A trio of Pokémon fans discovered that you can get the National Pokédex in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl without having to defeat the Elite Four and become champion.
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl players have found plenty of glitches and skips within the gen four remakes since their launch, but this new method shared today will allow players to get access to a ton of Pokémon not usually available until the endgame.
With this new method, players just need to defeat the very first gym, so they gain access to trading and then complete the Sinnoh Pokédex by trading with other players. You don’t technically need to trade to complete the Pokédex, only see all of its Pokémon, but the only way to encounter many of them this early on is via trading. If the Pokédex is completed, then you’re eligible to get the National Pokédex, despite not having beaten all the gyms or entered the post-game phase.
This isn’t a simple task and will take a ton of trading. But with the National Pokédex in hand, you can gain access to all the restricted Grand Underground Pokémon early, and they will spawn around your current progress level.
Other things you can do with the National Pokédex include obtaining a gift Eevee and capturing Rotom. You’ll also be able to get the Poké Radar for use earlier, which will help you in tracking down all kinds of rare and shiny Pokémon.
There are some things you reportedly can’t do even with the National Pokédex and will need to wait until post-game. These include visiting Snowpoint Temple, Turnback Cave, Fullmoon Island, Sendoff Spring, Battle Zone, Ramanas Park, and encountering Swarms.
If you know someone who has captured all 151 Sinnoh Pokémon and is willing to help you out with getting the National Pokédex and Poké Radar early, then you can do so now.
