Baby’s First Switch: How To Get Started In Pokémon Brilliant Diamond So You Can Slay Every Trainer

It’s only been about two weeks since I started playing Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and asked all you Pokémon trainers out there for your tips and tricks to help me get started.

As usual, your comments helped me out immensely and really got me through some sticky situations. I was often confused about many different parts of this game because I’m a silly little gamer. I also had enough time to get through the game myself and pick up a few tips that helped me out.

So, without further ado, here is this week’s Baby’s First Switch, you’re ultimate beginner’s guide to getting started in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond. 

Picking the right Pokémon

Probably the most exciting part about getting started in any Pokémon game is the ability to pick your very own Poké-child and watch them grow and become best friends with them.

So when the option comes up for you to choose which Pokémon you want to start with, make wise decisions!

You will have the choice between Chimchar, Piplup and Turtwig. All very cute and adorable choices.

I personally liked to match myself with the Pokémon that I felt fit my energy the most. I chose Piplup because it was a water Pokémon and I’m a water sign (yes, I’m sorry, I let that affect my decisions).

Fair warning though, there are a lot of water types in Brillian Diamond so sometimes it can be tricky fighting them when you too are a water Pokémon.

For that reason, Chimchar is probably a strong choice because it’s a fire type. In saying that, because there are so many water types, it’s easy to be overpowered by them if you aren’t levelled up enough yet.

And then Turtwig is just a cutesy little choice, it’s a pretty solid Pokémon who is consistent throughout and great to start off with.

(Omg they’re learning about Type Matchups, guys. I’m so proud. This is very exciting. We’ll make a gamer of you yet, Ky. — David)

In the end, it doesn’t really matter which one you choose because they are all great choices and they will all evolve into strong and capable Pokémon. You can also learn to stack your party up with a well-rounded squad of different types of Pokémon so you can readily face any threat.

Also, don’t be scared to have weaker Pokémon in your party because they level up quicker when they are around stronger ones.

Tips for trainer battles

While I did complain in the last article that I was sick of fighting, I am ready to take back that statement. I know! Me being wrong? Take it in, because it will never happen again (if I have anything to say about it).

Turns out, battling other trainers is an incredibly vital part of Pokémon and it’s pretty much the only way to level up your party.

That’s not the only benefit to battles though. Once you get your Pokédex, it will automatically register any new Pokémon you meet in your battles. The more battles you have, the more chances you have of seeing rare and different Pokémon to fill up your Pokédex with.

So yes, battle absolutely everyone you can. It’s more beneficial than you think, even if it is time-consuming.

Another great tip that I learned when I first got started in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond was that it’s really essential to know the strengths and weaknesses of your Pokémon.

When you enter battles, especially Gym Leader battles, it’s important to know which Pokémon will fight better against others.

Be smart about the type of Pokémon you use against different trainers. To know which Pokémon to use, make sure to talk to the man who stands at the front of every gym. He will reveal clues about what type of Pokémon the Gym Leader is susceptible to.

It’s also great to count your losses and it’s okay to lose. It just means you need to either get a bit stronger or better plan how to use your Pokémon in battle.

Other starter tips for Pokémon Brilliant Diamond 

Talk to everyone! By talking to everyone in every town, you will learn so much and get cool things from each of them. It might seem a bit tedious but it really will help you out in the long run.

Don’t forget about the Old Rod. Once you visit Jubilife city, the story will try to push you to go east and complete the objectives over there. Whilst it’s tempting to do that, it’s important to go west instead. That’s if you want to catch some cool water Pokémon. You’ll reach the building between Jubilife and Route 218 where a fisherman will give you an Old Rod which will help you catch cool Pokémon from the water!

Dig into the Grand Underground. This one will take a while for you to get to but once you reach Eterna City, one of the coolest things you’ll be able to do is visit the Grand Underground. AKA, where all the cool and rare Pokémon live. You have to visit the Underground Man (sounds like a horror movie) to obtain the Explorer Kit and access into the great underground maze. After your first visit, go and talk to the Underground Man again and he’ll give you a Digger Drill which is useful if you want to create a Secret Base in the Grand Underground.

Become besties with your Pokémon. One of the best parts (the best part in my opinion) is being able to watch your little Pokémon babies grow and evolve. This also means developing a relationship with them. A great way to do that is to walk with your Pokémon. You won’t be able to do that until you reach Hearthome City, but it’s definitely a great reward. Just go to Amity Square and visit the Pokémon Park where you can walk around some lush gardens with your pals. After that, you have the option to walk around with one Pokémon everywhere. (You can change who you choose to walk with).

Always be on the lookout for hidden items. Most of the time you’ll find hidden Poké Balls on the ground in tall grass or behind trees. These are great to pick up because they will contain Elixirs, potions or different moves for your Pokémon to learn.

Tips from the Kotaku Australia community:

I really could not have made it as far as I did without the Kotaku Australia community, so here are some tips from them to help you get started in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond. 

ruddaga: 

“Different areas have different Pokemon. The further you get into the game the more varied they’ll become. There’s the underground area which you can find after getting the Dig move from someone early on in one of the earlier downs that allows you access to the underground area. The different biomes there can have some rarer Pokémon you might not have seen yet.”

“Get a party of varied Pokémon and push through. Diamond / Pearl is slightly harder than some of the other games in which you can’t just use your Starter to plough through everything. But the basic advice for Pokémon games as a rule is just use your starter to plough through everything. Also learning what type beats what can be useful especially for some of the tougher gym battles/end game battles.”

“For the Elite Four section of the game, you might want to bring in some X Defence/ X S Defence and just stack those on your main hard hitting pokemon so you become immune to whatever its weakness is.”

hammond:

I’ve had a lot of fun getting started with Pokémon Brilliant Diamond so I really hope that you have as much fun with it as I did. Good luck, Pokémon trainers!