Choosing Your Starter Pokémon

Deciding between Turtwig, Chimchar, and Piplup in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl? Get a breakdown of each starter's strengths, weaknesses, and evolved forms to make the best choice for your Sinnoh adventure.

Alright, let's talk about your very first big decision in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl: picking your starter! This is a big one because you only get one chance to choose from Turtwig, Chimchar, and Piplup. You can't get another one without trading, so choose wisely based on what you like. Your rival will also pick the Pokémon that has a type advantage over yours, so keep that in mind!

Let's break down each one:

• Turtwig: This is your Grass-type Pokémon. It's a bit slow but makes up for it with really solid defensive stats and a good Attack stat. When it evolves into Torterra, it gains the Ground-type. This makes it super vulnerable to Ice-type moves, but it becomes a fantastic counter to Electric-types and can handle Fire-types pretty well too.
• Chimchar: This is your Fire-type Pokémon. It's a speedy little guy with great offensive stats, but its defenses aren't the best. Its final evolution, Infernape, gets the Fighting-type. While this combo is pretty common, it's super effective against Rock-types, and it's the perfect counter to Empoleon (Piplup's final form).
• Piplup: This is your Water-type Pokémon. It's more of a balanced choice compared to the other two, with decent offensive and defensive stats, though it's also on the slower side. Its final evolution, Empoleon, gains the Steel-type. This gives it a ton of resistances, including immunity to Poison! Offensively, Steel isn't the strongest, but you can always teach it powerful Ice-type moves.

So, which one should you pick? Honestly, there's no wrong answer here. The game isn't so tough that one starter will make or break your experience. Just go with the one you like the most or that fits your playstyle:

• Pick Turtwig if you prefer to take less damage and be more defensive.
• Pick Chimchar if you like to dish out damage quickly and be more offensive.
• Pick Piplup if you want a Pokémon that's good all-around.

From a story progression standpoint, you might find it slightly easier to start with Turtwig or Piplup because the first Gym Leader specializes in Rock-type Pokémon. However, don't stress too much, as you can actually catch another Grass-type Pokémon pretty early in the game to help out if you choose Chimchar.