Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl: How to unlock Battle Tower

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond Shining Pearl Battle Tower Interior
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond Shining Pearl Battle Tower Interior (Image credit: iMore)

The Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl remakes are available now, taking players back to the Sinnoh region. Like in other Pokémon games, there's a lot to do, with eight gyms to take down, plus the Elite Four and the Champion. Once you're done with these initial activities, don't put your Nintendo Switch down, as there's more post-game things to explore, including the Battle Tower.

The Battle Tower gives a new kind of challenge, with different circumstances for fighting multiple Trainers that won't be encountered anywhere else in the game world. Here's how to unlock the Battle Tower in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl: How to unlock Battle Tower

The Battle Tower is firmly post-launch content for Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. As such, you won't be able to unlock it until you've unlocked the National Pokédex, which is unlocked by collecting data on the 151 Pokémon in the Sinnoh region. With this important prerequisite done, there's a few simple steps after.

  1. Unlock the National Pokédex.
  2. Head to Snowpoint City, which can be seen on the map below.

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond Shining Pearl Map Snowpoint City (Image credit: iMore)
  1. Head to the dock.

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond Shining Pearl Snowpoint City Dock (Image credit: iMore)
  1. Speak to the sailor and set sail.
  2. After you land and can move around, head to the right and then to the Battle Park.

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond Shining Pearl Battle Park (Image credit: iMore)
  1. Head through the Battle Park until you reach the Battle Tower.

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond Shining Pearl Battle Tower (Image credit: iMore)

That's it! You've now unlocked the Battle Tower and can return at any time to take on some of the many battles available.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl: What is the Battle Tower?

The Battle Tower is, appropriately enough, a tower where you can take part in new battles. It's run by your friend's father. At the Battle Tower, players can fight in Singles or Doubles. You'll be limited to carry a team of just three Pokémon in a Singles round, or four Pokémon in a Doubles round. A challenge consists of taking on seven Trainers. Your Pokémon will be healed between each fight, while you can swap Pokémon out between fights until you've beaten five Trainers.

Notably, your Pokémon won't earn XP fighting in the Battle Tower, so you can't use it to level them up but also don't need to worry about your favorite team becoming imbalanced when broken up. If you're victorious, you'll earn Battle Points, or BP. BP can be used as currency for a range of special items at the Battle Tower, including things like Rare Candy, TMs, and a wide variety of mints.

Keep on fighting!

The Battle Tower ensures that you've got something to break up the monotony of post-game grinding as you work to fill out the National Pokédex. It places interesting restrictions on your team setups, so it's a great way to challenge yourself and test different moves or team combinations.

If you haven't unlocked the Battle Tower yet and are finding some struggles in playing, we recommend consulting our Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl beginners tips and tricks.

Samuel Tolbert
Contributor

Samuel Tolbert is a freelance gaming writer who started working for iMore and its sister sites Windows Central and Android Central in July 2019. He handles news, previews, reviews, and exclusive original reporting, and has also been featured on TechRadar. With a background studying engineering before he shifted his focus to gaming journalism, he's skilled at identifying technical advantages and disadvantages provided by different hardware. If he’s not writing something, he’s off playing video games, spending time with his pets, exercising, or reading. He's also fond of trying to draw things with his iPad.