This is a guide for getting started in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl (BDSP) on the Nintendo Switch. Learn more about the basics of the game to get you started, as well as advanced techniques to help you in battles and Pokedex completion!
List of Contents
It's recommended to choose Chimchar as your starter Pokemon for Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl. The Chimchar line matches up well against most of the Gym Leaders, Elite Four, and Team Galactic. Similarly, the limited selection of Fire-type Pokemon in Sinnoh makes Chimchar an even more valuable addition to your party.
| Pokemon | Advantage |
|---|---|
 Chimchar |
・One of the few Fire-type Pokemon you can get in-game ・Strong against most of the Gym Leaders' typings |
 Piplup |
・ Its final evolution has a unique and strong defensive typing with Water/Steel ・ Has an easier time dealing with Cynthia's Garchomp compared to the other two |
 Turtwig |
・Has the lowest level needed to reach its final evolution at Lvl 32 ・Has early access to strong moves such as Razor Leaf and Bite. |
Below are the best candidates we recommend for filling out your team for the main story playthrough. When sufficiently trained, these Pokemon can handle Gyms and the Elite Four without significant problems.
| Rank | Pokemon |
|---|---|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
Best Team: Best Pokemon to Use for the Story
You unlock the feature to have your lead Pokemon walk around with you in Sinnoh after you visit Amity Square in Hearthome City for the first time. You are able to travel to Hearthome City after defeating the 2nd Gym Leader and clearing Eterna City of Team Galactic.
The lower the wild Pokemon's HP is, the easier it is to catch them. It's recommended to always get the wild Pokemon's HP to its red phase. To further increase your chances of capture, you can:
You can soft reset a Pokemon's nature and IVs by saving before an unrepeatable event or legendary Pokemon encounter then restarting your game if you didn't get a favorable Nature.
Players reroll in order to get Natures that don't nerf stats that the Pokemon needs. Additionally, players want to get the most IVs as possible for their Pokemon, which adds onto the Pokemon's base stats, in order to attain the highest stats possible for their Pokemon (perfect IVs
).
How to Soft Reset for the Best Nature and IVs
Unlike in recent Pokemon games, TMs in the Sinnoh remakes are single use and break once they are used on a Pokemon. The good news is you usually get more than one copy of any TM, but it is still a good idea to save your TMs until needed.
The Grand Underground is an expanded version of the Underground from the previous games. Here you can dig for fossils and spheres, build secret bases, and catch exclusive Pokemon not found above ground. You can first access the Grand Underground before challenging the second gym.
| Tips on Completing the Pokedex |
|---|
To unlock the National Dex, you need to encounter all 150 Pokemon on the native Sinnoh Dex. You don't need to capture every Pokemon to do this. Battling every trainer in every area on your journey to becoming Champion should get you most of the Pokedex entries. Afterward, speak to Professor Rowan at Sandgem Town.
How to Unlock the National Dex
In order to obtain all 3 Sinnoh starters in 1 save file, you'll need to trade with another Switch console containing either Brilliant Diamond or Shining Pearl. You can do this as soon as right after you catch your first wild Pokemon on Route 201.
How to Get All the Starter Pokemon
Online trading is a must to get version exclusive Pokemon as well as certain evolutions. Trading locally and online can be done via the Union Room. The Union Room is located at the center of the second floor of any Pokemon Center. In order to access the Union Room, you need Wi-Fi and a Nintendo Online Subscription.
| Est. Playtime to Unlock | 2 hours |
|---|
You can unlock the ability to receive Mystery Gifts at the TV station in Jubilife City, which can only be entered after getting the 1st badge and defeating the Galactic Grunts in a Double Battle north of the city. Talk to the TV producer and answer his questions correctly to unlock the Mystery Gift feature.
