How to find Heatran in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl

In the Gen IV remakes, players can catch the lava dome Pokemon hiddin in the depths of Sinnoh. Here is how to find Heatran in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl.

Although BDSP has brought many new features to the 2006 titles, Studio ILCA has also gone to great lengths to create a faithful adaptation of Sinnoh, including secret Pokemon that can be unlocked.

One of the ‘mon that makes its return is Heatran. The lava guardian is one of the most difficult characters to catch in the game. This guide will take a look at the quickest way to find the Legendary.

Contents:

• Where to find Heatran
• How to catch Heatran

Where to find Heatran in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl

Trainers will need to beat the main story of the Sinnoh remakes and unlock the National Dex before they can catch Heatran.

• Read More: How to get Shaymin in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
  

Even after accomplishing all of that, it will take quite a bit of work to hunt it down. Here are the steps you need to take to find the Legendary in BDSP:

1. After beating the Elite Four and Cynthia, you need to complete the Sinnoh Dex by seeing all 150 Pokemon in the base game.
2. Travel to Sandgem Town and speak to Professor Rowan who will give you the National Pokedex.
3. Next travel to the Fight Area. If you haven’t unlocked it yet, head to Snowpoint City and talk to the Sailor south of the town who will transport you to the location. Once there, head north and take the tunnel past the Fisherman who has the Super Rod.
4. Take Route 225 and make your way northeast until you reach the Survival Area which is a small village with a Pokemon Center and a PokeMart. Talk to your rival Barry and Gym Leader Crasher Wake to trigger a cutscene. Now continue to head east.
5. Travel through Route 226 until you reach a mountainside. Use the Rock Climb HM to scale up the structure and take a right up a staircase. Stop short before the two trainers and take the left rock path down, using the Hidden Move a second time. This will take you to another set of stairs which lead to water.
6. Use Surf HM and swim past a little house on an island and continue until you hit land. Walk north to Route 227. Hop on your bike and ride over a series of ramps. Walk past the house and go up the set of stairs.
7. At the top, ride your bicycle across a thin beam on the far right. After reaching the end, you will be greeted by an NPC named Buck. After his dialogue, continue to push forward until you head up a series of stairs which will lead you to a giant cave opening.
8. You have now arrived at Stark Mountain: the lair of Heatran.

How to catch Heatran in Pokemon BDSP

Now that you have reached Stark Mountian, players will need to continue pushing onwards as the game still requires you to do more work in order to spawn the lava Legendary.

1. After entering Stark Mountain, you need to use the Strength HM to push the boulder all the way to the right. Now get behind the rock and push it down the set of stairs.
2. Head right and use Strength once again. This time, it’s important to push the top and bottom boulder to the right and then get under and push the middle rock up against the wall. Then make your way up the mountain and enter the second cave entrance.
3. You will be greeted by Buck again. You now have to team up with the character to clear out the area with double battles.
4. Once you’ve made your way around the room, you will eventually take a set of stairs at the north that leads to another cave entrance.
5. After entering the room, a cutscene will trigger where Buck will swipe the Magma Stone and take off with it. Exit Stark Mountain. We recommend using an Escape Rope.
6. Use the Fly HM to head back to the Survival Area and enter the house and talk to the old man. Now talk to Buck, who will reveal that a volcano is about to erupt due to his actions. The NPC then leaves to put the Magma Stone back in Stark Mountain.
7. Players will need to repeat all the steps from the first section above (yes, we know it’s tedious) and walk all the way back to Stark Mountain. Unfortunately, you can not fast travel there and have to make the trek all over again.
8. Once you reach the location again, you can now use Rock Climb HM to speed up the process. Find your way back to the Magma Stone chamber. However, this time, save outside the room.
9. Enter the Magma Stone chamber a second time and Heatran will be waiting for you in the overworld. You can now interact with it to trigger a battle, where you can catch it.

Out of all the Legendaries in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Heatran is by far the toughest one to track down. Not only is it a maze to find it, but it’s quite tedious.

• Read More: How to get Ditto in Pokemon BDSP
  

All the backtracking is worth it in the end though, as the Lava Dome Guardian is one of the most powerful ‘mon in the game.

---

And that’s it! Now that you have Heatran on your team, make sure to take a look at our other BDSP guides and walkthroughs:

How to get Shaymin | How to get Jirachi | How to get Mew | Version exclusives | All Legendary Pokemon | How to get the Poketch | Best starter to pick | All Styles | How to beat all Gym Leaders | How to walk with your Pokemon