How to get Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl

Meg Bethany Koepp
articuno zapdos and moltres in pokemon bdsp

The Kanto trio can be caught in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl. Here’s everything you need to know about adding them to your BDSP team, including location and prerequisites.

Debuting in the games in Red and Blue in 1996, the birds are some of the most iconic Legendary ‘mon. Many trainers are nostalgic for them due to the fact that they were the first rare Pokemon they ever caught.

You can actually get them in the Sinnoh remakes too, though like many of the other Legendaries, there are some specific conditions you must meet first in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl.

kanto birds in pokemon bdsp
The birds aren’t Shiny locked, so you should save beforehand if you want to reset for them.

How to catch Articuno, Zapdos & Moltres in BDSP

The birds are actually Shining Pearl exclusive, meaning you will need to trade for them if you want them in Brilliant Diamond.

In Shining Pearl, you won’t be able to meet the birds until you have beaten the Elite Four and the Sinnoh Champion, and acquired the National Pokedex. You also need to unlock Ramanas Park – check out our guide for how to do so. Follow the steps below to get Zapdos, Moltres, and Articuno in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl:

  1. Speak to the Ramanas Park receptionist, purchase the Discovery Slate three times, and catch RegiceRegirock, and Registeel.
  2. To do this, you need Mysterious Shards which you get from digging in the Grand Underground. It costs either 1 Mystery Shard (L) or 3 Mystery Shards for a Slate.
  3. Once you’ve got the Regi trio, buy the Kanto Slate three times to encounter ArticunoZapdos, and Moltres in the Kanto Room.
kanto slate in pokemon bdsp
You need to buy three Kanto Slates to get them all.

Now that you know how to get Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, check out some of our other guides below to become the ultimate Trainer:

All Rare Candy locations | Where to find Cresselia | How to get the National Pokedex | Best starter to pick | Beating all Gym Leaders | How to get all Sinnoh starters | Best ways to make money | How to unlock Mystery Gifts | How 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 & Garchomp | How to unlock the Bike | All trade evolutions