How to catch Shiny Pokemon in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl

There are a handful of new features in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl that make finding Shiny Pokemon easier. Here is how to catch Shiny Pokemon in the Sinnoh remakes. 

Ever since its introduction in Gen II, players have been obsessed with catching Shiny versions of their favorite ‘mon. Characters are not only transformed by a new color palette but they’re also highly collectible.

The beloved mechanic makes its return in 2021’s Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, but with a twist. This guide will break down every Shiny method known to exist in Gen IV remakes, as well as how to increase your odds of finding Shinies.

Contents:

• What are Shiny Pokemon?
• Shiny Pokemon rates
• How to get Shiny Sinnoh starter Pokemon
• Shiny Pokemon PokeRadar method
• How to catch Shiny Pokemon in Grand Underground
• How to catch Shiny Legendary Pokemon in Ramanas Park

What are Shiny Pokemon?

Shiny Pokemon are ultra rare variants of ‘mon that can spawn in the wild. They have a completely different color palette compared to the original and get a special battle animation every fight where sparkles radiate from them.

Those looking to get the alternate version of their favorite Pokemon will spend hours trying to find them.

For collectors, it’s become an obsessive hobby to try to complete each region’s Pokedex with them because, well, they look incredible. Below we will explain the base Shiny rate as well as which Shiny method has the best spawn rates in BDSP.

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Shiny Pokemon rates

1. Base rate – 1:4096 (or one out of every 4,096 encouters).
2. Grand Underground Lightstone – 3:4096
3. Masuda method (Egg hatching) – 1:683
4. Masuda method and Shiny Charm – 1:512
5. PokeRadar and 40 chain – 1:99

How to get Shiny starter Pokemon in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl

Players can get a Shiny Sinnoh starter by using the right method. Follow the below steps:

1. Start a new game and progress the story slightly until you leave Twinleaf Town and head to Route 201.
2. Make a left and go to Lake Verity to try to look for a Red Gyarados with friend Barry.
3. After talking to Professor Rowan and Lucas, you will get attacked by wild Pokemon in the grass. SAVE YOUR GAME before interacting with the professor’s briefcase.
4. Select your Sinnoh starter of choice. It will not show up as Shiny in the briefcase itself, so wait for the battle sequence to start to check.
5. If it’s not Shiny, immediately press the Home button on your Nintendo Switch and close out the game. Next, re-open BDSP and load your game. This is called a “soft reset.”
6. After the game loads, select your starter again and wait for the battle to check to see if it’s Shiny. Keep repeating the process over and over until your choice shows up as Shiny.
7. You can also find Shiny versions of the Sinnoh starters in the Grand Underground. You need to have beaten the main game and unlocked the National Pokedex first. Once you’ve obtained the extended Dex, the trio will start spawning in Hideaways.

Shiny Pokemon PokeRadar method

Without a doubt, the best way to get Shiny Pokemon in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl is by using the PokeRadar. The device has the lowest rates.

1. To unlock the PokeRadar, you must defeat the Elite Four and Cynthia. Then you need to complete your Sinnoh Dex by seeing all 150 Pokemon.
2. Head to Sandgem Town where Professor Oak will give you the National Pokedex after verifying you have seen all the Pokemon. Professor Rowan will then reward you with the PokeRadar.
3. Now that you have the National Dex and the PokeRadar, go to Ramanas Park where Professor Oak will also give you the Chain Counter app.
4. Now that you have everything, find a patch of grass and use the Poke Radar. Four spots of grass will begin to shake. Walk up to them for a random spawn encounter. If it’s the Pokemon you want, catch it. If it’s not then run away and try again until it’s the right ‘mon.
5. Once you’ve caught the one you want, continue to use the PokeRadar in the same patch of grass and ONLY catch that same Pokemon. If you encounter a different one, just run away from the battle to keep your chain going.
6. We also recommend using Super Repels so that regular spawns in the grass don’t bother you. You can check your app on your Poketch to make sure that your chain on the specific Pokemon you are Shiny hunting for is actually going up.
7. Eventually, you will see a patch of grass that sparkles. It will be a Shiny Pokemon encounter!
8. The higher your chain, the higher your odds increase of spawning a Shiny Pokemon. For example, if you catch 10 Shinx in a row, it will be one out of 2521 encounters. If you catch 20, it becomes – 1:1820. It maxes out at 40 caught in a row which is an astonishing 1:99 rate.

How to catch Shiny Pokemon in Grand Underground

Each encounter in the Grand Underground is not treated like wild spawns on the map. Here is how to re-roll Shiny Pokemon in the Hideaways.

Hideaways

1. Use your Explorer Kit to enter the Grand Underground.
2. Walk into a Hideaway and run into the ‘mon you want a Shiny of. Pokemon will not show up as Shiny in the Grand Underground overworld and this can only be determined in battle.
3. If it’s not Shiny, run away from battle. Turn around and exit the room entirely, and re-enter it. Shinies are pre-determined for every Pokemon as soon as you go into a room.

Lightstone method

1. Run around the Grand Underground and look for purple sparkles on the ground. Run into them to reveal a Diglett.
2. Find 40 Digletts in a row to trigger a special Shiny countdown timer.
3. You will now have four minutes where Shiny rates have been boosted to 3:4096 (three out of every 4,096 encounters).

How to catch Shiny Legendary Pokemon in Ramanas Park

Players are going to need to utilize a similar strategy to the Sinnoh starters in order to catch Shiny Legendary Pokemon in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl.

1. You need to first unlock Ramanas Park by beating the game and unlock the National Pokedex by seeing all 150 Pokemon in the base region.
2. Once you have access to the park and have secured the Slates needed to battle the specific Legendary you want, SAVE before you insert the key item into the room’s pedestal.
3. Insert the slate to trigger the Legendary Pokemon battle. If they are NOT Shiny, then immediately hit the Home button on your Switch and CLOSE your game.
4. Re-load your save and repeat the steps of inserting the Slate to trigger the battle until you encounter the Shiny version.

And there you have it! That’s how to catch Shiny Pokemon in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl. At the moment, it appears the PokeRadar is by far the best method.

While the Shiny Charm in the past seemed to be essential, it currently does not stack with any method other than hatching Eggs.

---

Now that you’ve mastered Studio ILCA’s take on Shiny hunting in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, check out some of our other Sinnoh remake guides & walkthroughs:

Pokemon BDSP trade codes | Pokemon BDSP Mystery Gift codes | All Grand Underground Pokemon in BDSP | How to get Mew in Pokemon BDSP | Pokemon BDSP Version exclusives | All Legendary Pokemon in Pokemon BDSP | How to get the Poketch in Pokemon BDSP | Best starter to pick in BDSP | How to customize outfits in Pokemon BDSP | How to beat all Gym Leaders in Pokemon BDSP | How to get Spritomb in Pokemon BDSP | How to get Darkrai in Pokemon BDSP | How to walk with your Pokemon