How to get the National Pokédex in Pokémon Shining Diamond and Shining Pearl
The true endgame of the fourth generation remakes of the Game Freak series basically begins only after beating the Pokémon League and obtaining the National Pokédex. Thanks to it, for example, you will meet new species of Pokémon in the Great Dungeons, you can use the Poké Radar to find rare creatures, such as Ditto, and add a large number of Legendary Pokémon to your collection thanks to the Rosa Rugosa Park. To all this is added a series of interesting extra activities that extend the already excellent longevity of the two games.
How to get the National Pokédex
The National Pokédex of Pokémon Shining Diamond and Shining Pearl in Official Artwork To get the National Pokédex in Shining Diamond and Shining Pearl, you must first defeat the Pokémon League and become the new Champions. Not only that, you will also have to register all 150 Sinnoh native creatures in the Pokédex. Fortunately, to "register" simply means to see at least once a specimen of each Pokémon, it is not necessary to catch them all.This may take a long time, but it is less difficult than you think. By facing all the Trainers that will appear in front of you during the course of the adventure and exploring all the paths and caves, you have probably registered without even realizing it most of the creatures of Shining Diamond and Shining Pearl. However, there are specific Pokémon, such as Drifloon and the legendary between Dialga and Palkia absent in your version of the game, which could cause problems for you. In this case, we recommend that you consult our guide on how to complete the Sinnoh Pokédex, in which we will explain how to find some of the rarest species of Pokémon from the Shining Diamond and Shining Pearl remakes.
Once you have completed the Sinnoh region Pokédex, head to Sandfine and talk to Professor Rowan inside his laboratory. At the end of a series of dialogues, which will also involve the legendary Professor Oak, you will receive the National Pokédex. Thanks to this upgrade, the number of creatures to register will increase dramatically. In addition, new species will appear in the game world, you will have access to new areas and you will be able to try your hand at a series of very interesting extra activities, as we will see shortly.
What changes once you get the National Pokédex ?
Once you have obtained the National Pokédex of Pokémon Shining Diamond and Shining Pearl, you will be able to capture new legendaries, such as Zapdos, Moltres and Articuno As mentioned above, after becoming Champions of the Pokémon League and obtaining the National Pokédex they will be available an avalanche of new opportunities. We are not just talking about more creatures to catch and add to your collection, but also about particularly interesting endgame activities that could greatly extend your stay in the Sinnoh region. Below, you will find the main novelties that you will unlock in the real endgame of Pokémon Shining Diamond and Shining Pearl.Poké Radar
In addition to the National Pokédex, Professor Oak will also give you the Poké Radar. It is a very interesting tool that allows you to meet new species of Pokémon in the areas you have already explored, such as Tauros, Larvitar, Snorunt and Bagon.To take advantage of the Poké Radar you will have to be in the tall grass. Once activated, you will see some clumps of grass moving, approaching one of them will start a fight. In some specific areas, you may come across Pokémon that you haven't encountered until now.
The Poké Radar, among other things, is also an excellent tool to meet Shiny Pokémon thanks to the so-called "chains". Consecutively defeating the same Pokémon species will increase a counter, the higher it is, the more likely you are to encounter a Shiny creature. To make sure you advance the chain the advice is to use the Repellent (to avoid random encounters as you move in the tall grass) and to choose the tuft of grass that is farthest from you (which is usually the one that contains the creature you defeated earlier).
Massive Extras
Once you have the National Pokédex, the Massive Extras mechanic will unlock. Every day in a specific area of Sinnoh there will be a massive appearance of wild Pokémon, in some cases very rare or otherwise impossible to find. To know exactly where this peculiar phenomenon will happen you will have to talk to the sister of Lucinda / Lucas in Sabbiafine or listen to the news through the TVs scattered throughout the game world.Once you reach the indicated area, just enter the areas with tall grass where you will see Pokémon appear and disappear. Thanks to the massive extras you can catch creatures like Pinsir, Drowzee, Natu, Delibird, Absol and Beldum.
New Pokémon in the Great Dungeons
The Great Dungeons of Shining Diamond and Shining Pearl like magic will populate with numerous new creatures to be captured once the National Pokédex is obtained. These include rare species otherwise obtainable only with the Poké Radar and massive extras, such as Ditto, but also other creatures, such as all starter Pokémon from Generation I to Generation IV.Eevee
Also thanks to the National Pokédex you can finally get an Eevee. You will not even have to struggle to capture it as you will receive one as a gift in the form of an Egg. Alternatively, it will also be possible to catch the Pokémon at the Trophy Garden in certain circumstances. To find out more, we recommend that you read our guide on how to get Eevee and all its evolutions in Pokémon Shining Diamond and Shining Pearl.You can get Eevee and all its evolutions in Pokémon Shining Diamond and Shining Pearl. after obtaining the National Pokédex
Trophy Garden
The Trophy Garden is an area located behind the Pokémon Mansion, which is located in the northern part of Route 212. Here every day you will encounter a different rare creature once National Pokédex unlocked. To find out which is the "Pokémon of the day", just talk to Mr. Granlotto inside the villa.Speaking of which, here's a little trick. As previously mentioned, the Garden Trophy Pokémon of the Day changes depending on Mr. Granlotto's claims, which are completely random. Consequently, by manually saving (remember to disable automatic saves) before talking to us, you can change the Pokèmon that will appear in the Trophy Garden by reloading the game until a Pokémon that interests you appears.
