Pokemon Brilliant Diamond 1.3.0 Update • Editor's Choice

Platform: Nintendo Switch
Patch Size: ~360 MB
Time since original release: ~4 months

When Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl launched in November 2021, they arrived to a lukewarm reception. Faithful to a fault, plagued by bugs, and missing key features from Platinum, the games felt more like quick nostalgia grabs than definitive remakes. Now, four months later, patch 1.3.0 has arrived—positioned as the final major update before the 2022 Pokémon Legends: Arceus tie-in. Does it fix the core issues? Short answer: no. But does it make the game significantly better? Surprisingly, yes—in a few key areas.

It’s a local and online matchmaking lobby with three formats:

The biggest addition? Team Preview. Prior to 1.3.0, BDSP had no true competitive ladder system (unlike Sword/Shield). While this update didn’t add a ranked ladder, it did enable: pokemon brilliant diamond 1.3.0 update

For casual competitive players, the Colosseum Battle Test became the de facto "battle tower alternative" for testing teams without climbing the Tower’s 49-win streak.

Let’s address the elephant in the room: the EXP Share is still forced. No toggle. No difficulty options. Still the same. The battle speed remains glacial, especially when status effects trigger. And the game’s art style—chibi overworld, stiff animations—is untouched. This update tweaks mechanics and fixes bugs, but it doesn’t reinvent the wheel.

Also, the Shaymin and Darkrai events are now properly unlocked via the 1.3.0 data (if you have the Oak’s Letter/Member Card from the limited distributions), but those distributions ended months ago. New players are still locked out. Frustrating. Platform: Nintendo Switch Patch Size: ~360 MB Time

The Version 1.3.0 update for Pokémon Brilliant Diamond (and its counterpart, Pokémon Shining Pearl) represents a significant milestone in the post-launch lifecycle of the titles. Released on March 15, 2022, this patch was highly anticipated by the community due to the inclusion of the "Grand Underground" Pokémon Hideaways and several quality-of-life adjustments. This paper outlines the key features, technical changes, and gameplay impacts introduced in this update.

More than a year after launch, the Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl 1.3.0 update arrived in March 2022 with little fanfare—but plenty of quiet consequences. While not a content-packed expansion, the patch signaled a subtle shift in how ILCA and The Pokémon Company handle post-launch support for remakes. Here’s the breakdown.

Before 1.3.0, players experienced a variety of irritating glitches. This patch addressed the most game-breaking ones: The biggest addition

Performance Verdict: The game runs smoother, but it did not magically turn the game into a high-performance powerhouse. Framerate drops in the Grand Underground still occur, though they are less frequent than at launch.

For competitive players, 1.3.0 was a pivotal moment. It marked the end of the "Series 1" rules and the beginning of "Series 2."