Are starter Pokémon shiny-locked in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl?

Shiny Pokémon are a widely desired surprise and a goal for many Pokémon players, especially shiny hunters. For those looking for shiny Pokémon in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, many will have a big question when they start the game is if the three start Pokémon, Chimchar Piplup, and Turtwig, are shiny-locked.

We can confirm that these Pokémon are not shiny-locked, and there’s a chance when you choose one of these Pokémon that they could be the shiny versions. If your singular goal is to acquire a shiny version of these Pokémon, you can try picking one at the start of a game to receive it or try breeding one through eggs.

The term shiny-locked usually means a Pokémon cannot be a shiny version unless there’s a special event. Because these starter Pokémon are not shiny locked, it means there’s always a tiny chance you could encounter the shiny version while playing Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.

By not having these shiny versions stuck behind the shiny-locked rules, you’ll be free to catch these shiny Pokémon to your heart’s content. These are starter Pokémon, so you may have the trade with another player to receive at least one copy of a starter you don’t have in your game, or trade one from your Pokémon Home. If you have at least one starter Pokémon, you can breed multiple to try and acquire an egg.