How to unlock Grand Underground in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl

Daniel Megarry

The Grand Underground is one of the best features in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, but you’ll need to know how to unlock it before you can access it.

While Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are largely faithful remakes of the Gen 4 games, there are some new features for Trainers to discover, including a revamped underground section now known as the Grand Underground.

Here, players can dig for treasure, create their own Secret Base to store items and display statues, and also go hunting for loads of rare Pokemon that weren’t in the original games like Togepi, Ralts, Houndoom, and Magnemite.

So, how do you unlock the Grand Underground in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl? Well, we’re about to explain exactly how you do it – and what you can do once you’re down there.


Contents


A Secret Base in the Grand Underground from Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
There’s plenty to do in the Grand Underground.

How to unlock Grand Underground in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl

Just like in the original games, the Grand Underground isn’t available at the beginning of Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. In order to unlock it, you’ll first need to get your hands on the Explorer Kit.

Here’s how to access the Grand Underground in Brilliant Diamond or Shining Pearl:

  1. Make your way through the main story until you reach Eterna City.
  2. Go inside the house next to the city’s Pokemon Center.
  3. Talk to the old man, who’s referred to simply as the Underground Man.
  4. He’ll give you the Explorer Kit!
  5. Head outside and use the Explorer Kit to access the Grand Underground.

Once you’ve unlocked the Grand Underground, you’ll also be able to complete tasks for the Underground Man, where you’ll get a Digger Drill as a reward to build your own Secret Base.

What can you do in the Grand Underground?

There are loads of things to do while visiting the Grand Underground, so much so that you could probably spend most of your time playing Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl down there.

The main appeal of visiting the Grand Underground is the rare Pokemon you can encounter in Hideaways, including Platinum creatures that didn’t feature in the original Diamond and Pearl Pokedex – you can see the full lineup here.

The Grand Underground in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl
You can spend hours hunting for rare Pokemon in the Grand Underground.

While down here, you can build your own Secret Base, which allows you to place decorations including statues of various creatures that will increase the rate at which certain Pokemon will appear in the Grand Underground.

Just like the original games, you can also dig for treasure in the Grand Underground whenever you see a sparkling spot on the map. Using your hammer and pickaxe, you can earn valuable items or even dig up Pokemon fossils.


Now you know how to unlock the Grand Underground, check out some of our other Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl guides:

All Rare Candy locationsWhere to find CresseliaHow to get the National Pokedex | Best starter to pickBeating all Gym Leaders | How to get all Sinnoh starters | Best ways to make moneyHow to unlock Mystery GiftsHow to get Eevee | How to get Leafeon | How to get Glaceon | How to get Umbreon & Espeon | Where to catch Spiritomb | How to get Riolu & Lucario | Where to find Gible & GarchompHow to unlock the Bike | All trade evolutions

About The Author

Daniel graduated from university with a degree in Journalism and English Language, before spending five years at GAY TIMES covering LGBTQ+ news and entertainment. He then made the switch to video game journalism where he produces news, features, and guides for Pokemon, Fortnite, Nintendo, and PlayStation games. Daniel also has a passion for any games with queer representation.