Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl remain faithful to the original Diamond and Pearl games, including the method for finding and catching Drifloon. Drifloon was originally introduced in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl when the games first launched in 2006, joining the series as the first Ghost and Flying-type Pokémon. While Drifloon is not considered a rare Pokémon, they are not found in tall grass, caves, or abandoned buildings like most Ghost Pokémon.
Before players can either find or capture Drifloon, they'll have to progress far enough in Pokémon BDSP to reach Valley Windworks and defeat the games' main antagonist, Team Galactic. Valley Windworks is one of the unique locations in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl that isn't part of any city, and its only real purpose in-game is to add to the lore of Drifloon. Drifloon is a balloon Pokémon, and the multiple win turbines standing in Valley Windworks provide the Pokémon with an easy means to come and go as they please - and that's exactly how players can find and capture this Pokémon.
After defeating Team Galactic in Valley Windworks, players will have to wait until the Friday after they were defeated to see Drifloon spawn outside the facility. Of course, players can have a friend trade them a Driftloon from a hatched egg in Pokémon BDSP, but it doesn't affect when Drifloon appears in-game. Drifloon only appears on Fridays in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, and, while it may seem like a long wait players can adjust their Switch's clock to encounter one sooner. The only drawback to switching the clock is that players will wait 24 hours before they can actually find one, so it's best to change the clock to Thursday and wait 24 hours rather than switch to Friday itself.
How To Find, Catch, & Evolve Drifloon In Pokémon BDSP
Drifloon only appears once per Friday in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, so it's best to save before attempting to catch it. Since Drifloon is a Ghost-type, one of its immunities in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl is Normal-Type moves. This means that, under normal circumstances, players cannot use False Swipe on Drifloon to lower its health. However, players can alter Drifloon's type with a move called Soak, which temporarily changes the type of the target to a Water-type Pokémon. Psyduck is an excellent choice for this move because it learns Soak naturally at level 27.
Drifloon can be found at level 22, and, at level 28, it evolves into Drifblim. Drifblim is another Ghost- and Flying-Type Pokémon, and the only way players are able to obtain one naturally in-game is by evolving a Drifloon. Drifblim is one of the Pokémon that the fifth Gym Leader, Fantina, uses in Pokémon BDSP. Players can use Drifblim against Fantina because Ghost-Type Pokémon are super effective against their own type. Drifblim still remains a powerful option to add to the team overall and is well worth bringing throughout Sinnoh in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.
Pokémon: Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl are available on Nintendo Switch.