After being one of the biggest sources of early frustration in Pokemon Legends: Arceus, Shinx is back to being a beloved addition to Pokemon Scarlet & Violet players' teams. Naturally, players have the ability to catch it and evolve it into Luxray.
After initially being unavailable in Pokemon Sword & Shield, the Shinx evolutionary line has become a staple in Pokemon games. It was added to Galar in the Isle of Armor DLC, was a big part of many Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl playthroughs, and was prominently featured in Pokemon Legends: Arceus. Now, it’s one of the go-to electric Pokemon for Pokemon Scarlet & Violet playthroughs.
The only issue is that Shinx isn’t available throughout much of the Paldea region. Depending on the path players take, they might not actually run into the Pokemon, even if they run into its evolutions.
How to Catch Shinx in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet
Players can catch Shinx after finding it in South Province Area Three. This is the area directly east of Mesagoza which wraps north around the Great Crater of Paldea.
Notably, this is the only area where Shinx can be caught in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. While Pokemon like Pawmi can be found across a large chunk of the Paldea region, Shinx can only be found in South Province Area Three. That isn’t the case for the rest of its evolutionary line, though.
How to Evolve Shinx
Players can evolve Shinx into Luxio by raising it to level 15. The Pokemon doesn’t require any specific moves or items in order to evolve. From there, Luxio evolves into Luxray at level 30.
Those who are looking to complete their Pokedex don’t need to feel compelled to actually raise a Shinx, however. Luxio and Luxray can both be caught in the wild. Luxio is available to capture in South Province Areas Three and Five, while Luxray can be found in North Province Area Two. The Pokedex habitat pages for both Pokemon can be seen here:
Is Luxray a Strong Pokemon in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet?
Though Luxray is popular and looks fearsome, it has never been a particularly strong Pokemon. It has a strong Attack stat but is completely underwhelming outside that, with average speed, average defenses, and an unremarkable move pool. It’s particularly underwhelming when put side-by-side with the many other electric Pokemon in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet.
Luxray doesn’t have a unique move like Pawmot, doesn’t have the bulk or offensive capability of gen-nine Pokemon Bellibolt, and doesn’t have the support options of a Pokemon like Kilowattrel. Even among other electric-type physical attackers, it falls short of the potential of Eelektross.
Though Luxray can do fine work in the story mode, there are plenty of better options for five and six-star Tera Raid battles and competitive modes. Ironically, Shinx is more usable in Tera Raid battles.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet are available now on Nintendo Switch.