Pokémon Shining Diamond and Shining Pearl: how to get Ditto

Pokémon Shining Diamond and Shining Pearl

In this guide of Pokémon Shining Diamond and Shining Pearl we will explain how to get a Ditto, one of the most useful creatures in the series to obtain Eggs, competitive and chromatic Pokémon.

Introduced in the very first chapters of the long-running Game Freak series, the peculiarity of Ditto is to transform into any other Pokémon. This unique trait has become particularly important since Generation II games, as Ditto can mate and spawn the Eggs of almost any Pokémon in the series, regardless of their partner's gender and species. This is therefore a very useful feature, whether you are interested in competitive or completing the Pokédex. For example, having more Eevee will be essential to get all seven of its evolutions.

How to get Ditto, the requirements

Ditto in a shot taken from the animated series of Pokèmon Before Unfortunately, being able to catch a Ditto in Pokémon Shining Diamond and Shining Pearl will take hours of gameplay. In fact, the creature will not appear in the wild, not even in the Great Dungeons, until you have obtained the National Pokédex.

You will receive the National Pokédex from Professor Rowan after you complete the Sinnoh one, which requires you to register all Pokémon present in the region. A seemingly long and complicated undertaking, but in reality it is much simpler than you imagine and, thankfully, it does not require you to own both versions of the fourth generation remakes.

First, simply "see" a Pokémon to register it in the Pokédex, so there's no need to catch it. In addition, by facing all the trainers during the adventure, you will add most of the creatures to the register, even those exclusive to each version. The only cards that are a bit more problematic are those relating to specific species of Pokèmon that are a bit rarer. For example, only one trainer owns a Drifloon, and there's a good chance you won't face it, as you need to purposely miss out on the very simple Hearthome City gym quiz. In this case you will have to go to the Turbine Plant on Friday to spot a specimen of Drifloon. Another potentially "problematic" card that may be missing in your Pokédex is that of the legendary Pokémon on the cover, or Dalgia or Palkia, absent in your version. In this case, just go to Memoride and talk to Professor Carolina, Camilla's grandmother, to add the missing Diaga or Palkia card to the Pokédex.

Once you have completed the Sinnoh Pokédex, go to the Sandfine laboratory and talk to Professor Rowan. After a short dialogue, Professor Oak will arrive, delivering the much-coveted National Pokédex. In total, you will now be able to catch nearly 500 Pokémon in total, including Ditto. You will also receive the Poké Radar, an instrument that will be essential for catching Ditto and not only him.

Where to catch Ditto

With a little luck you will also meet Ditto in the Great Undergrounds of Pokémon Diamond Shining and Shining Pearl - Source: Nintedolife Once you have the Shining Diamond and Shining Pearl National Pokédex, you can catch Ditto on Route 218. The Pokémon will only appear using the Poké Radar while you are inside the tall grass opposite the entrance to Canalave City. Once you activate this tool from the bag (you can also assign it in the quick select for convenience), you will see some patches of grass move. Going to one of them will start a fight with a wild Pokémon. In this specific case, the chances of encountering a Ditto are 22%, so it may take a few tries.

You can also find Ditto in the Great Dungeons, as long as you have received the National Pokédex from Professor Oak. You will have to look for the Pokémon in the Cavern of the Stars and Lair of the Glows areas, or in the biome with the sparkling minerals. If once you enter one of these two areas there is no Ditto present, simply exit and re-enter until luck is on your side. To speed up the operation we advise you to place statues of Normal-type Pokémon in your Secret Base, which will increase the chances of finding Ditto.

If you want to 100% complete the Pokédex, we also recommend our guide on how to get all the Evolution Stones on Pokémon Shining Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl.

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