pokémon that cannot fly cannot Auto Battle against an airborne Pokémon. Auto Battles also cannot be initiated against static encounters, or against specific fixed symbol encounters such as Wild Tera Pokémon.

Wild Pokémon with aggressive behaviors that notice the player will move towards them, even if they are not in a state where a battle can be started. If this is the case, the Pokémon will move to player's current position and either remain still, or repeat their hostile behavior(s) until the player becomes possible to interact with. The following actions will cause the player to exit their invulnerable state, initiating the battle: