Evolution is the cornerstone of the Pokémon franchise, and Pokémon: Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl require trainers to use several different methods of evolution to fill their PokéDex, including trading. It’s no surprise, considering that trading has been a staple of Pokémon since its earliest days, that certain species of Pokémon will only evolve into their final forms when traded amongst trainers. The completion of most PokéDexs requires trading in one way or another with certain species of Pokémon being version-exclusive, and it’s certainly one of the easiest ways in the game to catch ‘em all.
Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl’s National PokéDex contains 493 Pokémon, 13 of which can only be evolved by trading, including 6 from the Sinnoh Dex that players can catch and trade before acquiring the National Dex. In addition, some Pokémon require a specific held item in order to evolve in a trade, so trainers should be sure to give their Pokémon these items before entering a trade with another player. Some of these items are particularly hard to find, however, and many aren’t even available until the postgame.
There’s no way to cancel a Pokémon’s evolution when it’s traded. However, if a player wants to prevent a Pokémon from evolving in a trade, they can have that Pokémon hold an Everstone. Any Pokémon holding an Everstone will be prevented from evolving no matter what method it uses to evolve, including trading. Everstones can be found by digging in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl's Grand Underground, and there’s a chance that a wild Geodude or Graveller will be holding one when caught. Players can also get an Everstone by trading a Medicham for Mindy’s Haunter in Snowpoint City since she gives it one to prevent its evolution into Gengar.
How To Evolve Pokémon Through Trading In Pokémon BDSP
Most Pokémon in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl that evolve through trading need to be holding a specific item during the trade in order for the evolution to occur. A lot of these items are pretty rare, and trainers will likely have the best luck finding them by catching wild Pokémon that hold them in the Grand Underground. Fortunately, there are several Pokémon from the Sinnoh Dex that will evolve when they’re traded without a held item.
- Kadabra to Alakazam
- Haunter to Gengar
- Graveller to Golem
- Machoke to Machamp
Unlike the other Pokémon in the game, Kadabra will still evolve in a trade even if it’s holding an Everstone, so there’s no way to prevent its evolution when trading. The rest of the Pokémon in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl that evolve through trading must be holding a specific Pokémon BDSP evolution item when traded.
- Poliwhirl to Politoed with King’s Stone
- Slowpoke to Slowking with King’s Stone
- Onix to Steelix with Metal Coat
- Scyther to Scizor with Metal Coat
- Seadra to Kingdra with Dragon Scale
- Porygon to Porygon-2 with Upgrade
- Feebas to Milotic with Prism Scale
- Clamperl to Huntail with Deep Sea Tooth
- Clamperl to Gorebyss with Deep Sea Scale
How To Get A King’s Stone In Pokémon BDSP
King’s Stones are occasionally held by wild Poliwhirl, which can be caught using a Good Rod or Super Rod on Route 225. There’s also a slight chance that a Pokémon who has the Pickup ability will find one, such as a Pachirisu or an Aipom. Not only will the King’s Stone cause Poliwhirl and Slowpoke to evolve when traded, but it also has the chance to make an opposing Pokémon flinch while it’s held in battle.
All Metal Coat Locations In Pokémon BDSP
There’s only one guaranteed way to get a Metal Coat in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, and it can only be obtained after completing the National PokéDex. When players return to the Iron Islands with their completed Dex, they will find Pokémon BDSP Gym Leader Byron in the cabin just before the entrance to the island’s mines, and he’ll give the player a Metal Coat when they speak with him. There’s also a chance of catching a wild Bronzor, Bronzong, Steelix, Magnemite, or Beldum that’s holding a Metal Coat. This item will also increase the power of steel-type moves of Pokémon that hold it in battle.
How To Get A Dragon Scale In Pokémon BDSP
The Dragon Scale is one of the more difficult items to obtain since it can only be found as a held item when catching wild Horsea, Seadra, Dratini, and Dragonair. It’s easier to catch these Pokémon in the wild with a Super Rod, but they can also be found in the Grand Underground’s Pokémon Hideaways. While Horsea and Seadra will start appearing after the Sinnoh Dex is completed, Dratini and Dragonair will only appear once the National Dex has been completed.
Where To Find The Upgrade In Pokémon BDSP
The Upgrade is a unique item in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl as players can only obtain one by speaking with Pokémon BDSP's Professor Oak. Once players unlock the National Dex and meet Professor Oak at the entrance of Ramanas Park, he can be found working on his research in Eterna City. His house is right across the street to the left of Eterna Gym, and when players speak with him here, he’ll give them the Upgrade.
Dig For Prism Scales In Pokémon BDSP’s Grand Underground
The Prism Scale is an item that has been added to the Sinnoh region since the original Diamond and Pearl games, which originally only allowed Feebas to evolve by increasing its beauty. However, since players could no longer cook Poffins to raise their Feebas’ beauty after Gen IV, the Prism Scale was introduced so players could still obtain a Milotic. Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl include both of these methods of evolution, but Prism Stones are a rare find that can only be dug up in the Pokémon BDSP Grand Underground.
How To Get The Deep Sea Tooth And Deep Sea Scale In Pokémon BDSP
Clamperl is the only Pokémon that can evolve into two different Pokémon when traded, and the result of the evolution depends on the item it’s holding. The Deep Sea Tooth will cause Clamperl to evolve into Huntail, and the Deep Sea Scale will cause it to evolve into Gorebyss. Both of these items are pretty tough to find, however, as each one is only held by a few different species of wild Pokémon. The Deep Sea Tooth is held by wild Carvanha and Sharpedo, and the Deep Sea Scale is held by wild Chinchou, Lanturn, and Relicanth. All of these Pokémon can only be found once the National Dex is unlocked as well, so players shouldn’t expect to find these until Pokémon: Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl's postgame.