How to catch Dialga or Palkia in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl

In Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, Dialga and Palkia are two Pokémon that stand out above all others in terms of their significance to the games’ story and prestige.

In the beginning, Arceus created three great Pokémon to rule over different cosmic energies—Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina, ruling over time, space, and antimatter respectively.

As close remakes of Diamond and Pearl, the story of these great beasts won’t have changed a lot, and this means that encountering them is also similar.

How to catch Dialga or Palkia

Catching Dialga or Palkia is something that all players will have the opportunity to do depending on the version of the game they selected. Those playing Brilliant Diamond will encounter Dialga, while Shining Pearl players will cross paths with Palkia.

Regardless, you’ll battle your version’s Legendary in the same location—Spear Pillar, located at the top of Mt. Coronet. You’ll visit this location in the latter portion of the game’s main story.

Once arriving at this location you’ll battle Team Galactic. Once you defeat Cyrus, you can approach and battle with Dialga or Palkia.

You’ll want to be prepared to have the best chance of catching these Legendaries, and that means having the correct Pokémon to weaken them and plenty of Poké Balls, or a Master Ball to capture them with.

At this point in the story, you’ll likely be well-equipped to capture the Legendary Pokémon. It may still be worth saving before the encounter, so that if something does go south, you can reset and try again.