"A Guide to Pokemon Gold and Silver"

This guide is mostly for people who never played Gold or Silver back in the days, but there might be some bits of information that even seasoned veterans might find interesting.With Gold/Silver being re-released for Virtual Console in September, it is time to recall some tips and tricks to make the most out of the games.1: Should you play Gold or Silver?There are suprisingly few differences between both games. The only thing worth noting are version exclusives.Version Exclusives in Silver: Vulpix, Ninetales, Meowth, Persian, Ledyba, Ledian, Delibird, Skarmory, Phanpy, DonphanVersion Exclusives in Gold: Mankey, Primeape, Growlithe, Arcanine. Spinarak, Ariados, Gligar, Teddiursa, Ursaring, MantineNotice something? That's right, you can catch both Lugia and Ho-Oh in both games. The difference is that in Silver, you can catch Lugia at Lv.40 before the League and Ho-Oh at Lv .70 after the League and in Gold, you can catch Ho-Oh at Lv.40 before the League and Lugia at Lv.70 after the League. Also, Lugia will know its signature move Aeroblast in Silver only while Ho-Oh will know its signature move Sacred Fire in Gold only. However, if you decide to transfer your legendary to a 7th generation game, you can relearn these moves via move reminder.Speaking of transferring Pokemon, remember that all Pokemon from Gen 2 will have their Hidden Ability after being transferred. You want that Hidden Ability Gligar to evolve it into Poison Heal Gliscor for your competitive Gen7 team later on? Then it is the Gold Version for you! Also Side Note, you can determine the nature your Pokemon will have after the transfer, it all comes down to the last 2 digits of that Pokemon's experienceAnother minor difference is that each Pokemon has a different sprite in the 2 versions. No effect on gameplay, but if you care about this aesthetical aspect, you might check out the sprites of the Pokemon you care about at Bulbapedia.2: Legendary Pokemon (and how to catch them)Aside from the already mentioned mascot legendaries, you are also able to catch the 3 legendary beasts Raikou, Entei and Suicune. Since these 3 are roaming around Johto and trying to flee whenever you encounter them, a Pokemon with Mean Look is advisable. I recommend Haunter/Gengar, because it is available early in the game and also learns Hypnosis, which is just as useful because as soon as you locked the beasts into battle, they will try to roar you away.False Swipers (to bring the opposing Pokemon down to 1 HP exactly) exist, but they are few and far between. You can choose between Scyther, Cubone and Farfetch'd. You could also breed Spearow and Paras with False Swipe, but that requires you to catch Scyther or Farfetch'd in the first place, so why go the extra mile? If you insist on having a False Swiper, I'd recommend Scyther as it is available early in the game and learns False Swipe already at Lv.18.Due to a stupid bug, the status conditions of paralysis, burn and poison increase the catch rate by 0 as opposed to by 5, and since freeze is unreliable, your best bet is to put any Pokemon you want to catch to sleep. It could be that GF will fix this bug in the Virtual Console versions.3: Interactable PokemonBe warned. Gold/Silver are not so kind to respawn interactable Pokemon like the Red Gyarados, they are truly once per game. Don't be a fool like me 15 years ago and kill Sudowoodo just because you think it looks stupid. Whenever you see an interactable Pokemon in the overworld, catch it.An exception to this rule is Lapras. It appears once every Friday in Union Cave even if you defeat or catch it (so in theory, you can catch as many as you want). However, you need Surf to reach it (you get Surf after the 4th gym). If caught right after the 4th gym, Lapras joins you at a reasonable level and is a great addition to any in-game team still lacking a water type.Interactable Pokemon in Johto: Lapras, Sudowoodo, Red GyaradosInteractable Pokemon in Kanto: Snorlax4: Gift PokemonOver the course of the game, you will receive certain gift Pokemon:Spearow (KENYA, from guard in Goldenrod City), Eevee (from Bill in Goldenrod City), Togepi (story), Shuckle(story), Tyrogue (Mt.Mortar)While most of these are worth picking up (because they are hard or not at all to be found in the wild), most of them are either underleveled or just too weak to become a valuable team member. There is one exception though: Meet KENYA.KENYA (Spearow) is received from the guard in the southern gate of route 35 (north from Goldenrod City) and holds a mail. You are supposed to deliver KENYA and the mail to the guard's friend on route 31. My advice: Don't do it! Instead, put the mail in your pc, give it to one of your Pokemon you don't need anymore and deliver that Pokemon instead to receive TM50 (Nightmare). KENYA joins you at a reasonable level