When Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl were first announced during the 25th anniversary Pokemon Presents presentation back in February of 2021, it didn't really come as a huge surprise to most series fans. The franchise is, after all, no stranger to remakes, with the first three generations having all been rereleased at various points over the past few decades. With that in mind, it always felt more like a case of when, rather than if, the gen 4 games would finally get their time to shine again.
Fast forward nine months, and the short gestation period is now over, meaning fans are now able to get hands-on with Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl. Though not everybody is thrilled with the chibi art style, nor the decision not to include some of the content from Pokemon Platinum, the initial reception from players has so far been positive, on the whole. With that in mind, there's arguably never been a better time for those who missed out on these classic titles 15 years ago to finally explore the wonders of the Sinnoh region. This complete guide and walkthrough will accompany players on that journey.
Updated March 17, 2022 by Tom Bowen: It's been a few months now since the launch of Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, but the hype and discussion surrounding Nintendo's long-running franchise hasn't died down one bit. The successful release of Pokemon Legends: Arceus helped to carry the momentum from the Gen 4 remakes into the new year, while the recent Gen 9 announcement cranked the hype levels up to all new highs. Sadly, Pokemon Scarlet & Violet aren't expected until the end of the year, but that doesn't mean that there's not still plenty of new content to keep series fans busy until then. A Colosseum battle feature was added into Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl at the beginning of the year, while a few new Mythical Pokemon joined the roster as part of the game's most recent update. This guide has also been updated in order to reflect these changes, with guides on how to catch Arceus and Darkrai among the new content added.
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Getting Started in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
Those who've played a Pokemon game before should already have a pretty good idea of what to expect from Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, as, for the most part, they both follow the series formula to a T. That said, there are one or two mechanics that are unique to the gen 4 games, as well as a few things that were created specifically for the 2021 Switch remakes. With that in mind, even series veterans may need a little help here and there, especially if it's been a while since they last played a Pokemon game.
This section of the guide has been designed to cater to just about everybody, meaning that both rookie and veteran trainers should find elements of it useful. There's a healthy selection of how-to guides that focus on some of the gen 4 exclusive mechanics, as well as some general tips and tricks for those looking to improve or better-balance their teams. Finally, there are answers to some of the more frequently asked questions that players might have about the two games.
How-to Guides
- How to Unlock Mystery Gift
- How to Change Clothes & Hairstyles
- How to Unlock the Platinum Outfit
- How to Trade & Battle with Friends
- How to Make Pokemon Follow
- How to Rename Pokemon
- How to Find Every Poketch App
- How to EV Train
- How to Get Hidden Abilities
- How to Cook Poffins
- How to Level Up Fast
- How to Farm Money Fast
- How to Hatch Eggs Fast
- How to Max Friendship & Happiness Fast
- How to Check Friendship Level
- How to Win Super Contest Shows
- How to Make a Secret Base
- How to Unlock DS Sounds
- How to Unlock the National Dex
- How to Use the Poke Radar
- How to Light Up the Wayward Cave
- How to Get Shiny Starters
- How to Get the Shiny Charm
- How to Create Ash's Anime Team
- How to Close the Poketch Screen
- How to Leave the Grand Underground
- How to Get to Celestic Town
- How to Reach Every Area of the Grand Underground
- How to Find Every Sticker
- How to Reset and Start Over
- How to Join a Group
General Tips & Tricks
- Beginner Tips for Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
- The Best Pokemon to Pair with Turtwig (& Where to Find Them)
- The Best Pokemon to Pair with Chimchar (& Where to Find Them)
- The Best Pokemon to Pair with Piplup (& Where to Find Them)
- Everything You Need to Know About the Battle Tower
Frequently Asked Questions
- Which Starter Pokemon Should You Choose?
- What Are the Best Natures for the Three Starter Pokemon?
- Which Types Work Best Against Others?
- What are the Biggest Differences Between the Remakes and the Original Games?
- What Happens When You Find 40 Digletts in the Grand Underground?
- What's Inside the Hearthome Hiker's Egg?
- Where is the Nursery and How Does it Work?
- What's Inside Riley's Egg?
- Should You Choose Dawn's Left or Right Hand?
- What Is The Odd Keystone Used For?
- How Does the Affection Rate Work?
- How Long Does it Take for Pokemon to Show Up in Honey Trees?
- What are the Best Held Items?
- Where are the Move Tutors in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl?
- What Does it Mean if a Pokemon is Dozing Off?
- How Does Affection Work?
- What Are the Best Held Items for Infernape?
- What Are the Best Held Items for Empoleon?
- What Are the Best Held Items for Torterra?
- What Are the Best Held Items for Dialga?
- What Are the Best Held Items for Palkia?
Story Walkthrough & Gym Guides
Anybody who's ever played a Pokemon game before will already have a pretty good idea of the story in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl. For those who haven't though, they'll be taking on the role of a young Pokemon trainer as they travel around the Sinnoh region with a view to becoming a Pokemon Champion. To do that, they'll need to defeat eight powerful gym leaders and then four more elite trainers who are fittingly known as The Elite Four.
Once all 12 opponents have been taken care of, players will have earned the right to take on the region's reigning champion in the hopes of claiming the title for themselves. Along the way, they'll also need to do battle with a group of evil villains who are hellbent on creating a new universe from the ashes of the current one. There's a healthy smattering of post-game content for players to look forward to as well, some of which was created specifically for the remakes.
