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Just like in the original Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, you will get an item called PokeRadar from Professor Rowan once you unlock the National Pokedex in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. PokeRadar is used to find Pokemon that aren’t from the Sinnoh region or to help you look for Pokemon with Hidden Ability or even Shiny Pokemon. However, you can only use it in the grass patches that are thick and dense; it won’t work on slim and wispy grasses, in caves, or on the water while Surfing. Here’s how you can utilize Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl PokeRadar to find Shiny Pokemon.
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl: How to Use the PokeRadar
To really take advantage of the PokeRadar for Shiny hunting, you’ll also need the Chain Counter app for your Poketch. After getting National Pokedex, follow Professor Oak to Ramanas Park at Route 221. Enter the building and talk to Professor Oak to obtain the Chain Counter app.
The Chain Counter app will help you keep track of three Pokemon species you encounter while walking around with the PokeRadar. You will need to keep encountering the same Pokemon every time and make a “chain” if you want the best chance of finding its Shiny counterpart. Here are the steps to get it:
- Buy 50-60 Repels or Super Repels. This way you should always encounter specific Pokemon from shaking grasses and keep up your chain. You shouldn’t run into any random encounters otherwise your chain will break.
- Buy 50-60 good PokeBalls, like Repeat Balls (since we’re going to face the same Pokemon over and over again for quite a while) or Quick Balls (so you can quickly catch them on your first turn).
- Select the Chain Counter Poketch app.
- Unequip every item, except the PokeRadar.
- Head to a patch of grass, preferably to the middle of it. Since usually four shaking grass will appear, so standing in the middle should maximize the area where the shaking grass will show up.
- Activate a Repel or Super Repel.
- Save your game as a safety net. We’re farming, after all.
- Make sure you turned off auto-save.
- Use the Poke Radar to reveal shaking grass, walk into any of them.
- See if you want to get the Shiny version of that Pokemon. Capture or defeat it if you do, reload save if you don’t.
- The Chain Counter app will now show the number “1”. You should only go to the furthest shaking grass — or at least four tiles away — to make the “same Pokemon chain.”
- The next Pokemon you meet should be the one you previously captured.
- Repeat from step 11 to keep building the chain.
- Once your chain reaches 35-40, instead of walking to another shaking grass, try resetting the PokeRadar to make grass with a Shiny twinkle appear.
- To reset the PokeRadar, walk 50 steps. You should also do this if you cannot find any shaking grass patches, then repeat from step 9.
- The odds of getting a Shiny is 1 in 4096. With that in mind, reaching a 40-chain is ideal because it gives a 1 in 99 chance.
There will be 3 types of shaking grass identified by the Poke Radar:
- Normal shaking: Normal Pokemon will show up.
- Shaking with bright blades of grass: More likely showing PokeRadar-exclusive Pokemon with a Hidden Ability.
- Shiny twinkle: Gives the best chance of encountering Shiny Pokemon.
However, it’s important to remember that there is always a 7% chance that the chain can randomly break. Reload the previous save if the chain breaks or if you don’t find the Pokemon you’re looking for on your first try.
List of Pokemon Exclusive to PokeRadar in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl
- Nidoran♀
- Nidoran♀
- Nidorina
- Nidorino
- Venonat
- Venomoth
- Mankey
- Primeape
- Slowpoke
- Grimer
- Tauros
- Ditto
- Sentret
- Togepi
- Mareep
- Flaaffy
- Hoppip
- Skiploom
- Sunkern
- Wobbuffet
- Houndoom
- Stantler
- Smeargle
- Tyrogue
- Miltank
- Larvitar
- Mightyena
- Swellow
- Ralts
- Kirlia
- Nincada
- Loudred
- Aron
- Torkoal
- Trapinch
- Vibrava
- Swablu
- Baltoy
- Kecleon
- Duskull
- Dusclops
- Snorunt
- Bagon
Some Abilities also help make Pokemon with the specific type show up while using PokeRadar:
- Flash Fire, makes it easier to find Fire-Type Pokemon. Ability owners:
- Ponyta.
- Flareon.
- Storm Drain, makes it easier to find Water-Type Pokemon. Ability owners:
- Shellos.
- Lileep.
- Static, makes it easier to find Electric-Type Pokemon. Ability owners:
- Pikachu.
- Elekid.
- Lightning Rod, makes it easier to find Electric-Type Pokemon. Ability owners:
- Cubone.
- Rhyhorn.
- Magnet Pull, makes it easier to find Steel-Type Pokemon. Ability owners:
- Cute Charm, makes it easier to find Pokemon of the opposite sex. Ability owners:
- Clefairy.
- Lopunny.
Related:
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl: How to Check Friendship
Both Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl are available now on the Nintendo Switch.