and its OT is "Randy". This means it counts as trade Pokemon and gains increased experience per battle. Combine that with the fact that normal/flying type Pokemon were a big deal in the first gens and you get a bird that serves you well until late game.Pro tip: If you are going to get Tyrogue in Mt. Mortar, leave 1 free space in your Pokemon team.5: In-game tradesIn-game trades in Johto: Onix, Machop, Voltorb, Rhydon,In-game trades in Kanto: Rapidash, AerodactylIn-game trades are always a nice thing thanks to the increased experience traded Pokemon receive after a battle. Still, not all of the available trades are a good deal. I can recommend Onix and Machop since the trade material is easy to acquire (Bellsprout, Drowzee) and both Pokemon help you immediately (Onix is good against Falkner's flying types while Machop works wonders against Whitney's Miltank). Aerodactyl's trainer requires a Chansey as trade material and Chansey can only be found at Route 13, 14 and 15 at a 1% encounter rate. Unfortunately, it's the only way to get Aerodactyl in the game, so the choice is up to you.Voltorb and Rapidash are not really worth it since you can catch Voltorb in the Rocket Headquarters.,Rapidash can be caught at the end of the game at Mt. Silver and Ponyta are all over the place in Kanto. Rhydon is a total rip-off as the trader demands a female Dragonair for it. You'd need the super rod to get a Dragonair, but the super rod is only available in mid Kanto, so you would have to use the good rod to catch a Dratini, train it to Lv.40 and evolve it. Rhydon might be rare, but it's not that valuable (unless it's your favorite and you just need to have it on your team before the E4).6: Evolution itemsFirst of all, most of the evolution items are only given to you once per game. You might still get additional ones from wild Pokemon who hold these items, but it's a tedious grind. Use them wisely.Sun Stone (Gloom -> Bellossom, Sunkern -> Sunflora): 1st Prize of Bug catching contestKing's Rock (Poliwhirl -> trade -> Politoed, Slowpoke -> trade -> Slowking): found at Slowpoke Well (1x), held by wild Slowpoke and Poliwhirl (8%)Metal Coat (Onix -> trade -> Steelix, Scyther -> trade -> Scizor): found on S.S. Aqua (1x), held by wild Magnemite (8%)Dragon Scale (Seadra -> trade -> Kingdra): found at Mt. Mortar (1x), Held by wild Horsea, wild Seadra, wild Dratini, and wild Dragonair (8%)Up-Grade (Porygon -> Trade -> Porygon2): found at Silph Co.Moon Stone (Nidorino -> Nidoking, Nidorina -> Nidoqueen, Clefairy -> Clefable, Jigglypuff -> Wigglytuff): Tohjo Falls (1x, requires Surf but not waterfall), 5th purchase of mom if you allow her to save your money, Mt. Moon Square (Mondays, requires Rock Smash)Fire Stone (Vulpix -> Ninetales, Growlithe -> Arcanine, Eevee -> Flareon): Route 25 (from Bill's grandfather, show him Vulpix in Silver or Growlithe in GoldThunder Stone (Pikachu -> Raichu, Eevee -> Jolteon): Route 25 (from Bill's grandfather, show him Pichu)Water Stone (Poliwhirl -> Poliwrath, Shellder -> Cloyster, Staryu -> Starmie, Eevee -> Vaporeon): Route 25 (from Bill's grandfather, show him Staryu)Leaf Stone (Gloom -> Vileplume, Weepinbell -> Victribel, Exeggcute -> Exeggutor): Route 25 (from Bill's grandfather, show him Oddish)7: TMsI won't say much about it, but remember that in Gen2, TMs are one time use only, so choose wisely who should receive that Earthquake.8: HMsThe HMs in this game are: Flash, Cut, Surf, Strength, Fly, Whirlpool, Waterfall.I strongly advise against teaching a permanent team member Flash, Waterfall and Whirlpool (not even your HM slave), because you very rarely need any of these HMs. It is smarter to teach those HMs to a Pokemon you normally don't use and take it into your team when needed:Whirlpool is required in the Whirl Islands, the Dragon's Den and Route 26 to get SolarBeamWaterfall is required in Tohjo Falls, Mt. Mortar, and Mt. Silver (I think the Whirl Islands have one but you can get to Lugia without Waterfall. Maybe...It's been a long time, ok?)Flash is required in Dark Cave, Mt. Silver, and Rock TunnelGood temporary HM slaves who can learn Flash, Whirlpool and Waterfall all at once are Psyduck, Staryu and Lanturn.Surf is often needed and a good water attack in general and always better than Waterfall because in Gen 2, all water attacks are special and Surf does more damage than Waterfall.Fly and Strength are not the best attacks, but in-game wise, they are good enough to have them permanently on your team.Cut is horrible, but taking a Pokemon out of the box whenever you encounter a tree is a pain. I'd say just teach it one of your Pokemon and pretend that Cut is as badass as it sounds.9: Type-enhancing itemsEach day of the week, you will find one of the week siblings at a certain place in Johto. They will give you an item that boosts attacks of a certain type by 10% when