Forgotten Areas in Gen 4

While modern games make the Gen 4 Pokemon games seem small by comparison, the player would be surprised to find there are still plenty of areas they may never have explored, despite playing the games for years. I asked some friends and did some personal exploration to try and find some forgotten or relatively unknown areas in the Gen 4 games. Please note, these are just personal picks, and this webpage is, at its core, simply for fun. If you have any recommendations, email me at reece@hallowedtower.net and let me know!

D/P/Pt

Lake Verity, Valor, and Acuity

While the player would probably spend their time at each Lake either continuing the story or catching the legendary of the Lake, there are actually more areas that the player can easily miss if they don't look for them. Across each lake, on the opposite shore from where you enter, there are large patches of grass. These can be used to more easily encounter Pokemon than the smaller patches of grass, as well as being perfect for Radar Hunting.

Eterna Forest Shortcut

This was something I only recently found while working on the Honey Trees page. If you have cut, there is a narrow passage containing a Honey Tree that allows you to cut through Eterna Forest. There are two entrances: one to the right of the entrance of Eterna Forest, and one below the exit of Eterna Forest (to the left of Eterna City).

Fuego Ironworks

While this one may be more well known, I'd argue it is still an area that few players have actually spent time going to or hunting in. To the right of Floaroma Town, you can surf off of the left side of the bridge, and following the water North will take you to the Ironworks. From here you can also get to the back half of Floaroma Meadows, which will be next.

Back of Floaroma Meadow

From the Fuego Ironworks, you are able to enter the back half of the Floaroma Meadow. There are quite a few items here, and is arguably one of the prettiest areas in the game.

Regi Caves

Making their debut in Gen 3, the Regis have always had a background in puzzles. In Gen 4, the player is able to get Regigigas in the basement of Snowpoint Temple if they bring the other 3 Regis in their party. While in D/P the only way to do this was transferring from Gen 3, in Platinum they added special areas for each Regi, which are opened when the player has an event Regigigas in their party.

Right of Pastoria

While exploring for this webpage I found this area, and in my nearly 15 years of playing D/P/Pt I've never seen it before! If you surf to the right of Pastoria City there is a small passage where you can find the Mystic Water, as well as two large boats docked nearby.

Hall of Origin

You could hardly be blamed if you've never seen this area in game, as the only way to get to it was an unreleased event using the Azure Flute. Taking it to the top of Spear Pillar will prompt the player to play the flute, creating a large staircase that leads here, where you can catch Arceus.

Sendoff Spring

While in Platinum the player is sent to this area after finishing the Distortion World, in Diamond and Pearl this area could be easily passed by if the player never bothered going to Turnback Cave and catching Giratina.

Route 221

This Route is generally forgotten, due to the player's ability to fly to Pal Park directly, and simply because there is no incentive to visit it unless you're on your way to unlock Pal Park. I've always loved this branching corridor of trees, and try to visit this route in each playthrough to battle the trainers and soak up some extra EXP.

HG/SS

Route 47 Grass Patch

This one was recommended by @Kwikpanik. On Route 47, there is a small patch of grass that can be accessed when the player has Waterfall. This is the area with the highest % of encountering Ditto, at 41%.

Nat Dex Headbutt Trees

These were recommended by @SirToastyToes and @ShinyCollector. Once the player has Rock Climb, there are multiple trees in the post-game of HGSS that will give special National Dex Pokemon, such as Cherrim, Taillow, and more.

Mt. Mortar Karate King

This was also recommended by @ShinyCollector. Even after being told about this, I had to go online to look up the proper route to take to get to this area. In Mt. Mortar, there is a small nook you can take in order to get to the Karate King, who will gift you a Tyrogue after beating him.

Giovanni's Cave

This is another really neat WiFi event that many players likely haven't seen. Having an event Celebi in the front of your party and heading to the Ilex Forest Shrine will trigger an event where Celebi will send you and Lyra 3 years into the future and 3 years into the past. This will allow the player to fight Giovanni in a cave, before sending them back to the current time in Ilex Forest.

Sinjoh Ruins

This is possibly my favorite event in Gen 4. If you take an Arceus at the front of your party to the small research center in the Ruins of Alph, you will be transported to the Sinjoh Ruins, where you can meet with Cynthia, and partake in an event that will give you a Level 1 Dialga, Palkia, or Giratina.