How to get Chikorita, Bayleef, Meganium in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl

Brent Koepp
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Chikorita and Meganium evolution line screenshot

Gold & Silver fans are in luck as the Johto starters are available in the Sinnoh remakes. Here is how to get Chikorita, Bayleef, and Meganium in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl.

Originally making its debut in 1999’s Gold & Silver, Meganium has gotten a massive boost in popularity after becoming the mascot in the 2020 sequel New Pokemon Snap.

The beloved Johto starter can also be found in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl as well, meaning you can add it to your team.

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Chikorita encounter screenshot
The adorable Gen II Grass-type can be found in BDSP.

Where to find Chikorita in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl

After beating the game, players will be able to find Chikorita and its popular evolution Meganium.

Before you go searching for the beloved Johto starter, however, you will need to complete a few steps before it will appear.

  1. You first need to defeat the Elite 4 and Cynthia and then complete the Sinnoh Dex by seeing all 150 Pokemon.
  2. Next travel to Sandgem Town and talk to Professor Rowan to unlock the National Pokedex. 
  3. With the extended Dex in hand, head on back to Twinleaf Town and use the Explore Kit to dive into the Grand Underground.
  4. Chikorita can be found in any grass Hideaways. The special rooms look like green squares on your map.
  5. After locating the right room, enter it and look for the Johto ‘mon. If you don’t see it, exit and re-enter. Repeat this method until you eventually see the Grass-type wandering around.

How to get Bayleef in Pokemon BDSP

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Bayleef evolution screenshot
Players can get Bayleef in the Sinnoh remakes by evolving it.

After catching Chikorita, you will now need to gain enough XP to get the Gen II starter to evolve into its second form, Bayleef.

  1. At level 16, Chikorita will evolve into Bayleef. To reach this level, take the ‘mon into a random patch of grass and battle wild Pokemon to gain XP.
  2. Trainers can also use a Rare Candy to quickly level up their Pokemon. The consumable automatically gives you the points to trigger a single level up.

Evolving Meganium in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl

Since Chikorita can only be found in the Grand Undeground post-game, that means the character spawns at levels 58-63.

As a result, players can actually evolve their Bayleef straight into Meganium with just one Rare Candy.

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Meganium
Meganium is the final evolution of Chikorita.

That is everything you need to know about how to get Chikorita and its popular evolution Meganium in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl.

Now that you have the beloved Johto Grass-type on your team, make sure to check out our other guides and walkthroughs:

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