Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl takes from the original Pokemon Diamond & Pearl by excluding story elements from Pokemon Platinum. One drawback to Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl is the lack of Fire-type Pokemon you can catch before the postgame. Like the originals, your two options were Chimchar and Ponyta. With the expansion of the Grand Underground mechanic, you can explore hideaways and catch Pokemon that you wouldn't normally find on Sinnoh's surface, such as the Dark/Fire-type Houndoom.
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl: How to Get Lucky Egg
The Lucky Egg is a fantastic item to have for leveling Pokemon in Pokemon Shining Pearl and Pokemon Brilliant Diamond.
Where to Find Houndoom in BDSP
Which Hideaway Should You Look For?
You won't be able to find a Houndoom until you've earned the Eterna City Gym Badge. Gardenia, the gym leader, specializes in Grass-type Pokemon. She has three Pokemon, and her strongest is Roserade (level 22). It's recommended you bring a Flying-type or Fire-type Pokemon with you. Unfortunately, you won't be able to get Houndoom until after you've cleared the gym.
Once you've cleared the gym, speak to the old man in the house right next to the Pokemon Center. You'll receive the Explorer's Kit key item. This will allow you to enter the Grand Underground where you can dig up treasure and find exclusive Pokemon.
Houndoom can be found in the Spacious Cave hideaways. You can also find it in:
- Volcanic Cave
- Sandsear Cave
- Typhlo Cave
- Dazzling Cave
- Stargleam Cave
If you're using the Explorer's Kit in Eterna City (ie: right after you obtain it), then the closest hideaway will be Spacious Cave.
Houndoom's level can be as low as 16 (after 2 Gym Badges) or as high as 60+ (after 8 Gym Badges). As you obtain more Gym Badges, it'll be easier to catch Pokemon. If you're trying to catch Houndoom right after Eterna Gym, you may have some trouble.
Houndoom is the final evolved form of Houndour, meaning it's going to have higher base stats and be harder to catch. You may have better luck using Great Balls than you would Poke Balls or Premier Balls. However, you won't be able to buy Great Balls from the Poke Mart until you have three Gym Badges.
If you're determined to get Houndoom early in your playthrough, then you should stock up on Poke Balls and get Houndoom's health down to the red. Putting it to sleep or paralyzing it can help make catching easier. Houndoom's typing makes it weak to Water and Fighting-type moves, but you'll want to avoid pitting it against a Grass or Bug-type Pokemon.
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl: How to Hatch the Egg from Hearthome Hiker and What's Inside
Pokemon BDSP players will receive a mysterious egg from a Hiker in Hearthome City, and here's how to hatch it and what it contains.
How to Get Houndour
How to Breed Houndoom
After arriving in Hearthome City, you can take the gate leading to Route 209. This will eventually lead to Solaceon Town, where you can find the Pokemon Nursery. You can leave two Pokemon at the Nursery for 1000 poke dollars. If the Pokemon you leave are opposite genders and share an Egg Group, then they may leave a Pokemon Egg, which you can obtain from the old man outside the Nursery.
Pokemon that have the same Trainer ID are less likely to leave Eggs at the Nursery. You can increase the compatibility by leaving a Pokemon with your Trainer ID and another trainer's ID. This can be obtained via trading or transferring from other games via Pokemon HOME.
Houndoom's Egg Group is Field, making it compatible with Pokemon such as the Ponyta-line and the Shinx-line. Otherwise, you can just catch another Houndoom in the Grand Underground and leave them both at the Nursery. Ditto works as well, but you won't be able to find Ditto until you get the National Dex.
If you're breeding Houndoom with a Pokemon of the same Egg Group, then make sure the Houndoom is female. The offspring of Pokemon will always take after the mother.
Houndour Eggs take 2560 steps to hatch. You can speed up the hatching process by riding your bike down Cycling Road on Route 206. Having a Pokemon with the Flame Body ability will also speed up hatching. To evolve Houndour, you'll need to get it to level 24.
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
- Released
- November 19, 2021
