Anyone who played the original Diamond and Pearl DS games knows how much of a strain it was to use HMs. Thankfully, HMs work quite a bit differently in the Gen IV remakes. There are a total of eight HMs in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, but only six are necessary for beating the game. We'll explain what they are, where to find them, and how HMs work in the remakes.
Be the very best in Sinnoh!
Instead of remaking Gen IV to play like a modern game, Diamond and Pearl are designed to feel like the classics with better visuals and slight improvements all around. This includes the new way of handling HMs.
All HMs & how to get them
There are a total of eight HMs, all but Defog and Fly are essential to beating the game.
| Name | Where to get it | Header Cell - Column 2 |
|---|---|---|
| 01. Cut | Cynthia gives it to you in Eterna City. | Row 0 - Cell 2 |
| 02. Fly | It's given to you when entering the Team Galactic Warehouse in Veilstone City. | Row 1 - Cell 2 |
| 03. Surf | Cynthia's mother gives it to you at the town shrine in Celestic Town. | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
| 04. Strength | Given to you by an old lady on 5F of the Lost Tower | Row 3 - Cell 2 |
| 05. Defog | Talk to the boy at the entrance of the Great Marsh | Row 4 - Cell 2 |
| 06. Rock Smash | Talk to the Hiker at the Oreburgh Gate. | Row 5 - Cell 2 |
| 07. Waterfall | Given to you by Jasmine after being Valkner at Sunyshore City. | Row 6 - Cell 2 |
| 08. Rock Climb | Obtained just north of the Hiker's house on Route 217. | Row 7 - Cell 2 |
How HMs work in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl
Instead of teaching these special moves to members of your Pokémon team like you did in the original games, a wild Pokémon appears to perform the HM action you want to take.
But wait, why were HMs a struggle in the originals? There were eight HMs total, but finding Pokémon that could learn each of these wasn't the easiest thing. More so than other Pokémon games, many people had to settle for Pokémon they didn't care for on their team, or they had to frequently make trips to the PC at the Pokémon Center to swap out Pokémon that had learned the move they needed.
Bidoof and its evolution Bibarel became heroes for many players since they could learn all six essential HM moves, though no Pokémon can have more than four moves at a time. As such, players often made it, so Bibarel only had HM moves. This is why Bibarel and Bidoof have been dubbed "HM slaves."
The use of wild Pokémon for HMs in the remakes is a brilliant solution as it maintains the feel of the classic adventures while fixing one of the game's biggest issues. Not to mention, this is going to be a bit like how players will be able to travel in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. So it's almost preparing us for when that game launches in February 2022.
Some wild moves
Letting wild Pokémon take over the role of HMs is a smart move that preserves the classic feel of the original Brilliant and Diamond DS games while making the playing experience better for modern times. It will still take work to defeat all those gyms and earn those badges, but at least the HMs won't be quite as inconvenient.
