How to Get All Starter Pokemon in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl

Trainers want to know how to get all 12 available starter Pokemon in the new Sinnoh-region remakes.
Trainers want to know how to get all 12 available starter Pokemon in the new Sinnoh-region remakes. / Nintendo, The Pokemon Company

Trainers want to know how to get all 12 available starter Pokemon in the new Sinnoh-region remakes.

Fortunately, thanks to the Underground system, this isn't very difficult to pull off. In direct contrast with other games in the franchise, trainers can actually go about catching their other starter Pokemon options in-game without needing to trade with friends. All it requires is a bit of effort and the dedication to make it all the way to the endgame content.

Thanks to Austin John Plays, a verified YouTube Pokemon content creator, we've been able to outline the steps below.

How to Get All Starter Pokemon in Pokemon BD/SP

Before anything else: trainers need to have unlocked the National PokeDex. To do this, they'll need to have at least encountered all Pokemon native to the Sinnoh region and become Champion of the Sinnoh Pokemon League. Catching each entry may not be necessary--but we certainly won't dissuade anyone from doing so.

Next, they'll need to have a base in the Grand Underground. This can be accomplished pretty soon after discovering the zone by obtaining the Digger Drill and digging into the side of any wall.

Finally, trainers will need to have an assortment of statues that correspond to the three types: grass, fire, and water. The more powerful the statue, the higher chance there is of encountering Pokemon of that type when placed inside the Secret Base.

Once these three things have been accomplished, all that's left is to head into the habitat rooms while underground and begin hunting. Austin John Plays was able to uncover which rooms have the highest changes of spawning each type, which we've written below.

Grass-type starters will spawn more commonly in:

  • Riverside Cave
  • Grassland Cave

Fire-types most commonly appear in:

  • Volcanic Cave
  • Sandsear Cave

Water-types can frequently be found in:

  • Fountainspring Cave
  • Riverbank Cave

It also helps if trainers have the Lightstone active but this isn't necessarily a requirement. Any PokeBall can be used to catch them when they appear.

Good hunting, trainers!