Rotom Rotom will only appear in the Ancient Chateau, located in the Epeo Wood, after obtaining the National Pokédex. Visiting this place at night, you will find a TV access in one of the rooms. By interacting with it, a Rotom will appear and you will be able to catch it.
Cresselia, Giratina, Heatran and Regigigas
Once you have the National Pokédex, new legendary Pokémon to catch will appear in the game world, namely Cresselia, Giratina , Heatran and Regigigas. To meet them, however, you'll need to explore new areas and meet specific conditions. You will find more details in our guide on how to catch all the Legendary Pokémon of Shining Diamond and Shining Pearl.
Park Rosa Rugosa
Park Rosa Rugosa is a brand new area introduced for the first time in the Shining Diamond and Shining Pearl remakes, located at the end of Route 221. Once you have the National Pokédex, in this facility you can catch dozens and dozens of Legendary Pokémon from the first, second and third generation of the series, such as Mewtwo, Lugia and Rayquaza. To do this, you will need specific items, called Legendary Plates. For more details we recommend that you read our guide on how to catch all the Legendary Pokémon of Shining Diamond and Shining Pearl and how to get the Legendary Plates with the materials of the Great Dungeons.
Challenging the Gym Leaders and the Elite Four
So far we have talked about new creatures to capture, but in reality the endgame of Shining Diamond and Shining Pearl also opens the doors to new game areas and challenges. As soon as he gets the National Pokédex, Pedro will offer you to fight again with all the Gym Leaders of the Sinnoh region. Don't think this is child's play, as now each of them now has a much stronger team with new Pokémon.
The same goes for the Pokémon League Elite Four who will be more aggressive than ever. Their teams will also get even stronger once the legendary Heatran is captured or defeated.
Battle Zone
Once you have the National Pokédex, head to Snowpoint City and talk to the nearby sailor at the port, which will offer you a ride to the Battle Zone. This is a new island that was previously inaccessible and waiting to be explored. Here you will find various points of interest, such as the Provision Area and the Challenge Area, new Routes (from 225 and 230), as well as the Hostile Mountain where you can catch the Legendary Pokémon Heatran.
Not only that, in the Battle Zone you will also find the Battle Tower, a structure where you can engage in Pokémon battles alone or in particularly challenging multiplayer in exchange for rewards. In the building you will also find an NPC who will unlock a function for the PC that allows you to find out if your Pokémon's IVs are good or not.
If you found this article useful, we also recommend our Pokémon Shining Diamond and Shining Pearl guides on how to get all Evolution Stones.
Have you noticed any errors?
Cresselia, Giratina, Heatran and Regigigas
Once you have the National Pokédex, new legendary Pokémon to catch will appear in the game world, namely Cresselia, Giratina , Heatran and Regigigas. To meet them, however, you'll need to explore new areas and meet specific conditions. You will find more details in our guide on how to catch all the Legendary Pokémon of Shining Diamond and Shining Pearl.Park Rosa Rugosa
Park Rosa Rugosa is a brand new area introduced for the first time in the Shining Diamond and Shining Pearl remakes, located at the end of Route 221. Once you have the National Pokédex, in this facility you can catch dozens and dozens of Legendary Pokémon from the first, second and third generation of the series, such as Mewtwo, Lugia and Rayquaza. To do this, you will need specific items, called Legendary Plates. For more details we recommend that you read our guide on how to catch all the Legendary Pokémon of Shining Diamond and Shining Pearl and how to get the Legendary Plates with the materials of the Great Dungeons.Challenging the Gym Leaders and the Elite Four
So far we have talked about new creatures to capture, but in reality the endgame of Shining Diamond and Shining Pearl also opens the doors to new game areas and challenges. As soon as he gets the National Pokédex, Pedro will offer you to fight again with all the Gym Leaders of the Sinnoh region. Don't think this is child's play, as now each of them now has a much stronger team with new Pokémon.The same goes for the Pokémon League Elite Four who will be more aggressive than ever. Their teams will also get even stronger once the legendary Heatran is captured or defeated.
Battle Zone
Once you have the National Pokédex, head to Snowpoint City and talk to the nearby sailor at the port, which will offer you a ride to the Battle Zone. This is a new island that was previously inaccessible and waiting to be explored. Here you will find various points of interest, such as the Provision Area and the Challenge Area, new Routes (from 225 and 230), as well as the Hostile Mountain where you can catch the Legendary Pokémon Heatran.Not only that, in the Battle Zone you will also find the Battle Tower, a structure where you can engage in Pokémon battles alone or in particularly challenging multiplayer in exchange for rewards. In the building you will also find an NPC who will unlock a function for the PC that allows you to find out if your Pokémon's IVs are good or not.
If you found this article useful, we also recommend our Pokémon Shining Diamond and Shining Pearl guides on how to get all Evolution Stones.
Have you noticed any errors?
