How to Find Rare Pokémon in Grand Underground in Pokémon BDSP

The Underground in the original Gen IV Pokémon games was mostly just a place to dig up evolutionary stones and the occasional rare hunk of rock to make a quick buck. Oh, and Arceus’ elemental plates, but Arceus was never actually released, so that didn’t mean much. Thankfully, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl have introduced a major overhaul to the Underground, upgrading it into the Grand Underground. Not only is there still plenty of digging and secret base building for those who are into that stuff, but you can also encounter rare Pokémon, some that can’t even be found on Sinnoh’s surface! Here’s how to find rare Pokémon in the Grand Underground in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.

Scattered throughout the Grand Underground, separated by the usual pathways of mineshafts, are what are known as Pokémon Hideaways. These are special underground biomes where all kinds of Pokémon make their home. When you find a Hideaway, you can walk right up to the Pokémon milling about to start up an encounter and attempt to catch them. Many of these Pokémon will be the same ones on the surface, but with a little creativity, you can make certain rarer Pokémon appear.

How to Find Rare Pokémon in Grand Underground in Pokémon BDSP

Here’s how to Find Rare Pokémon in the Grand Underground in Pokémon BDSP:

1. Construct a Secret Base anywhere in the Grand Underground
2. Dig up statues from the mineshaft walls
3. Place the statues in your base to increase the spawn rate of particular Pokémon

As you scan the mineshafts of the Grand Underground and dig up treasures, you may occasionally find small treasure boxes buried in the walls. These boxes contain statues of Pokémon, which come in two varieties: the regular grey ones and the rarer green ones. These statues aren’t just for decoration, though; if you create a Secret Base for yourself using the Digger Drill from the old man in Eterna City, you can place the statues there. 

Placing statues in your Secret Base will increase the odds of encountering whatever Pokémon the statue depicts. Green statues raise the odds more than grey ones, and you can increase the effect further by placing multiple copies of the same statue in your base. Once you’ve placed a statue, go find a Hideaway with characteristics that match the Pokémon you’re looking for. For example, if you place a statue of a Ponyta, go look for a fiery biome like Volcanic Cave.

Once you complete the Sinnoh Dex and unlock the National Dex, even more Pokémon from all over will begin spawning in the Grand Underground, so keep digging up those statues to get the ones you want.