The recent release of the Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl remakes allows players to reunite with the Sinnoh region starters, and has some hoping for rare shiny variants of these Pokémon. A mainstay in the series since Pokémon Gold & Silver, every Pokémon has a shiny variant - an alternative color scheme and a special sparkle effect when sent out in battle. Finding shiny Pokémon is a pastime for many trainers, who may desire these different pallets for their favorite Pokémon.
In Pokémon BDSP, there is a 1/4096 chance for a given Pokémon encountered to be a shiny Pokémon. There are many different shiny hunting methods in BDSP that can improve a player's chances of getting a shiny Pokémon, but for the most part, there is roughly a 0.02% chance that a Pokémon encountered, whether through breeding, wild encounters, or in-game event encounters will be shiny. With relatively low odds to obtain these shiny variants of Pokémon, finding a shiny Pokémon, whether intentionally or by random chance, is a big deal to many players.
Some Pokémon games, however, can make these rules for shiny Pokémon a bit more complex, and thus make it more difficult to acquire shiny variants. Certain Pokémon received in in-game events can be "shiny locked" by the developers. Pokémon Sword & Shield's shiny locked Pokémon, for example, included the starter Pokémon, meaning that no matter what, upon receiving your starter Pokémon at the beginning of Sword & Shield, there is no possible way it can be a shiny Pokémon. This can be disappointing to some players who may have at least wanted a chance at their very first Pokémon being shiny, without needing to breed a new one of that species for that opportunity.
BDSP's Starter Pokémon Are Not Shiny Locked
Thankfully, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl does not shiny lock the starter Pokémon. In order to receive a shiny starter Pokémon, players are advised to save their progress before entering Lake Verity for the first time with Barry. Entering Lake Verity will start a cutscene that ends with the player being tasked with choosing a starter Pokémon, between Piplup, Chimchar, and Turtwig. Each starter evolution in Pokémon BDSP has its merits, and each will have its own shiny chance. Players won't know they've obtained a shiny starter Pokémon until after sending them out in battle, at which point the presence of a requisite sparkle effect and an alternate color pallet will make it clear whether or not that Pokémon is shiny or not. If it isn't, players can reset their odds by closing the game without saving and returning to their last save point, where they will go through the cutscene again for another shot at the shiny Pokémon of their choice.
ILCA, the developer for Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, has made shiny hunting a lot more seamless compared to previous titles in the series. Not only do starter Pokémon have the potential to be shiny, but Mesprit, Azelf, and Uxie can be caught shiny as well as Palkia and Dialga, with no shiny lock. To receive these, and the starters as shiny Pokémon, however, will require a lot of patience and game resets to keep resetting their odds. For those determined to receive these rare varieties, however, it's only a matter of time before they catch one.