There is still plenty to do after players beat Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl and become the Champion. While the main story will take players about 20 hours to complete, Pokémon BDSP is one of the richest Pokémon games when it comes to content. In the original Pokémon Diamond and Pearl on the Nintendo DS, trainers were greeted by dozens of hidden legendary Pokémon to capture at the end of the game. These return in the remake, and finding them all can still be an incredibly enjoyable experience. Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl also feature some new content in the postgame that never appeared in the originals. Overall, there's still much to do in the Sinnoh region to extend playtime beyond the main story.
The official conclusion of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl happens once the player defeats the Elite Four and becomes Champion of the Sinnoh region. When trainers launch the game again, they will return to their mother's home in Twinleaf Town. It's important to mention that much of the postgame content in Pokémon BDSP is locked until players get the National Dex. To do this, players will need to see all 151 Pokémon in the Sinnoh Dex, whether through random encounters or trainer battles. Trainers won't need to capture them all to get the National Dex, however.
Once the National Dex is available, the Sinnoh region will begin to open much more. The National Dex in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl also adds new spawns of Pokémon from older generations that were previously unavailable in the game. In addition, trainers exploring the Grand Underground will discover new species of Pokémon that didn't appear in their initial playthrough. Visiting the Grand Underground after beating the game is the best way to get rare Grand Underground Pokémon spawns like Magby or Elekid.
Best Postgame Activities in Pokémon BDSP
Attempting to complete the National Dex is the ultimate challenge in Pokémon BDSP. Players just need to see all 493 remaining Pokémon to complete their National Dex. Like the Sinnoh Dex, players won't need to capture every Mythical Pokémon for it to count. Tons of them can be found while exploring the Grand Underground. The game will reward trainers with the Shiny Charm item for completing the National Dex. It increases the chance of Shiny Pokémon appearing during hatching.
Players can also put Pokémon BDSP aside for a while and wait until Pokémon Home support arrives. With Pokémon Home, trainers will be able to drop in all the old Pokémon that are compatible with Pokémon BDSP to complete the National Dex. The update for Pokémon Home support is scheduled to release in early 2022. Other things players can do after completing Pokémon BDSP appear below.
Hunt Legendaries
In the original Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, Ramanas Park was known as Pal Park. In the remake, it has been replaced with Ramanas Park, a location where players can find and capture legendary Pokémon. It even includes legendary Pokémon from older generations, like Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza. Trainers will need to find the appropriate slates to summon and battle each legendary Pokémon.
In addition to Ramanas Park, the new Spring Path will open to players after the endgame. If players follow it, they'll be able to find and capture Giratina in Pokémon BDSP. Trainers can also find the legendary Pokémon Heatran deep within Stark Mountain.
Obtain The Catching Charm
The Catching Charm is a Key Item in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl that will increase the chances of a Critical Capture. Similar to a Critical Hit, Critical Capture grants a higher chance of capturing the Pokémon within a single attempt. Trainers will need to visit Hotel Grand Lake and challenge the Game Director. They will need to speak with them after clearing out the Sinnoh Pokédex to get the Catching Charm.
Access The Fight Area
After trainers have become Champion in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, they can head to Snowpoint City and speak with the sailor. The sailor will give the player a ride to the Fight Area, a location where trainers can access the Battle Tower and participate in some of Pokémon BDSP's most difficult battles. Winning matches here will reward players with BP. It's a currency that can be used in Battle Park to purchase special items. Battle Tower fights are fairly tough and will challenge players to perfect their skills.
Collect Arceus Plates
Trainers may come across special plates when exploring the Sinnoh region. These are Arceus Plates directly from the legendary Pokémon God itself. There are 18 Arceus Plates in total to collect, one for each Pokémon type. They are scattered all around the region. Giving the proper type plate to a Pokémon of the same type will increase its attack power.
Go Shiny Hunting
While Shiny Hunting has grown to be a hobby for many Pokémon fans, trainers can also focus on hunting for Shiny Pokémon after completing the main story in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. These creatures are incredibly rare, but Pokémon BDSP offers tons of Shiny Hunting methods. It's time-consuming but can be rewarding. This activity can easily fill hundreds of hours of playtime.
Retrace Old Steps
With the National Dex unlocked, new areas will open around the Sinnoh region. Once trainers have access to every HM, they should be able to access every location on the map. A good postgame activity may be to take another trip around the Sinnoh region and collect any items players missed during their initial playthrough. For example, certain routes have Rock Slide ledges that players can interact with only after they unlock the ability.
Explore The Grand Underground
The Grand Underground is one of the places to receive the most changes once the player reaches the Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl postgame. Within each Pokémon den, species from older generations will begin to spawn. It is also possible to capture the starters from gen 1 to gen 4 in the Grand Underground. Starters are typically incredibly rare in Pokémon games, yet BDSP hands them out during the postgame.
Accept Rematches
Several trainers around the region will offer the player a rematch with more difficult versions of their teams. After collecting the National Dex, Roark will mention that the Gym Leaders will rematch the trainer if they go back to the gym. They can also rematch the Elite Four. These are among the most challenging battles in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are available now on Nintendo Switch.