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At the start of yourPokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearlcampaign, you’ll notice there aren’t many Flying-type Pokemon to choose from. You’re likely to run into countless Starly, but exploring dark caverns will net you the Poison/Flying-type Zubat. Although weak, this Pokemon evolves into Golbat and Crobat, ideal Pokemon if you need a speedy attacker. InBrilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl, there are several ways of obtaining Zubat and Golbat. If you want Crobat by the time you face the Elite Four, then you’ll want to get the Bat Pokemon as soon as possible.
Where to Find Golbat
Golbat Location in BDSP
As you progress throughBrilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl’s story, you’ll notice Golbat beginning toappear alongside Zubat in caves or mountains, such as Mt. Coronet. Despite the Pokedex entry saying otherwise, Golbat can be found in several locations:
- If you’researching for Golbat on Route 227, then it will only appear atnight. Otherwise, Golbat’s appearance rate is not influenced by the time of day.
You can also find Golbat in several hideaways in the Grand Underground:
How to Evolve Zubat into Golbat
What Level Does Zubat Evolve?
Zubat is far more common than Golbat - especially in the beginning. You can catch one as early as Ravaged Path, which is north of Jubilife City, and it can be found in the same locations as Golbat. The areas where you can catch Zubat exclusively are:
If you already have Zubat and don’t want to chase down a wild Golbat, then you can evolve it. Zubat evolves into Golbatwhen it reaches level 22. By Eterna City/the second gym, your Zubat’s level should be near or in its 20s.
How to Evolve Golbat into Crobat
Raise Friendship
Now that you have Golbat, your next step is to evolve it into Crobat. Golbat evolves when it levels up with high friendship. There are several ways you can raise friendship inBrilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl. One method is to have it walk outside its Poke Ball. You can unlock this gameplay feature after visiting Amity Square (Hearthome City) for the first time.
You’ll want to prevent Golbat’s friendship from dropping. Friendship willlowerif Golbat faints in battle or is fed medical herbs (ex: Revival Herb).
There’s a lady in Veilstone City who will massage your Pokemon once a day. Her house is on the same hilltop as the Veilstone City gym (the house on the left). One massageraises your Pokemon’s friendship a little(+3 points).
You can also give Golbat EV-decreasing Berries. As their name indicates, giving an EV-decreasing Berry drops one of your Pokemon’s EVs by 10 points. These give the most friendship points, so if you’re going to feed them to Golbat, then you’ll want to use the ones that lower its “less useful” EVs. Golbat and Crobat’s best stat is its Speed, so do not feed it Tamato Berries.
Is Crobat Good?
More Information About Crobat
Crobat has a base stat total of 535 with excellent Speed and solid Attack. It’s far from the strongest Flying or Poison-type out there, but a high Speed statcan be very useful in battle. Crobat’s dual-typing also means it’s super effective against most Fairy-type Pokemon. SinceBrilliant Diamond/Shining Pearllocks out Pokemon from Gen 5+, there aren’t as many Fairy-type Pokemon as there would be in another game such asPokemon Scarlet. However, Poison-types are one of Fairy-types weaknesses, so it’s useful to have Crobat in your party to give you some coverage.
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Infiltrator (Hidden):
Bypasses the opposingPokemon’s substitute and barriers(ex: Reflect, Light Screen).
Due to Crobat’s stats and learnset, you’ll want a move that prioritizes its Speed. Generally,Jolly (+Spd, -Sp.Attk)is recommended for Crobat, but you can also get away withTimid (+Spd, -Attk). Because it learns moves like Cross Poison and Poison Fang, which are physical moves, you may want the Jolly Nature over Timid Nature. However, if you want your Crobat to be a special attacker, go for Timid.
Some moves you’ll want to consider for Crobat areShadow Ball (TM30)and Giga Drain. While they’re both special moves, Shadow Ball gives Crobat coverage against Psychic-type Pokemon;Giga Drain covers Rock-type. You can swap out Giga Drain for the physical move,Steel Wing (TM47), since this covers Crobat from Rock-typeandIce-type Pokemon.
