Can you complete the National Dex in BDSP without trading?

How to get the National Pokédex in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl

To unlock the National Pokédex in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, you must see every Pokémon which appears in the Sinnoh Pokédex.

By that, we mean you must encounter Sinnoh Pokédex Pokémon either in the wild or in a trainer battle. Thankfully, you don't have to catch every single one to unlock the National Pokédex!

The entries you may have trouble filling are Drifloon and, depending on the version you're playing, Dialga and Palkia. When it comes to these legendaries, visit Cynthia's grandmother in Celestic Town and she will show you the entry for the legendary not in your version of the game.

You can also trade Dialga and Palkia with other players if you want the full Pokédex entry!

After you've seen every Pokémon in the Sinnoh Pokédex, head back to Sangem Town and talk to Professor Rowan. Here an old friend will arrive and give you the National Pokédex! You will also receive the PokéRadar, which is useful for completing the National Pokédex, at this time.

It is possible to catch a number of Pokémon which appear in the National Pokédex before obtaining it - you'll gain access to their Pokédex entries once you obtain the National Dex.

Finally, it's important to note that you don't need Manaphy to complete the Sinnoh Pokédex and, in doing so, unlock the National Pokédex. Since Manaphy is a mythical Pokémon, you only need the first 150 Pokémon in the Sinnoh Pokédex.

Sinnoh Pokédex of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl: All Pokémon listed

Below you can find all of the Pokémon in the Sinnoh Pokédex for Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, along with their locations. Unless stated otherwise, the Pokémon will appear during any time of day.

It's important to note that, any Pokémon listed as being in the Pokémon Hideaways of the Grand Underground, might be locked behind a requirement you need to fulfil. You can learn more about these requirements and which Pokémon they affect on our dedicated Pokémon Hideaway page.

Remember - some Pokémon are exclusive to either Brilliant Diamond or Shining Pearl, so, to fully complete the Pokédex, you will need to trade with someone who owns the other version.

It’s time to revisit Sinnoh! Our now complete Diamond and Pearl walkthrough to the main story is where to start. Your journey begins with selecting your starter Pokémon near Twinleaf Town, before visiting Sandgem Town and Jubilife City. To become a Pokémon Master, you need to defeat the Gym Leaders in Oreburgh City, Eterna City, Veilstone City, Pastoria City and Hearthome City, along with three others.

Aside from badges, you’ll want to grab Mystery Gift codes, complete the Sinnoh Pokédex by using Honey Trees, visiting the Great Marsh and the Pokémon Hideaways in the Grand Underground. Take the time to catch Gible, Spiritomb andDrifloon! Finally, you can now catch Arceus.

National Pokédex of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl: All Pokémon listed

Below you can find all of the Pokémon in the National Pokédex for Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, along with their locations. Unless stated otherwise, the Pokémon will appear during any time of day.

It's important to note that, any Pokémon listed as being in the Pokémon Hideaways of the Grand Underground, might be locked behind a requirement you need to fulfil. You can learn more about these requirements and which Pokemon they affect on our dedicated Pokémon Hideaway page.

Remember - to find the majority of these Pokémon, you must first defeat the Elite Four and unlock both the National Pokédex and PokéRadar!

Some Pokémon are also exclusive to Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, so you will need to trade with a trainer who owns the opposite version to the one you're playing.

Mythical Pokémon in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl explained

You might have noticed that there are three mythical Pokémon - Arceus, Darkrai and Shaymin - which are not include into Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl's National Pokédex. These Pokémon are, however, available in the game.

Both Darkrai and Shaymin are caught via limited-time events which involve downloading a special item via the Mystery Gift feature. While these Pokémon encounters require you to have met a number of requirements, such as unlocking the National Pokédex, you can still download the item via Mystery Gift no matter your progress in the game.

It's important to remember that you must download the item before the limited event ends or else you'll never be able to catch the Pokémon.

For Arceus, however, you must have a save file for Pokémon Legends: Arceus on your Nintendo Switch and completed all the main missions, including the post-game missions, for this game. If you like to learn where you are in this game's main campaign, visit our Pokémon Legends: Arceus walkthrough.

If you already downloaded Manaphy via Mystery Gift, you'll also be able to obtain Phione by breeding it with a Ditto, which is available in Route 218 once you've obtained the National Pokédex.