Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Introduces a New Way to Hunt Shiny Pokemon

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl introduces a new way to hunt for Shiny Pokemon, which is even more effective when playing online. Shiny hunting is a popular pastime for many veteran Pokemon players, as it's a way to pass time once the postgame is cleared and the Pokedex is filled. While players typically have a 1 in over 4000 chance of encountering a Shiny Pokemon in the wild, there are several methods that can boost these odds tremendously. One way to boost your Shiny luck in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl is to use the Poke Radar, a Poketch app that Professor Oak gives you after you've seen every single Pokemon in the core Sinnoh Pokedex. 

The Poke Radar appeared in the original Pokemon Diamond and Pearl games, but there's a new method to boost your Shiny chances that requires a lot less work. In the Grand Underground, players may notice that Diglett and Dugtrio will occasionally appear in various corners, leaving behind a sparky residue that players can collect. Collecting the Diglett/Dugtrio slowly fills up a gauge on the left-hand side of the screen and all players who are currently online contribute to that gauge. Once 40 Diglett/Dugtrio are collected among all the players, a message appears that says "Something Good Might Happen."

That "Something Good" includes increased odds of finding Shiny Pokemon in the various Pokemon Hideaways that dot the Grand Underground. A player's odds of finding a Shiny Pokemon in the Grand Underground will double – giving them a 1 in 2048 chance of finding a Shiny Pokemon instead of a 1 in 4096. We'll note that if the bonus is triggered when a player is inside a Pokemon Hideaway, they'll need to leave and re-enter the hideaway to receive the shiny bonus. Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl determines whether a Pokemon in a Pokemon Hideaway is Shiny as soon as a player enters the lair. 

The Diglett bonus also increases a player's chance of finding Gorgeous Statues during the digging mini-games. These statues have a beneficial effect on drawing out certain types of Pokemon in Pokemon Hideaways. While Gorgeous Statues have a different color and use a Shiny symbol in their name, there's no evidence that the statues increase the odds of finding a Shiny Pokemon. 

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl is available now.