Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl players have discovered an exploit that allows them to unlock the National Pokédex with just one badge. That is far earlier than most players are able to unlock the so-called "National Dex", which normally happens much further into the game.
As opposed to the regular Pokédex, which records all the Pokémon that are native to the region in which that game is set, a National Dex records all known Pokémon. In the original Pokémon Diamond & Pearl, players would not be able to unlock the National Dex until they encountered all of Sinnoh's 150 Pokémon. This quest continued in the remakes, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl. Not only does this task require a good deal of time in-game, as many Pokémon cannot be encountered until the player has unlocked all areas of the map, but effort as well. Although players do not have to catch every Pokémon, finding each Pokémon will be difficult, as some Pokémon are only encounterable in certain areas or under certain conditions. Apparently, though, those conditions can be gotten around.
According to a thread on Twitter by users Sibuna_Switch and Austin John Plays, there is an exploit that allows players to get the National Dex after winning the first badge (via Dexerto). Sibuna_Switch notes that the only requirements to get the National Dex are to have viewed all Sinnoh Pokémon, not necessarily having battled them. But Austin John Plays points out that, with the upcoming integration with Pokémon Home, seeing all 150 Pokémon will be quite easy. Players would be able to trade and drop Pokémon into each other's storage boxes, fulfilling the requirements to get the National Dex quite early. Incredibly, Sibuna_Switch also notes that getting the National Dex would unlock new areas and more Pokémon for players to catch.
Exploits and tricks like these are often popular among speedrunners, who want to find any opportunities to shortcut the game's designed progression. Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl were, unfortunately, littered with glitches after the game's release. While developer ILCA fixed many of these issues during a recent update, it is clear that there are still some workarounds that players can take advantage of.
Whether players are looking to speed up their playthrough of Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, or are looking for some help in hunting down shinies, this exploit is an interesting, unintended interaction. Time will tell whether ILCA will eventually address this exploit, or whether players can continue trading Pokémon to get their National Dex.
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are available now on the Nintendo Switch.
Source: Sibuna_Switch/Twitter, Austin John Plays/Twitter, Dexerto