Level up quickly in Pokémon Shiny Diamond and Shiny Pearl

The RPG mechanics of the Pokémon series have always had an odd balance. The base systems of each type of Pokemon with strengths and weaknesses are generally strong, but it’s the areas around that base that seem to change from game to game. Upgrading your Pokémon is one of those areas. Originally evolving a Pokemon was as easy as using it in battle enough times to earn enough XP to level up, but by the time we reach Shiny Diamond and Shiny Pearl Pokémon, things got a little more complex.

Growing your team is in some ways much easier, but also more difficult. Right from the start, all of your Pokémon will benefit from full XP sharing, meaning even the pocket monsters you’ve sat on the bench will still gain XP as if they are themselves in battle. However, getting new Pokémon late in the game and after the game, when even more Pokémon become available, will leave new catches potentially dozens of levels without much obvious ways of earning good XP. Fear not, because there are several ways to grow your team quickly in Shiny Diamond and Shiny Pearl Pokémon to reduce the grind.

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Grind with Riley on Iron Island

If you are still progressing through the story, the first great place to prepare for battles much faster is when you travel to Iron Island. This will happen around the middle of your adventure in Shiny Diamond and Shiny Pearl Pokémon, but you only have one chance to exploit this situation. The first time you travel to Iron Island, which you trigger by talking to the Sailor at the docks in Canalave City, Riley will join you as a partner until you’ve completed the goal of defeating the Grunts. galactic on the said island.

There are two main advantages of grinding right now with Riley. The first is that, because you have a partner, every Pokémon you encounter in the wild will automatically become a Double Battle. This effectively doubles your XP gain since you will get XP from both Pokémon you defeat. The real plus here is that Riley will also fully heal your team’s HP and PP after each battle if you just talk to him. This means that it is no longer necessary to return to a Pokémon Center to recover after a few battles. You can grind and grind to your heart’s content.

Get the Seeker Vs. Item

Fighting wild Pokémon is great, but we all know trainers are where the real XP gains are. But coaches, for the most part, will only challenge you once. With a handy article called the Seeker Vs., however, you can challenge any trainer you’ve ever beaten, and they will even have a more powerful list than the first time. This means that even early game trainers are worth going back and fighting a second time for a nice amount of XP.

The Vs. Seeker is a key component, which means you’ll automatically pick it up as you play, especially on route 207. When using it, any trainer currently on your screen that can be fought at new will get two exclamation marks above their head. Just keep in mind that the Vs. Seeker has a reload mechanism where you can only use it after walking 100 steps after the previous use.

The only exceptions that Vs. Seeker will not work on coaches inside caves or buildings. This includes the trainers on Victory Road, so you can’t double down on those high cost battles.

Hold the lucky egg

There are many different sustaining items you can give your Pokemon to add different buffs and effects, but the only one you should be worried about when trying to level up quickly is the rare Lucky Egg. This item will increase the amount of XP you gain in each battle by 1.5 times. You won’t naturally stumble upon a Lucky Egg, however, but there are a few options for catching one. Just be aware that Lucky Eggs XP multiplier stacks. This means that the more Pokémon you have and the more Pokémon you have, the more that multiplier will increase, up to a maximum of six for your active roster.

The first place you can find a Lucky Egg is in the Grand Underground. At the far northwest of the map is an area called Acuity Lakefront. Look for the Pokéball in the middle of the Ice Room here which contains a free Lucky Egg.

Lucky Eggs are also a prize for Loto-ID in Jubilife City. This is based on luck, so not a very reliable method. For a more consistent way, you can buy them at the Battle Tower with your BP, but at a very high cost of 77 BP.

Finally, and it’s also somewhat random, you can occasionally get a Lucky Egg if you meet Chancey and steal one. You can do this using either the Thief skill, but if none of your Pokémon knows this move, you can just grab the Chancey. If it contains a Lucky Egg when you catch it, you can take it and give it to another Pokémon.

Grind the Elite Four

Again, Trainers are among the most lucrative sources of XP in Shiny Diamond and Shiny Pearl Pokémon, and some of the strongest trainers in the game are none other than the Elite Four. These are basically the higher level enemies that you can fight multiple times before facing endgame challenges like the Battle Tower. These trainers will have very high level Pokémon that give tons of XP and are the only special trainers that you can actually take on multiple times, even without Seeker Vs. In fact, there are two versions of the Elite Four that you can compare again.

Once you’ve defeated the Elite Four, you can fight them again by simply entering the Pokémon League and going through the main gate as usual. This will set you up against the exact same training they were when you first met them. When you’re ready for a tougher fight and a bigger XP gain, they’ll get a new lineup of Pokémon once you get the National Pokédex.

Hunt in hiding places

If you’re in the Grand Underground anyway, Hideaways are your best bet for fighting wild Pokémon that are definitely worth your time until the endgame levels. Indeed, the Pokémon that appear in Hideaways will adapt specifically to your level. Additionally, you can see which Pokémon are in the area to fight. In general, look for Evolved Pokémon for more XP. Some good refuges are Bigblugg Cave, Ice Cave, and Fountainspring Cave.

Eat rare candies

Finally, there is always Rare Candy. This rare item does exactly what it always has and instantly increases the level of any Pokémon by one. These are best saved until your Pokémon are at the last levels, which takes more XP to achieve. There is a limited amount of these powerful items in the game, however, if you are truly desperate, there are methods people have found that you can use to duplicate Rare Candy.