Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Speedrun Guide: Tips and Cheats

Want to try to complete Pokémon Brilliant Diamond or Shining Pearl as quickly as possible? We’ve got some tips for you right here in our Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl speedrun guide! There’s no real reward for beating either game as fast as possible, but it’s fun to do!

Please note that many early speedruns of Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl utilized various bugs and glitches that made it possible to beat the game in absurd times. Some runners were getting times below half an hour! These glitches have since been patched out of the game with the newest updates, so we won’t be going over those.

Play through the Game at Least Once

This might sound like obvious advice, but it’s important enough for reiteration: we strongly recommend that you finish the main story of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond or Shining Pearl at least once so that you get a general feel for how to get through the game quickly.

Knowing where to go and what your next step is at all times is crucial to getting through the game at a swift pace, so it’s good to have the muscle memory. If you don’t want to finish the game at least once, we highly suggest keeping a walkthrough of the game open so that you don’t forget where to go next.

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The Beginning of the Speedrun

Your first major goal is to get to Eterna City as fast as you can, because that’s where you get your bike. With the bike, you’ll be able to zoom around Sinnoh, and it’ll be your primary traveling method.

That brings us to our next topic: which starter should you choose? Turtwig is a great choice early on, as it can dominate the first set of Gym Leaders. Chimchar is the favorite of many Trainers because it grows up into the absolute powerhouse that is Infernape. Chimchar will struggle against the early Gym Leaders however, so make sure you plan around that. Piplup is an excellent all-arounder that will shine during the late-game battles, thanks to its unique type.

As you battle through the story, you’ll want to train up your starter as much as you can, as they’ll be your main battler. You don’t want to spend too much time catching Pokémon. When you do go out of your way to get more Pokémon, it’s important to know exactly where to look to waste the least amount of time.

Have an idea of what your ideal team is going to look like. Plan out your route, because you obviously cannot catch all your favorite Pokémon at once. If you need some recommendations, some great Pokémon are:

• Garchomp
• Togekiss
• Electivire
• Magmortar
• Gyarados
• Snorlax
• Crobat
• Lapras
• All three starters

Ultimately, team composition will always be subjective, so it’s best that you put together a team you’re most comfortable with. Just like we said though, make sure you study up on how early you can get them and what the best way to catch them is.

Ignore Optional Content

While Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are a little more linear than the past Pokémon games, there are still a few side areas that aren’t required to progress the main story. Unless you’re trying to get a specific Pokémon from said areas, you should ignore these areas entirely to save time.

If you do need to venture into a side area, it’s best to know the layout of the map beforehand. Get in, grab what you need, and get out as quickly as you can to stay on track.

If you’re going into an area with unavoidable wild Pokémon, make sure to bring Repels. In fact, if you’re not actively grinding or looking for Pokémon, you should always have Repels active whenever you need to get through a wild Pokémon area. In addition to Repels, make sure to have some Escape Ropes handy as well for a quick escape out of forests and caves.

Know your Opponents

Once you know the most efficient manner to catch your desired Pokémon, it’s time to study up on your opponents. You should have a plan of how to deal with all eight Gym Leaders, plus the Elite Four.

If you need a recap on each Gym Leader and their Pokémon, here’s a general overview:

Gym Leaders

• Roark (Rock): Geodude Lv12, Onix Lv12, Cranidos Lv14
• Gardenia (Grass): Cherubi Lv19, Turtwig Lv19, Roserade Lv22
• Maylene (Fighting): Meditite Lv27, Machoke Lv27, Lucario Lv30
• Crasher Wake (Water): Gyarados Lv27, Quagsire Lv27, Floatzel Lv30
• Fantina (Ghost): Drifblim Lv32, Gengar Lv34, Mismagius Lv36
• Byron (Steel): Bronzor Lv36, Steelix Lv36, Bastiodon Lv39
• Candice (Ice): Snover Lv38, Sneasel Lv38, Medicham Lv40, Abomasnow Lv42
• Volkner (Electric): Raichu Lv46, Ambipom Lv47, Octillery Lv47, Luxray Lv49

Elite Four & Champion

• Aaron (Bug): Dustox Lv53, Beautifly Lv53, Vespiquen Lv54, Heracross Lv54, Drapion Lv57
• Bertha (Ground): Quagsire Lv55, Sudowoodo Lv56, Golem Lv56, Whiscash Lv55, Hippowdon Lv59
• Flint (Fire): Rapidash Lv58, Steelix Lv57, Drifblim Lv58, Lopunny Lv57, Infernape Lv61
• Lucian (Psychic): Mr. Mime Lv59, Girafarig Lv59, Medicham Lv60, Alakazam Lv60, Bronzong Lv63
• Cynthia: Spiritomb Lv61, Roserade Lv60, Gastrodon Lv60, Lucario Lv63, Milotic Lv63, Garchomp Lv66

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Save Wisely

It’s important to save often, but it’s also crucial to think about how long it’s been since your last save. If you ever feel like you wasted too much time trying to do something, it might be wiser to simply reload your last time and continue from there.

This is especially helpful if you forget something in the middle of your run. If you need to experiment or do some testing, save so that you preserve your current time, then go ahead and do whatever you need to do. After you’re done, simply reload your save, and you’re good to go.

Those are the main things you need to keep in mind when speedrunning Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. If you have any other tips or tricks to share, let us know in the comments below!