After defeating the Elite Four and battling all of the Gym Leaders in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, the goal for you will likely be to encounter all of the Pokémon in the Sinnoh PokéDex. These are Pokémon you can only encounter during the first part of the game. However, after you find them all and fill out your Sinnoh PokéDex, you’ll unlock the National PokéDex, giving you access to all of the Pokémon that appeared in previous games, from generations one to three. How many Pokémon are in the Sinnoh PokéDex in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl?
You can check your PokéDex at any time before beating the game to see how many Pokémon that you need to find to unlock the National PokéDex. You’ll need to encounter 150 Pokémon in the Sinnoh Region. For some, there’s 151, with Manaphy being the final one.
The most difficult ones you may encounter will be the legendary Pokémon, the legendary Lake Guardians, Chatot, Unown, and a handful of others you may have missed because you may have walked a different path and avoided specific Pokémon Trainer battles while exploring the game. You may also need to explore the Grand Underground a bit more to find specific ones. You can find Togepi, Munchlax, and Combee down there.
If you want to unlock the National PokéDex, you do not have to capture all of these Pokémon. You only need to encounter them. Fighting them once in the wild or if a trainer uses one against you in a battle counts as a PokéDex entry. So if you’re missing a handful of Pokémon, we encourage you to retrace your steps to battle random trainers who you may have overlooked or go explore the Solaceon Ruins to encounter an Unown.
