Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl HM Changes Explained

The Gen IV remakes are finally here, and they’ve brought more than just shiny new visual updates. There are a number of gameplay changes to experience as well. If you’re wondering how HMs work in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, we’ve got all the details right here.

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl HM Changes Explained

You no longer need to teach your Pokemon HMs to use them outside of battle, unlike in the original Diamond and Pearl. In the remakes, the game will call a wild Pokemon to use the HM whenever you’re in a situation where it’s necessary. So, for example, if you choose to use Surf to cross water, a wild Pokemon that isn’t in your party will carry you across.

Simply walk up to the environmental obstacle that you need to get past, and interact with it. A wild Pokemon, like the Bibarel using Rock Climb in the image below, will appear to help you out.

This new process is very different when looking at the days when HMs were semi-permanent moves that couldn’t be forgotten by your Pokemon without jumping through hoops. It was also difficult to decide which Pokemon to give your HMs to since they would take up valuable move slots.

That’s everything you need to know about the HM changes in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. Be sure to check out our guide wiki for more tips, tricks, and other info on the game.

You can have a look at the related articles below to read up on more of our Pokemon coverage, including how to get Manaphy and Phione, a list of all version-exclusive Pokemon, and more. If you have any questions about the game, just leave them in the comment section below and we’ll do our best to lend a helping hand.