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Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl is dazzling millions of gamers with its splendid ode to a bygone era. Sinnoh is one of the snazziest regions this series has ever had, with its memorable cast, labyrinthine routes, and — most importantly — a fantastic batch of regional critters.
Those critters include Pokemon like the Shinx evolutionary line: Shinx, Luxio, and the mighty Luxray. Perhaps it can't be helped that Pikachu will forever be the most iconic Electric-type Pokemon, but the lion-like Luxray is an excellent addition to any Sinnoh-touring team.
But before Luxray can roar and zap its way past your every opponent, you'll need to find yourself a Shinx. These adorable little lion cubs only roam certain parts of Sinnoh. Here's where to look.
Where to Find Shinx in the Grand Underground
If you've been reading some of our other Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl guides, you'll likely be familiar with how great the Grand Underground can be. Unlocked fairly early into the game at Eterna City, the Grand Underground is a maze of subterranean pathways linked together by larger areas called Pokemon Hideaways.
Sometimes, progress must be made through the game before a particular region of the Grand Underground can be traversed. This, in turn, means that certain Pokemon Hideaways cannot be reached until further into the story. But if you're looking for Shinx, you're in luck. Shinx's Grand Underground locations are accessible as soon as you unlock the feature.
Pokemon Hideaways are recognizable in two key ways: their names and the sorts of biomes they represent. Put another way, there are grassy Hideaways, volcanic Hideaways, forested Hideaways, even spooky, ghostly Hideaways.
Shinx tends to make its home in the following Pokemon Hideaways, which, as previously noted, have no additional requirements for entry:
|
Location |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Grassland Cave |
Straightforwardly grassy terrain. |
|
Spacious Cave |
As the name implies, it's a wide-open rocky area. |
|
Sunlit Cavern |
Sunlight pokes its way in here and there in an otherwise dim locale. |
Where to Find Shinx on the Surface
There's another way to find Shinx, and it doesn't require you to bust out that safety gear. In fact, players who wish to add Shinx to their party ASAP may prefer to follow these instructions, as Shinx's most common habitat is situated very early into your Pokemon BDSP adventure.
|
Location |
Morning |
Day |
Night |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Route 202 |
Common |
Common |
Common |
|
Route 203 |
Uncommon |
Uncommon |
Uncommon |
|
Route 204 |
Rare |
Rare |
Rare |
|
Fuego Ironworks |
Rare |
Rare |
Rare |
The most important takeaway here is that your likelihood of encountering a Shinx peaks just moments into the game and decreases sharply thereafter. That's great news! It means you can nab one of these lightning-sharp cats as one of your very first partners. Route 202 is clearly the most ideal place to search, so spend a few minutes there and you're sure to make a new friend.
How to Evolve Shinx into Luxray
Unless you really love unevolved Pokemon, your primary goal will be to raise your Shinx into a Luxray. Technically, this is a two-step process; Shinx must first evolve into Luxio, then Luxray.
Whereas some Pokemon evolve through trades, happiness meters, or Evolutionary Stones, the Shinx line follows the most conventional rule of all — evolution via leveling up. This is the most direct form of evolution in the series. Simply train your Pokemon to a certain level and watch the magic happen.
Shinx isn't terribly demanding, either. Some Pokemon are late bloomers, only finishing their evolution line when they're well into the 40s or even 50s level range. Shinx evolves into Luxio at level 15, which is nice and early. Luxio looks like an angrier Shinx, by the way. That might not be useful guide information, but we want you to know it nonetheless.
Luxio evolves into Luxray at level 30. Given the way that experience points tend to be dished out in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, there's a good chance your Shinx will become a Luxio quite quickly, whereas your Luxio will be likely to stick around pre-Luxray for a good deal longer.
You might be surprised how middling your Luxray's Speed stat will be. Unlike many Electric-type Pokemon, Luxray's shtick isn't swiftness. Instead, it's a somewhat bulky cat capable of taking a few hits before calling it quits. Its Attack is its highest stat, so moves like Thunder Fang and Wild Charge are going to serve you better here than more conventional choices such as Thunderbolt and Thunder.