Interested in catching Drifloon, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl‘s elusive Ghost and Flying-type? It’s one of the more unusual Pokémon players can encounter in Sinnoh and takes a few more steps to get to. But if caught, Drifloon makes for a great member of any Trainer’s team.
Here’s how to catch Drifloon in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.
Where to find Drifloon
Drifloon can only be found at the Valley Windworks, which is off of Route 205 near Floaroma Town. When the player first arrives at the Valley Windworks, Team Galactic is attempting to take over the area’s power plant to use its energy for themselves. Drifloon can’t be caught until the player chases Team Galactic out.
Even after Team Galactic leaves, finding a Drifloon isn’t as simple as searching for one in the area’s tall grass. Drifloon appears on Fridays, so your only chance to get it is at the end of the week. If you drove out Team Galactic on a Friday, Drifloon won’t appear until the following Friday. It takes a lot of patience to find this little purple balloon.
On a Friday, visit the Valley Windworks and head toward the entrance of the building. A single Drifloon will be floating next to the building’s sign. Interacting with it will start a battle where you can catch it. If you accidentally defeat it or run from battle, the Drifloon will leave, and another one won’t be available until the following Friday. It’s worth taking pains to catch one—the Valley Windworks is the only place in the entire game where Drifloon can be found.
Adjusting the Switch’s clock
While you might think that you can just change the Switch’s internal clock to make the game think it’s Friday, that doesn’t work. While changing the date or time on your Switch will also make the date and time change in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, the act of changing your Switch’s clock freezes all time-based events in the game for 24 hours. While the game’s day/night cycle will still continue, events like Drifloon’s appearance that depend on a certain date or time will not occur until 24 hours have passed since the clock adjustments. This prevents players from simply skipping their Switch’s date forward to a Friday to receive Drifloon.
Curious about how you can find other rare Pokémon in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl? Check out Dot’s full suite of Pokémon guides and information here.
