Oreburgh Gym is the first Gym you’ll face in the Sinnoh region. Think you’re up to the challenge? Here’s everything you need to know before you take on Roark and his Rock Pokemon.

Oreburgh Gym

Also known as the City of Energy, Oreburgh is a city located in central Sinnoh that is known for being a mining town with vast natural resources underneath it. The Oreburgh Mines are some of the biggest mines you’ll see in any Pokemon game. Since this is a mining town, it makes sense that the gym specializes in Rock type Pokemon. 

Once you enter the gym, there aren’t any puzzles that you have to solve to get to the Gym Leader. In fact, there’s actually an overhead pathway that lets you go straight to Roark himself without having to face the other trainers. If you’re in a rush, you could just go ahead and challenge him but we recommend that you take the time to battle the other trainers as this would yield some pretty good EXP and a bit of cash as well.

There are two trainers you’ll face before getting to Roark and each of them carry Rock type Pokemon:

Youngster Darius

• Geodude Lv. 8
• Onix Lv.8

Youngster Jonathon

• Geodude Lv. 10

After beating them, you can finally face Roark himself.

Roark

Roark is Oreburgh City’s Gym Leader. He’s an accomplished miner and carries strong Rock Pokemon with him. Below, are the Pokemon he has in his arsenal:

• Geodude Lv. 12
• Onix Lv. 12
• Cranidos Lv. 14

Roark can be a difficult Gym Leader to beat if you’re unsure of what you’re doing. Rock types are weak to Fighting, Grass, Ground, Steel, and Water. While you may not be able to access Pokemon with Ground type or Steel type moves this early in the game, Fighting, Grass, and Water are easily accessible. In fact, you don’t have to look further than your starter Pokemon. Roark’s strongest Pokemon is a Lv. 14 Cranidos so, you should aim to have your Pokemon to at least Lv. 14.

If you chose Turtwig, you can easily spam Razor Leaf, which it’ll learn at Lv. 13, to get an easy win. If you chose Piplup, you can just keep using Water Gun, which it’ll learn at Lv. 6. Finally, if you chose Chimchar, you should have it evolve to Monferno at Lv. 14 so that you can get a powerful Fighting type move called Mach Punch.

Coal Badge

As soon as you beat Roark, you’ll get the Coal Badge. This will allow you to use the Hidden Move Rock Smash outside of battle. You can use these to smash rocks that block certain paths. Roark will also give you TM76 which contains the move Stealth Rock. This is Roark’s signature move and can be a powerful tool if used correctly.

Useful Tips

1. Roark’s Pokemon will know Stealth Rock. It is a Rock type move that sets up spikes that will damage any Pokemon that enters the battle. If you plan on switching up Pokemon, try to stock up on some Potions to help you recover health when hit by the damaging effects of Stealth Rock.
2. Roark’s Cranidos knows powerful moves like Headbutt and Bulldoze. Headbutt can cause your Pokemon to flinch and miss their turn while Bulldoze can deal pretty significant damage. Watch out.

So there you have it! That’s everything you need to know about how you can beat Roark and the Oreburgh Gym in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. Be sure to check back with us again for more awesome guides on your favorite games. Have fun!