How to Get Mystery Gifts and List of Codes
You stand facing the obstacle (small tree, boulders, rocky wall), then pull out your Poketch's Hidden Moves app and select the applicable HM to use. You can also press A when facing certain obstacles for it to prompt use of the HM as well. Below are the list of Hidden Moves and the obstacles they help overcome.
| Hidden Move | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Rock Smash | Smashes a breakable rock |
| Cut | Cuts down a small tree |
| Fly | Fast travel to towns and landmarks |
| Defog | Clears the fog in areas |
| Surf | Travels over deep blue water |
| Strength | Pushes big boulders |
| Rock Climb | For ascending or descending rocky walls |
| Waterfall | For ascending or descending waterfalls |
All HM Locations (Hidden Moves) and How to Use
In Super Contest Shows, the performers' goal is to earn Hype Points. Work together with the 3 other contestants to earn a set amount of Hype Points for the show to be a success. Below are the key points to winning Super Contest Shows:
| How to Be Star of the Show in Contests |
|---|
|
Super Contest Show Guide and New Features
Poffins can be vital to your success in Super Contest Shows. Make sure you cook high quality Poffins in order to boost your Pokemon's Coolness, Beauty, Cuteness, Cleverness, and Toughness conditions even more. Below are the key points to cooking better Poffins:
| Cooking High-Level Poffins |
|---|
|
Plant berries in patches of soft soil in order to grow berry trees that produce more of the berry you planted. Each type of berry tree has different growth rates, but they all progress through the same 5 stages: just planted, sprouted, growing, blooming, and ripe for picking.
Gray soil indicates that the soil is dry. Avoid having a berry tree grow in gray soil, or less berries will be produced. Water your plants regularly or when the soil turns orange to prevent it from becoming dry.
 2D layout |
 3D layout |
Through Capsule Decoration, you can customize your Pokeballs by adding Stickers onto them. There are over 90 stickers to be collected in-game and you can apply up to 20 stickers onto a Pokeball. You can place stickers on your Pokeball capsule using a 2D or 3D layout.
Stickers create effects when the Pokemon exits from its ball in battle or in Super Contest Shows. The effect of the sticker is denoted in the sticker's title (e.g. Heart, Fire, Song, Electricity, etc.). The effect factors into the visual evaluation of Pokemon during Super Contest Shows.
How to Use Stickers (Pokeball Seals)
The Union Room will be the main way for you to battle other trainers. Access the Union Room by simply pressing Y anywhere in the Sinnoh region. In order to access the Global Union Room and battle players online, you need Wi-Fi and a Nintendo Online Subscription. It was announced that Ranked Battles will not take place in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.
Shiny Pokemon boast a different color palette from their regular counterparts and are often sought out by trainers. You can also identify them by their entrance animation. Shiny Pokemon encountered in the wild have a shining effect once they appear.
On their status page, Shiny Pokemon also have a Shiny Symbol in the form of 2 ✦ (red four-pointed stars).
How to Tell if a Pokemon is Shiny
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Wiki
| Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Guides | |
|---|---|
 Pokedex |
 Story Walkthrough |
 Maps and Locations |
 Grand Underground |
 Moves |
 Items |
 Abilities |
 Beginner's Tips & Guides |
 Training and Breeding |
 Battle Tower |
 Tier List & Movesets |
 Message Boards |
 News and Game Info |
 Characters |
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Infernape
Gyarados
Garchomp
Lucario
Empoleon
Torterra
Luxray
Azumarill
Rapidash
Roserade
Jirachi
Mew
Alakazam
Gengar
Golem
Staraptor
Move Reminder: How to Relearn Moves
All Poketch App Locations
Move Tutor Locations and Move List
All Honey Tree Locations and Pokemon
List of Clothes and Styles
Missables and One-Time Events
All HM Locations (Hidden Moves)
Pokemon Nursery Location
How to Change Clothes and Metronome Shop Location
List of Ribbons
Useful Characters and Their Locations
Poketch Clowns Locations
Move Deleter Location
List of Stickers
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