As with most long-running video game franchises, the Pokemon series has seen its fair share of bugs and glitches over the years. There have been one or two bad ones, but most have actually worked to players' advantage; often allowing them to duplicate items or, in some cases, clone Pokemon. They may have only been out a week, but a few such glitches have already been discovered in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, including one that allows players to catch a special Mythical Pokemon long before Nintendo had ever intended.
For those unaware, Shaymin appeared as an event Pokemon in the original release of Pokemon Platinum, with players needing a special item called Oak's Letter in order to find it. Upon obtaining the letter, which was distributed via Wi-Fi at special events worldwide, players would be able to visit an area known as the Flower Paradise, where a special Shaymin could be fought and caught. The data for this event is also present in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, though, with the help of a glitch, it's now possible to reach Shaymin without Oak's Letter. Here's how.
Updated March 18, 2022 by Tom Bowen: When Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl were first released, the only way to catch Shaymin was with the use of a glitch. Now, however, players can catch the tiny little Grass-type legitimately as part of a special limited-time event. It runs between the 27th of February and the 27th of March 2022, after which, Shaymin will no longer be obtainable. If past events are anything to go by, the Shaymin event will probably be repeated at some point, though it's better to complete it now just in case it isn't. This guide has been updated to include the legitimate method for catching Shaymin in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, though the original glitch method will still be available at the bottom of the page for anyone who's interested in how it works.
How to Catch Shaymin in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
In order to catch Shaymin, players will need a special item known as Oak's Letter. This can only be obtained through the game's Mystery Gift function during special periods, the first of which falls between the 27th of February and the 27th of March 2020. During this window, players should open up the Mystery Gift menu and choose the "Get via Internet" option to get the event item. They won't need a Nintendo Switch Online account for this, though will obviously require a working internet connection.
After obtaining Oak's letter and unlocking the National Dex, players should make their way over to Route 224, which can be accessed via the upper-eastern exit of Victory Road. If this is their first visit to the area, players will need to team up with a trainer called Marley to make their way through the latter part of the cave, though, providing they keep heading to the right, they should be able to get through it in no time. That said, bringing Defog is strongly advised.
Once out of the cave, players should make their way to the northern part of Route 224, where they'll find Professor Oak hanging around by a large rock. If they speak with him, he'll ask them who or what they are thankful for and players will need to type in their answer. It doesn't really matter what they type in, providing it doesn't contain profanity. After answering, a path will appear out of nowhere, as too will Shaymin.
It turns out that Shaymin is a little shy, however, and the cute little Mythical will run away up the newly accessible Seabreak Path. If players give chase, they'll eventually find Shaymin waiting for them in an area known as the Flower Paradise. Once they do, they'll simply need to interact with it to engage it in battle, after which, they'll be able to catch it like any other Pokemon.
For those wondering, it is not possible to catch Shaymin twice in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, so anyone who has already caught the little Grass-type using the glitch method is out of luck. They will still be able to get Oak's letter (assuming the event period hasn't ended) and open up the Seabreak Path, but, upon their arrival at the end of it, they'll find that the Flower Paradise is now empty.
How to Transform Shaymin into its Sky Form
Once players have caught Shaymin, they should add it to their party and then fly over to Floarama Town. When they arrive, they'll see a blond woman near the Pokemon Center, who, after seeing that the player has a Shaymin, will give them a bunch of Gracidea flowers. Those who want to transform their Shaymin from Land Form to Sky Form can now select the flowers from the Key Items pocket of their bag and use them on Shaymin. Shaymin will change back to its Land Form during nighttime hours, however, so players will need to use the flowers again every time it does so to maintain its Sky Form.
How to Catch Shaymin Using the Surf Glitch in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
Before players can catch Shaymin, they'll first need to beat Cynthia and the Elite Four and then unlock the National Pokedex. Once they've done so, they should fly to the Pokemon League and head down the waterfall and back into Victory Road. Here, the aim is to enter the cave on the raised platform over to the right, which will require players to head down to the lower area using Rock Climb. Next, they should make their way up the stairs near the Veteran at the top of the screen and cross over the wooden bridge to their right in order to reach the cave.
Once inside this new area, players will need to use Defog and then start walking to their right. Shortly after they do so, another trainer named Marley will tag along and players will need to accompany her to the cave's exit over to the far right of the screen. Upon leaving the cave, players will find themselves on Route 224, which is where they'll need to trigger the glitch that allows them to catch Shaymin. They should follow the path around to the right, while making sure to avoid fighting the Black Belt who is pacing around on the beach. If they do so before setting everything up, they won't be able to trigger the glitch.
Just to be safe, players can use Surf to safely pass by the Black Belt and to the grassy area to the north of him. Here, there are three trainers that players will need to beat: Ruin Maniac Larry, Ace Trainer Jamie, and Dragon Tamer Hayden. Once they've all been taken care of, players should make their way south and get back in the water using Surf. They should then head to the spot directly opposite where the Black Belt turns to face the water and save their game. This way, if something goes wrong, they'll be able to reload and try again.
Once they're ready, players should step forwards onto land and then immediately turn to face the water again. As soon as the Black Belt has taken one or two steps towards them, they should begin mashing the A button until the battle begins. After defeating the trainer, they should immediately get a prompt asking them if they'd like to use Surf. If this prompt doesn't show up, it means that the glitch failed to trigger and players will need to reload their save and try again. Assuming that it does though, they should press "Yes" to begin surfing and then immediately save the game.
While surfing on land, players should be sure to move slowly, as fast or sudden movements can cause the playable character to dismount Bibarel and start walking again. The aim now is for players to "surf" back up to the grassy area where they fought the Dragon Tamer a moment ago and position themselves so that their head is just poking out of the stairs to the north. It can be difficult to see exactly where the playable character is here, but, generally speaking, it's better to be nearer the back of the stairs than the front.
Once in position, players should save the game again and then restart the software completely. When the game loads up, the playable character will now be surfing in midair. With their character now effectively floating, players should make their way down the stairs beneath the Dragon Tamer and try to pass over the two trees on the left. If they can't quite get over them, they can simply head back to the stairs where they saved a moment ago and do so again to increase their height a little more.
After passing over the two trees, players should make their way northwest and straight over the many rocks down beneath them, after which, the game should force them back into the water. From here, they'll need to continue swimming north and then take a right when they hit the edge of the map. This will lead them straight into an invisible wall, but, if they press A again, they'll get the option to Surf and can then continue to head to the right.
Not long after the invisible wall, players will find themselves in an area called Seabreak Path, which is the route that leads to Shaymin's Flower Paradise. Rather than heading north here though, players should go a little further to the right so that the area changes back to Route 224. Moments later, they'll reach a point where they're able to walk on water again and should start heading north once this happens. It's quite a long way, and it's not possible to open up the bag while on it, but those who've set their bike to the + button can use it to speed things up a little.
Eventually, players will find themselves in the Flower Paradise, after which, they'll finally be able to use the menu again. The first thing they should do is save the game just in case they fail to catch Shaymin. That said, perhaps due to it only being level 30, its catch rate appears to be quite high when compared to some of the other rare Pokemon in the games, so this shouldn't be a major concern. One thing that will be of interest to certain players though is that this Shaymin is not shiny-locked, meaning that with enough reloads and a whole lot of patience, players could bag themselves a Shiny Shaymin if they really wanted to.