In line with the original Pokémon franchise slogan, “Gotta catch 'em all,” the journey begins in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl after trainers receive their first Pokédex from Professor Rowan. Trainers will need to complete the Sinnoh Dex that is unlocked at the start of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl to unlock the National Dex. It may seem a trying task to unlock the National Dex; however, there is less work involved than players may think.
Despite there being many more Pokémon in the Pokémon franchise, in staying faithful to the original Pokémon Diamond and Pearl games, BDSP only includes the 493 Pokémon that existed in the first four generations. For the Sinnoh Dex specifically, trainers will only need to focus on the 150 Pokémon that are attainable without pre-order bonuses, such as the mythical Manaphy. This also includes the Pokémon that come as version exclusives for each edition of the game, Dialga and Palkia.
In order to fill the Sinnoh Dex that is the base requirement to unlock the National Dex, trainers only need to see each of the 150 Sinnoh Pokémon. This means that it is not required to catch all 150 Pokémon in the Sinnoh Dex to unlock the National Dex. The total Dex count appears on the save screen each time trainers save their game. However, trainers will need to be diligent if they are working with only one version of the game.
How to Fill the Sinnoh Pokédex in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
Thankfully, many of the NPC trainers in Pokémon BDSP have Pokémon that are from the version of the game that they are not in, such as the Stunky and Glameow used by Team Galactic. For Dialga and Palkia, Cynthia’s grandmother in Celestic Town will show trainers a picture of the Legendary Pokémon from the other version of the game, which will add it to their Dex. Time-locked Pokémon like Drifloon can also pose a problem. However, rather than waiting until Friday to see Drifloon, players can battle all the trainers in the Hearthome City gym by selecting the doors linked to the incorrect answers first. Drifloon will appear here and can be added to the Sinnoh Dex.
After all 150 Sinnoh Dex Pokémon have been seen, trainers will need to head back to Professor Rowan’s Laboratory in Sandgem Town and speak to him. While talking with him, Professor Oak will burst in, excited to see that the Sinnoh Dex has been completed. He will then unlock the National Dex. With the National Dex, he will also provide the Poké Radar tool that can be accessed through the Pokétch to help find all Pokémon that are not native to the Sinnoh region.
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are available now for the Nintendo Switch.