How do you farm metal coats?

Plenty of Pokemon can evolve by reaching a certain level of experience. Others require the assistance of Evolutionary Stones. Rarer are the ones who need to be traded in order to evolve, like Haunter and Kadabra. But even within that relatively uncommon category, there exists a subset of species who need to be traded while holding the right item.

In Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, one such item is the Metal Coat. The Metal Coat is necessary to trigger the evolutions of Onix into Steelix and Scyther into Scizor. Steelix and Scizor both pack a punch in the main game and are even useful in competitive play, so many fans will want to get their hands on one or both as quickly as they can.

There are two ways to nab yourself a Metal Coat in Pokemon BDSP. The first involves locating one at a fixed location; the other can technically afford you an infinite number of Metal Coats, but it can take quite some time before you manage to find one.

Unfortunately, attaching a Metal Coat to either Onix or Scyther and trading them to trigger evolution consumes the item, prohibiting future use. Whatever it is that these two Pokemon are doing with it, it's clearly an act of premeditated violence.

For this reason, you will need to collect two Metal Coats if you want to evolve both Onix and Scyther. We'll start with the easier of the two.

There's a free Metal Coat just waiting for you if you return to Iron Island after you have obtained the National Dex. You won't get the National Dex without first becoming Sinnoh League Champion and seeing all 151 Pokemon native to the region, but the Metal Coat is just one of many reasons why the effort involved will pay off in spades.

Once you're back on Iron Island, head over to the house that's right outside the cave. There, you'll find Byron, and he'll happily hand over Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl's only guaranteed Metal Coat.

There's a whole lot of fun to be found in the Grand Underground. You can search for statues, for example — a time-consuming ordeal, but well worth it if your goal is to catch 'em all.

During your Grand Underground expeditions, you may very well encounter both Bronzor and Magnemite. These two species have a rare chance of carrying a Metal Coat when they're caught. This is your best bet if you need a second Metal Coat, and it's the only reliable way to gather a large number of them if for whatever reason you've decided your life's goal is to breed dozens of perfect Scythers or something.

Alternatively, you can teach TM46 Thief to one of your Pokemon and save some time by attempting to steal a Metal Coat from Bronzor and Magnemite instead. Honchkrow and Skuntank make great thieves, but the Sinnoh Dex is chock full of other candidates.

Next: Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Complete Guide And Walkthrough

The Metal Coat is an item needed to evolve Scyther and Onix in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, and it's essential to know where to find a Metal Coat to get their evolutions. Scizor and Steelix, the evolutions of the aforementioned Pokémon, are among the strongest Steel-type Pokémon in the generation four remakes. Finding a Metal Coat is worth the time to get either of these powerhouse Pokémon.

The Metal Coat item improves the power of a Pokémon's Steel-type moves and evolves Onix into Steelix and Scyther into Scizor. However, the Metal Coat doesn't act like the evolution stones in Pokémon BDSP. Instead, players will have to give Onix and Scyther the Metal Coat to hold and trade either Pokémon to get them to evolve. To ensure trainers receive their Steelix or Scizor back from another player, trading these Pokémon with friends is recommended instead of random online players.

The only guaranteed way to receive a Metal Coat is by speaking with the Canalave City Gym Leader, Byron, on Iron Island after acquiring the National Dex. Bryon will be inside Riley's house; the first structure players come across after docking on the island. Unfortunately, only one Metal Coat can be received here, which means players have to choose to evolve either Onix or Scyther, a Brilliant Diamond exclusive. While it isn't guaranteed, players can also receive a Metal Coat much earlier in the remakes via the Grand Underground.

The Grand Underground is home to a plethora of Pokémon that continuously increases in size as players complete the story of Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl and reach new milestones. One Pokémon that can be caught early on is Magnemite, which has a 5% chance of holding a Metal Coat when encountered. Magnemite can be found in the Spacious Cave in the Grand Underground, and to get the Metal Coat, players will either need to use a Pokémon that knows the move Thief or catch Magnemite itself. TM46 or the move Thief can be found in Eterna City alongside the Team Galactic-controlled building after defeating the BDSP Gym Leader, Gardenia. Using Thief saves time and resources, as a Pokémon who knows this move can steal the Metal Coat from Magnemite and use it as their own held item. Unfortunately, capturing the Magnemite requires money to be spent on Poké Balls, and it's impossible to know whether or not Magnemite is holding a Metal Coat until it is captured.

Bronzor is another Pokémon that can be found in the wild holding a Metal Coat, and it may be a bit easier to find than Magnemite. Rather than using the Grand Underground, head to the Wayward Cave on Route 206 under the cycling road. This means that players will first have to unlock the bike in Pokémon BDSP, which happens shortly after getting access to the Grand Underground. Bronzor is a common encounter inside the cave, though the chances of finding a Metal Coat are just as high as they are with Magnemite. Additionally, Beldum can be found in the Grand Underground with the Metal Coat, but this Pokémon isn't available until players receive the National Dex.

Next: How to Find (& Catch) Riolu in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl are available on Nintendo Switch.