How To Get Rare Bones in Pokémon Platinum

Rare Bone Acquisition Methods
#	Method	Repeatable?
1	The Underground—Obtainable by digging in the mining minigame	Yes
2	Turnback Cave—Found in Giratina’s room by reaching it after passing through 4-15 rooms while Giratina is not present	Yes

Rare Bones can be found in two locations in Platinum: the Underground and Turnback Cave. Both of these methods are repeatable, but they also require a fair amount of patience.

The most fruitful place to find Rare Bones is Turnback Cave. However, this location isn’t available until after you enter the Hall of Fame, whereas the Underground can be accessed as early as your first visit to Eterna City.

Acquiring Rare Bones

The following two methods of finding Rare Bones are ordered starting with the earliest available method, which is digging for them in the Underground.

Method 1: The Underground

You can find unlimited Rare Bones in the Underground, which is accessed by using the Explorer Kit from your Bag’s Key Items pocket.

Using the Explorer Kit to access the Underground.

When you have control of your character after reaching the Underground, head for one of the glittering areas shown on the map. These indicate hidden treasures—and potentially Rare Bones.

Glittering areas showing the existence of treasures.

Tap the touch screen to sense hidden treasures lodged inside bulging walls.

These spots will sparkle when your sensor passes over them.

Tapping the touch screen to find bulging walls.

Walk up to one of these spots and Press A, then select Yes to start a mining minigame.

Inspecting the sparkling point to begin digging into the bulging wall.

The game will start by informing you of the number of treasures hidden in the wall.

Beginning the mining minigame.

To play, alternate between your hammer and your pickaxe to dig as many treasures out of the wall as possible before the wall comes crashing down from the repeated banging.

The hammer breaks more rocks and dirt per hit, but causes the minigame to end more quickly; the pickaxe is weaker, but more precise and less damaging to the wall.

Rare Bones tend to be among the largest items in the walls thanks to their length, making them easy to spot. However, they can take a lot of effort to dig out, and you can make the wall collapse prematurely if you aren’t strategic with your tools.

Digging a Rare Bone out of the bulging wall.

When you’re ready to return to the surface, always make sure to send any items aboveground to your Bag.

You can do this by selecting Treasures in the Underground menu.

Sending Rare Bones to the surface.

Bear in mind that Rare Bones truly are rare; along with other treasures like Iron Balls and Odd Keystones, Rare Bones tend to be some of the least-uncovered items in the Underground.

Method 2: Turnback Cave

More Rare Bones can be obtained from Turnback Cave, which is located just off of Route 214 via the Spring Path. It is the home of Giratina, and will only become available after you’ve escaped the Distortion World for the first time.

Part 1: Finding Turnback Cave

You’ll need a Pokémon that knows Rock Climb in order to reach Turnback Cave. A Pokémon with Defog is also highly recommended.

When you’re ready to visit the cave, Fly to Veilstone City and head south from the Pokémon Center.

Moving southward from the Veilstone City Pokémon Center.

Leave Veilstone City through the southeastern entrance gate.

Exiting Veilstone City through the southeastern gate.

On the other side of the gate, continue southward on Route 214.

Traveling south on Route 214.

Head east just after passing Psychic Abigail.

Turning eastward instead of climbing the stairs.

Turn south when you reach the narrow aisles created by the picket fences.

Moving south through the picket fences.

Continue southward through the picket fence maze, passing all the wandering trainers.

Heading south past the picket fence maze’s trainers.

Pass Psychic Mitchell and keep moving southward.

Passing Psychic Mitchell while traveling south.

Enter the Spring Path through the gap in the trees to the east.

Entering the eastern gap in the woods.

Follow the Spring Path to Sendoff Spring at the end.

Approaching Sendoff Spring to the north.

Enter the Spring’s clearing, then head east through the tall grass.

Entering the Sendoff Spring area and moving east.

In the northeastern corner of this area, use Rock Climb on the rocky part of the wall.

Using Rock Climb on the rocky wall.

At the top of the mountain, go either east or west. Both directions lead to the same place since you’ll be going in a circle.

Taking a left at the top of the mountain.

Head north along the circular path overlooking the spring.

Heading toward the north edge of the circular path.

Use Rock Climb again at the next rock wall to reach the cave entrance down below.

Using Rock Climb to reach Turnback Cave.

Enter the cavern to go inside Turnback Cave.

Heading into Turnback Cave.

Part 2: Solving the Puzzle of Turnback Cave

The first cave chamber you enter is thick with fog, so use Defog to clear it up.

Using Defog to clear the cave.

This room has four doorways upstairs: one each to the north, south, east, and west.

In the middle of the wall in front of you is a partially-effaced inscription that gives you a clue about navigating Turnback Cave.

The most important part is the last bit: “…before 30 is surpassed…”

Reading the inscription on the wall of Turnback Cave’s first room.

Start this puzzle by taking the door to north, west, or east—it doesn’t matter which.

The room you enter will either be full of breakable rocks, or it will be completely empty except for a pillar in the middle. It’s these pillar rooms that you’re looking for.

An inscription on each pillar will display two numbers.

The top number shows which pillar room you are in, while the bottom number shows how many rooms you’ve entered up to this point.

Finding the first pillar in the very first room entered.

Finding all three pillars in under 30 rooms will result in you finding Giratina’s room, where you can pick up the Griseous Orb from the Distortion World portal.

But you’ll also find an item in Giratina’s room that changes depending on the number of rooms it took you to find all three pillars, as explained below:

If you passed through 16-30 rooms, the item will be a Stardust.
If you passed through 4-15 rooms, the item will be a Rare Bone.
If you passed through exactly 3 rooms, the item will be a Reaper Cloth.

Finding the second pillar in the fifth room entered.

Turnback Cave and all of its rooms are randomly generated upon entry, so there is no quick or easy way of finding all three pillars within the 30-room limit.

Just keep choosing doors at random and you’ll get there eventually.

Finding the third pillar in room 6.

Once you find the third pillar, pass through any of the four doors to enter Giratina’s room.

A portal to the Distortion World will be in the middle, and just to the north of it, a Poké Ball.

Entering Giratina’s room and heading for the Poké Ball item.

If you have managed to reach Giratina’s room within the range of four and fifteen room changes, the Poké Ball will contain a Rare Bone.

Picking up a Rare Bone in Giratina’s room.

This method of obtaining Rare Bones is somewhat more productive than finding them in the Underground, simply because you have higher odds of finding Giratina’s room within the 4-to-15-room range than digging up a bone in the mining minigame.

Rare Bone Details and Uses

The in-game description of the Rare Bone.

Rare Bones only have one use: to be sold.

A single Rare Bone will fetch 5,000p, which makes it one of the most valuable items in the game, on par with Nuggets.

Selling highly-prized items like these can go a long way toward stretching out your wealth. This is especially helpful when covering the astronomical expenses of late-game activities like furnishing your Resort Area villa.

Selling fourteen Rare Bones for 70,000p.

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Chris Haygood

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Chris is an American freelance writer and lifelong gamer. RPGs have been his genre of choice ever since he got Pokémon Blue in 1867, but if he finds a good rhythm game, he will prioritize playing it over both eating and breathing.

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