What Pokémon Definitive Platinum changes
How the game plays differently from Pokémon Platinum, then what it does to the Pokémon.
How the game plays
BigNation's complete overhaul of Pokémon Platinum, built so every one of the 493 Pokémon that existed at the time can be caught or hatched without trading. Wild tables were rewritten region-wide -- the release post tells players to use the creator's own encounter sheet in place of the in-game Pokédex, since the Pokédex's location text no longer matches. A second starter Pokémon is handed out in a different city after each gym badge, and nearly every legendary and mythical from Gens I-IV is placed somewhere in Sinnoh, from the three roaming birds to Arceus itself. A handful of evolution methods were changed as well -- Magneton, Nosepass and the trade evolutions no longer need a link cable, and several baby Pokémon now evolve at level 2. Base stats, types, abilities, level-up learnsets and TM data are all untouched from vanilla Platinum, and BigNation's release post says trainers were revamped throughout, though no roster document is published anywhere the thread links.
The main changes
- All 493 Pokémon obtainable in one save file, per the creator's release post
- Wild encounter tables rewritten across all 71 documented locations, with the creator's own rates and level ranges
- A second starter Pokémon gifted in a different city after each gym badge
- Nearly every Gen I-IV legendary and mythical placed somewhere in Sinnoh, including the three roaming legendary birds
- 34 evolution methods changed, mostly removing trade requirements and adding level-2 evolutions for baby Pokémon
- Quality-of-life changes and revamped trainer teams, per the release post (no roster document is published)
How the Pokémon change
The game leaves the official base stats, types and abilities alone. What it changes is elsewhere: movesets, encounters and trainer teams.