Pokémon BDSP: Where to catch Charmander, Squirtle and other starters

The starters from Gens I through IV can all be caught in the Grand Underground.

We all have our own favorite starter from a specific generation. Fortunately, in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, you can easily get 14 starters from Gens I through IV Pokémon games in the post-game. But to do that, you’ll need to know where exactly to catch them. We’ve got you covered. Whether you’re looking for Charmander, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, or one of the other 11 starters, here’s what you need to do to unlock them, along with where to find them.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl all starters

How to unlock all starters
All starter locations

How to unlock other Pokémon Starters in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl

You can only unlock the ability to capture starters from previous games after you’ve beaten all gym leaders and the Elite Four and then unlocked the National Pokédex. To do the second thing, you’ll need to see all 151 Pokémon from the Sinnoh region Dex and then talk to Professor Rowan at Sandgem Town.

All Pokémon starter locations in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl

The vast majority of starters can only be found in the Grand Underground wandering around in Pokémon Hideways or biomes that mesh well with their typing. It can take a while for them to spawn in the locations they show up, so if you don’t see them, leave the Hideaway and then reenter until you do. We’ve included Eevee since it was a starter in Let’s Go, Eevee!

Pokémon
Location

Bulbasaur
Grassland Cave, Riverbank Cave, Still-Water Cavern, Sunlit Cavern.

Charmander
Volcanic Cave, Typhlo Cavern, and Sandsear Cave.

Squirtle
Fountainspring Cave, Riverbank Cave, and Still-Water Cavern.

Pikachu
Trophy Garden on Route 212.

Eevee
From Bebe at Hearthome City and Trophy Garden on Route 212.

Chikorita
Grassland Cave, Riverbank Cave, Still-Water Cavern, Sunlit Cavern.

Cyndaquil
Volcanic Cave, Typhlo Cavern, and Sandsear Cave.

Totodile
Fountainspring Cave, Riverbank Cave, and Still-Water Cavern.

Treecko
Grassland Cave, Riverbank Cave, Still-Water Cavern, Sunlit Cavern.

Torchic
Volcanic Cave, Typhlo Cavern, and Sandsear Cave.

Mudkip
Fountainspring Cave, Riverbank Cave, and Still-Water Cavern.

Turtwig
Grassland Cave, Riverbank Cave, Still-Water Cavern, Sunlit Cavern.

Chimchar
Volcanic Cave, Typhlo Cavern, and Sandsear Cave.

Piplup
Fountainspring Cave, Riverbank Cave, and Still-Water Cavern.

Starter collector

Now that you know where to find all of the starters, you can really work towards filling out that National Dex. Good luck catching them all, and remember to check the rooms they spawn in over and over as they might not show up for a while.