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.

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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

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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

General Tips & Tricks

Frequently Asked Questions

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Story Walkthrough & Gym Guides

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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

Key Item Locations

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Pokemon Locations

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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

Collective Pokemon Guides

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News, Bugs & Opinions

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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

Bugs

Opinions

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