How to See Palkia in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond (& Dialga in Shining Pearl)

If you’ve been playing Pokemon Brilliant Diamond, you’ll have no doubt started on your quest to beat all the gym leaders across Sinnoh, conquer the Elite Four, and of course, catch ’em all. If you’re looking to get the National Dex, you’re going to need to see all 151 Pokemon in the Sinnoh Pokedex. While this is fairly easy enough thanks to being able to trade version-exclusive Pokemon with a friend or some NPCs in the game, there are some that are a lot trickier. These are Palkia in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Dialga in Shining Pearl. These are the legendary Pokemon for the opposite version of the game, and so unless you’ve got a friend willing to trade it with you, it’s unlikely you’ll have one of your own.

The good news is that it is actually possible to ‘see’ Palkia in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond without having to trade Pokemon or hack the game. You just need to know which NPC to talk to.

Seeing Palkia in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond

To see Palkia in Brilliant Diamond, head to Celestic Town and speak to Cynthia’s Grandmother in the large house above the ruins in the town.

When you do so, she’ll talk about a legendary Pokemon and say that there’s a photo of it she can show you.

When she does, a photo of Palkia will appear on your screen. Having seen this image, Palkia will be added to your Pokedex.

It’s worth pointing out that Cynthia’s Grandmother will only show you the photo of Palkia once you’ve beaten Cyrus at Spear Pillar. This is part of the ‘main story’ and cannot be missed, so don’t worry about it. If you’ve not done it yet, you will do before facing the Elite Four.

Seeing Dialga in Pokemon Shining Pearl

If you’re playing Shining Pearl and need to see Dialga, you can do the exact same thing to add it to your Pokedex.

Just head to Cynthia’s Grandmother in Celestic Town after beating Cyrus at Spear Pillar and she’ll show you a picture of Dialga which will add it to your Pokedex.

That’s everything you need to know about seeing Palkia in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond, and Dialga in Shining Pearl. For more tips, tricks and guides, head over to our wiki or see more of our coverage on the game below.