Main Story Guides
- Oreburgh City Gym Guide (Roark)
- Eterna City Gym Guide (Gardenia)
- Veilstone City Gym Guide (Maylene)
- Pastoria City Gym Guide (Crasher Wake)
- Hearthome City Gym Guide (Fantina)
- Canalave City Gym Guide (Byron)
- Snowpoint City Gym Guide (Candice)
- Sunyshore City Gym Guide (Volkner)
- Victory Road Guide
- Elite Four Guide
- Cynthia Guide
- Post-Game Content
Key Item Locations
HMs | ||
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Evolution Stones | ||
Rods | ||
TMs | ||
Battle Items | ||
Held Items | ||
Miscellaneous Items | ||
Pokemon Locations
Ever since the very first Pokemon games were released more than a quarter of a century ago, the number of Pokemon has grown dramatically. Being remakes of older games, the total number available in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl is actually a little lower than in some of the series' more recent offerings, with 493 Pokemon available. Of course, this is still more than three times as many as in the gen 1 games, meaning that those hoping to catch them all are going to have their work cut out for them.
As is tradition for the franchise, both games feature a number of version-specific Pokemon, which also include several Legendaries. These guides will not only explain where to find all of these Pokemon, but also how players can catch some of the more elusive Pokemon that are found throughout the two games. Finally, there'll be information about how players can get their hands on some of the many gift Pokemon in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, including Mew and Jirachi.
Individual Pokemon Guides
Mythical & Legendary Pokemon | ||
---|---|---|
Regular Pokemon | ||
Collective Pokemon Guides
- Every Legendary Pokemon (& Where to Find Them)
- Every Pokemon Exclusive to Brilliant Diamond (& Where to Find Them)
- Every Pokemon Exclusive to Shining Pearl (& Where to Find Them)
- Every Eeveelution (& How to Get Them)
- Every Pokemon in the Grand Underground
- Every Pokemon in the Trophy Garden
- Every Poke Radar Pokemon
- Every Swarm Pokemon
- Every Fossil Pokemon
- Every Pokemon in the Safari Zone
- Every In-Game Trade
- Every Pokemon that Evolves Through Trading
- Every Pokemon that Evolves Through Friendship
- Every Pokemon that Evolves After Learning a Particular Move
- Every Pre-National Dex Pokemon
Best Pokemon by Type | ||
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News, Bugs & Opinions
Given the popularity of the series, it would be incredibly surprising if Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl don't end up selling well. Indeed, within just a few hours of their release, the games had already taken the top two spots on the Nintendo eShop site in various territories. With physical sales data still to come, however, that's very likely just the tip of the iceberg. Any further news about sales, or anything else connected to the titles in general, for that matter, will appear in this section.
Due to the startling number of bugs found in the games at launch, there's also an entire subsection dedicated to all of the technical issues and glitches that have been discovered so far. This is also where readers can expect to find opinions about the games themselves; though not just about how good or bad they are, but also on some of the themes and ideas that they explore.
News
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Giving Away Arceus and Darkrai
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Get New Mythical Event
- Update 1.2.0 Adds New Colosseum Battle Feature and More
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Limited-Time Holiday Distribution Event Offers Secret Base Statues
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Distribution Event Offers Starter Statues
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Is Getting A Christmas Eve Orchestra Concert
- Pokemon Fan Beats Shining Pearl With a Single Bidoof
- Pokemon Shining Pearl Player Speedruns the Game in 1 Hour
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond Player Completes National Dex in 24 Hours
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Player Has Logged Over 120 Hours Without Claiming Their Starter
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Player Accidentally Wastes Master Ball on Hoothoot
- Image Compares Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Pokemon to Their Original Sprites
- Pokemon Legends: Arceus Teaser Potentially Found in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Clip Shows How Ridiculously Overpowered 'Friendship' Is
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl May Add Wonder Trading
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Dataminers Discover Players Can Get National Dex after First Gym
- Video Shows Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Being Played on Car Radio Display
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Are Missing the Overworld Shinies From Pokemon Let's Go
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Comparison Video Shows How Much Battle Speed Has Improved
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl's Affection System Makes Pokemon Survive 1HKO Moves
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Player Gets Wrong Shiny
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Patch Released
Bugs
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Duplication Glitch Discovered in New Update
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Glitch Lets Players Catch Event Pokemon Early
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Glitch Lets Players Clone Pokemon and Items
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Player Runs Into Glitched Battle Background
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Follow Pokemon Can Run Into Invisible Items
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Player Discovers Hilarious Glitch at the Pokemon League
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Player's Rival Has Wrong Starter Pokemon
- Pokemon Shining Pearl Player Gets Wrong Legendary
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl's Poketch Calculator is Broken
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Player Gets Invisible NPC in Their Playthrough
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Mechanics Can Lock Players Out of Post-Game Content for a Week
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Players Can be Softlocked Inside the Seventh Gym
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Have a Weird Glitch Connected to Nicknames
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Players Get Stuck Behind NPCs in Veilstone
Opinions
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Review Roundup
- Things That Can Ruin Your Playthrough In Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
- The Biggest Fixes Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Need
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl's Grand Underground Should Return in Future Games
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Should Get the Same DLC Support as Sword & Shield
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Bring a Level of Simplicity Back to the Series
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl's Focus on Pokeball Seals Should Carry Forward
- Pokemon Legends: Arceus' Special Bonuses May Hinder Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Highlight an Issue With Reviving Older DS Titles
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl's Timed Drifloon Encounter is a Weird Oversight
- Comparing Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl to Sword & Shield
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl's Ramanas Park is Great After Sword and Shield
- How Team Galactic Compares to Other Villain Teams
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl's Sinnoh Should Have Changed with HMs
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Should be the Last to Have Uncatchable Shinies
- Pokemon Shiny Resetters Are Missing the Point
- Cynthia's Garchomp Deserved Mega Evolution
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Should Have Picked an Aesthetic Lane
- The Best Fan Challenges To Make Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Harder
- Things That Make No Sense About Team Galactic