Pokémon have been roaming the land for centuries which is why some of them are extinct and buried in the ground. Thankfully, there is a way to revive these fossils in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. This guide will go over these Pokémon BDSP Fossils and how you can find and revive them to restore these extinct Pokémon.
The Skull Fossil and the Armor Fossil are two fossils found in Pokémon BDSP. The fossil you get differs depending on the version of the game you’re playing. The Armor Fossil can only be found in Shining Pearl, while the Skull Fossil can only be found in Brilliant Diamond.
How to Excavate Fossils for Restoration
In Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, fossils exist solely in the Grand Underground, and they can be difficult to track. Here’s a breakdown of how to get fossils and revive them.
You must dig for fossils in the Grand Underground of Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl at yellow glittering areas marked with diamonds on the mini-map.
When you interact with the mark, you will be prompted to play a digging minigame in which you can collect fossils.
How to Collect Fossils in Pokemon BDSP
The minigame is fairly simple and will be easy to get the hang of. You will be presented with a covered wall and a pickaxe or hammer. The goal here is to dig up different parts of the wall until you discover the fossils hidden underneath.
But the wall is frail and will become more and more susceptible to collapse with each hammer or pickaxe strike so, hit different spots carefully to reveal more area with each strike. The fossils need to be completely revealed before you can excavate them.
Initially, Skull and Armor fossils are only available and the good thing is that both have a high spawn rate. However, after the acquisition of the National Dex, fossils from various locations begin to appear in the Grand Underground as well.
Pokemon that are not native to Sinnoh appear as fossils in both Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. The spawn rate for some of them, though, varies based on the game you’re playing.
Pokemon BDSP Fossil Spawn Rates
Fossils With a Higher Spawn in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond
These fossils are either exclusive to or have higher spawn rates in Brilliant Diamond:
- Omanyte (Rock / Water Type)
- Anorith (Rock / Bug Type)
- Cranidos (Rock Type)
- Kabuto (Rock / Water Type)
Fossils with a Higher Spawn in Pokemon Shining Pearl
These fossils are either exclusive to or have higher spawn rates in Shining Pearl:
- Shieldon: (Rock / Steel Type)
- Aerodactyl (Flying / Rock Type)
- Lileep (Rock / Grass Type)
How to Revive and Restore Pokemon Fossils
Once you have gotten the fossils, take them to the Mining Museum in Oreburgh City. Speak with the guy at the front desk, and he’ll offer to resurrect a fossil if you have one in your inventory.
Hand over the fossil, and you’ll be able to claim your Pokemon the next time you visit the facility. If you’re in a hurry, simply leave and re-enter the Mining Museum to reclaim your fossil (Now in form of a Pokemon).
The fossil will awaken as a Level 20 Pokemon, and it’s worth noting that only one fossil can be extracted at a time.
All Fossils in Pokemon BDSP
Here are all of the Fossils and Fossil Pokemon available in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.
Skull Fossil
One of the rarest fossils to obtain is the Skull Fossil that allows you to revive Cranidos when you give it to the man at Oreburgh Mining Museum. You can only find the Skull Fossil in the Grand Underground.
Cranidos is a Rock-type Pokemon that takes 2x damage from Water, Grass, Fighting, Ground, and Steel element Pokemons.
Armor Fossil
Armor Fossil is found by digging at the Grand Underground in Pokemon BDSP. Take the fossil to the man at the Oreburgh Mining Museum to revive Shieldon Pokemon.
Shieldon is a Rock and Steel-type Pokemon that excels against Poison element Pokemons and takes 4x damage from Ground and Fighting element Pokemons.
Dome Fossil
You can revive Kabuto Pokemon by collecting Dome Fossil and handing it over to the Oreburgh Mining Museum. Same as other fossils, you can find Dome Fossil by mining at the Grand Underground.
Kabuto is a Rock and Water-type Pokemon with a total base stat of 355. At level 40, you can evolve Kabuto to Kabutops.
Helix Fossil
Omanyte can be revived with the help of Helix Fossil. It is a Rock and Water-type Pokemon that fights greatly against Fire-type Pokemons.
Like any other fossil, Helix Fossil can be easily found by mining at the Grand Underground.
Old Amber
One of the best fossil Pokemons that you can revive using the Old Amber Fossil is Aerodactyl. There is slightly less of a chance to collect Old Amber fossils by digging at the Grand Underground.
But, if you manage to collect the Old Amber fossil, take it to the man at Oreburgh Mining Museum to revive Aerodactyl.
Root Fossil
After you have unlocked the National Dex, you can go looking for the Root Fossil at the Grand Underground. Start mining at any spot to get a chance to collect Root Fossil.
With the help of Root Fossil, you can revive Lileep Pokemon, which is a Rock and Grass-type Pokemon with a Total Base Stat of 355.
Claw Fossil
Using the Claw Fossil, Anorith, a Bug and Rock Type Pokemon can be revived. You can start looking for the Claw Fossil by going to the Grand Underground and digging at any spot.
Anorith can be used to fight against Normal and Poison Type Pokemon
Best Fossil Pokemon to Revive
The best Fossil Pokemon that you can revive in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl is Aerodactyl, with the help of the Old Amber.
Aerodactyl is a Flying Rock Pokemon that has two abilities and one hidden ability. Aerodactyl excels in Speed and Physical Attacks, along with the ability to learn more dangerous attacks like Dragon Claw, Fire Blast, and three other Elemental Fang moves.
Rock Head: Protects Aerodactyl from recoil damage.
Pressure: If any Pokemon attacks Aerodactyl, they will end up using 2 PP instead of 1.
Unnerve: Opposing Pokemon will be unable to eat berries.
The base stats for Aerodactyl are:
- HP: 80
- Attack: 105
- Defense: 65
- Special Attack: 60
- Special Defense: 75
- Speed: 130
