Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearlhas made several improvements to the original Sinnoh experience. One factor of this is that, while thePlatinumPokedex isn’t in the game, many Pokemon from it are easily catchable during the story, thanks to the new Grand Underground.
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That’s not all, though, as, through various means, Pokemon that weren’t catchable at all in the original games are now readily available to any player who wants them. In fact, thanks to the Mew & Jirachi events in the game, only 5 Pokemon fromthe Generation 4 Pokedexare uncatchable inBrilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, all of which are Mythical Pokemon.
11Kanto, Johto & Hoenn Starters
WhileStarter Pokemonfrom previous games are commonly found as gifts in modernPokemongames, that practice hadn’t come into effect by Generation 4. As such, none of the beloved Starter Pokemon from the previous Generations were available.
The Grand Underground was the blessing trainers didn’t know they needed for this, as all three are now catchable in the right chambers. All players have to do is make sure they have the national Pokedex first and maybe put a few statues of the right type in their base to increase the odds of that type appearing in the wild.
10Tangela
Most of the Pokemon unavailable in the originalDiamond & Pearlhad some logic behind them. It was usually because they were Starter, Legendary or Mythical Pokemon, so the whole idea at the time was that they were supposed to be rare and hard to come by.
Tangela, however, has never been especially rare, so why it was one of the few left out makes no sense.Platinummade up for this by putting it in the Great Marsh and giving it a new evolution, Tangrowth. However, inBrilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, players will have to search inthe Grand Undergroundto find one.
9Legendary Birds
The first set of Legendaries, the birds were nowhere to be found in the original version of Sinnoh. Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres have long been fan favorites, seeing a resurgence in popularity in recent years thanks to being the mascots of the teams inPokemon GOand Galarian Forms added inSword & Shield’sCrown TundraDLC.
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Players must go toRamanas Parkfor these birds, the brand new area that replaced the old Pal Park facility. Exclusive to theShining Pearlversion, players must first capture the Legendary Golems, buy the Kanto Slate item from the shop, and the chamber containing the birds will open.
8Mew & Mewtwo
Two of the most iconic Legendary Pokemon the franchise has ever seen, both were completely absent from the original games. This was likely due to the Johto remakes,HeartGold and SoulSilver, being planned for release in the same Generation, where both Pokemon would be available.
To get Mew, players are required to have aLet’s Go! PikachuorEeveesave file registered to their Switch. Then they must go to Floaroma Town and talk to the woman in the bottom left corner, she will give the Mew. Mewtwo is in Ramanas Park. In both versions, players must capture all of the other available Pokemon in Ramanas Park (except Ho-oh/Lugia, Groudon/Kyogre, and Rayquaza), and the Genome Slate will be purchasable. It unlocks Mewtwo’s chamber.
7Legendary Beasts
One of the most belovedLegendary trios, the three beasts are widely regarded as some of the most well-designed Pokemon out there. They have some interesting lore, too, said to be three animals that were resurrected by Ho-oh and were given great power.
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Players can finally claim this great power for themselves inPokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearlby once again making the trip to Ramanas Park. These are exclusive to theBrilliant Diamondversion. After capturing the Legendary Golems, the Johto Slate will be purchasable. It unlocks the room containing the three beasts.
6Tropius
Like Tangela, the reason Tropius was left out of the originalDiamond & Pearlis unknown. It doesn’t have any special meaning or function, it’s just an ordinary Pokemon that got left by the wayside for seemingly no real reason.Platinumput it in the Great Marsh, butBrilliant Diamond & ShiningPearldo one better.
Thanks to the Grand Underground, players will be able to catch themselves a Tropius without having to mess about with the Great Marsh’s system. There, players will throw mud and food at the Pokemon, hoping they don’t run away before the Safari Ball captures them.
5Legendary Golems
The fact that these Golems were absent fromDiamond & Pearlcaused a big problem for players, as they were necessary to access Snowpoint Temple, where the then-new Pokemon Regigigas could be found. It was such an oversight that Game Freak had to release them as an event at one point.
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearldon’t make that mistake, thankfully, putting them front and center. When players first reach Ramanas Park, the Discovery Slates will be the only one available. Buying it will give access to the chamber containing Regirock, Regice, and Registeel.
4Eon Duo
The Eon Duo or Lati-Twins, as they are sometimes called, have been sparsely available throughout the years. They got a featured spot inOmega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, but that’s about the most attention they’ve ever gotten, so it’s no surprise that they were left out of the original Sinnoh games.
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Once again, though, Ramanas Park swoops into the rescue where, surprisingly, they are not exclusive to a particular version. Once players have caught the Legendary Golems, they will be able to buy the Soul Slate, which unlocks the room containing them. There is even a reward once both have been captured, giving the Soul Dew item.
3Previous Box-Art Legendaries
Due to Game Freak’s desire to keep Legendary Pokemon as rare as possible at the time, the Legendary Pokemon that had previously graced the box-art of the old games (Ho-oh, Lugia, Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza) were nowhere to be seen inDiamond & Pearl, only being catchable inHeartGold & SoulSilver.
Ramanas Park has players covered, although they will have to deal with version exclusivity. The requirement for each one is slightly different. They are:
2Jirachi
Mew isn’t the onlyMythical Pokemonplayers are fortunate enough to get inBrilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl. The Wish Pokemon had only just been released in Generation 3, so Game Freak had no desire to give out another one when Generation 4 rolled around.
However, in Generation 8, they’re feeling a little more generous, and all players need to do to get Jirachi is to possess aSword & Shieldsave file on their Switch. Then, in Floaroma Town, talk to the old man in the bottom left corner (next to the woman who gives Mew), and Jirachi will be given.