held. The locations are:Monday: Route 40 - Sharp Beak (Flying+)Tuesday: Route 29 - Pink Bow (Normal+)Wednesday: Lake of Rage - Black Belt (Fighting+)Thursday: Route 36 - Hard Stone (Rock+)Friday: Route 32 - Poison Barb (Poison+)Saturday: Blackthorn City - Spell Tag (Ghost+)Sunday: Route 37 - Magnet (Electro+)Other type enhancers are:Black Glasses (Dark+) found in Dark Cave (Shady guy)Charcoal (Fire+), found in Azalea Town (Charcoal Maker)Dragon Fang (Dragon+), found in Dragon's Den (does not work)Miracle Seed (Grass+), found on Route 32Mystic Water (Water+), found in Cherrygrove City (needs Surf)NeverMelt Ice (Ice+), found in Ice PathPolkadot Bow (Normal+), held by Jigglypuff when traded from Gen I to Gen IISilver Powder (Bug+), held by wild Butterfree (8%)Soft Sand (Ground+), found on route 34 (Cooltrainer Kate, needs surf to reach)Twisted Spoon (Psychic+), held by Kadabra traded from Pokemon YellowMetal Coat (Steel+), found on S.S. AquaNote: Due to a bug, Dragon Fang does not increase the strength of Dragon type moves. Instead, Dragon Scale does! Dragon Scale can be found at Mt. Mortar and its original purpose is to evolve Seadra to Kingdra via trade. It's possible that GF will fix this bug in the versions for Virtual Console10: Other items you shouldn't missAmulet Coin (found in the Goldenrod Department Store basement): If a Pokémon that is holding Amulet Coin is sent into a Trainer battle, the money earned from the battle is doubled. Should be acquired as fast as possible and used as much as possible because making money was not as easy back then as it is in Sun&Moon.Exp Share (Route 30, from Mr. Pokémon in exchange for Red Scale): When held by a Pokémon, allows it to earn half the EXP gained from defeating a Pokémon, regardless of whether it was used in battle or not. Comes pretty late because you only get the Red Scale after capturing/defeating Red Gyarados. Still good to train your weaker Pokemon.Leftovers (found in the Celadon City Restaurant in a trash can): When this item is held, at the end of every turn, the holder regains 1/16th of their maximum HP. You just know you are playing a classic Pokemon game when you check the trash cans and actually find something.Quick Claw (given at the National Park from the woman at Park entrance): Gives the holder a ~23% chance of going first in its priority bracket. I know it's luck based, but for in-game purposes, it's decent.Smoke Ball (Goldenrod Tunnel): If this item is held by a Pokémon and you try to run away, you will be guaranteed to run. Good if you find yourself in a dungeon full of strong and fast Pokemon. Also, was I the only child who first thought this was some special Poke Ball?11: Apricorn BallsApricorn Balls were introduced in Gen 2 and provide you with special bonuses when trying to catch Pokemon. You get them by giving Kurt in Azalea Town an Apricorn berry and it will take him 24 hours to turn it into a ball. Unfortunately, many of the Apricorn Balls had horrible bugs in the original games, rendering them useless. So unless GF fixes those bugs, be aware of the following:The Love Ball (Pink Apricorn,found on Route 42) was supposed to have a catch rate of 8x when used on a Pokemon of the other gender, but it only gains a catch rate of 8× on Pokémon of the same gender and species as the player's Pokémon.The Moon Ball (Yellow Apricorn, found on Route 42) was supposed to multiply the catch rate by 4 on Pokémon that evolve with Moon Stone but instead does this on Pokémon that evolve with Burn Heal. Consequently, Moon Ball does not have any additional effect and always acts like a Poké Ball.The Fast Ball (White Apricorn, found in Azalea Town) was supposed to quadruple the catch rate against all wild Pokémon that can flee, but due to a bug, it only does this for Magnemite, Grimer, and Tangela.The Level Ball (Red Apricorn, found on Route 37) works as intended: Catch rate is 1× if the player's Pokémon is the same level as or a lower level than the wild Pokémon, 2× if the player's Pokémon is at a higher level than the wild Pokémon but less than double it, 4× if the player's Pokémon is more than double but less than four times the level of the wild Pokémon, 8× if the player's Pokémon is of a level four times or more than that of the wild PokémonThe Lure Ball (Blue Apricorn, found on Route 37) works as intended: The Catch Rate is 3x if used on a Pokémon encountered while fishingThe Friend Ball (Green Apricorn, found on Route 42) works as intended: Has a catch rate of only 1x but sets caught Pokémon's friendship to 200 immediately. (By the way, the only 2 Pokemon that make good targets for this ball are Chansey and Zubat/Golbat, as they are the only Pokemon evolving through achieving maximum friendship of 255 that can be caught in the wild).The Heavy Ball (Black Apricorn, found on Route 37) works as intended: Catch rate of -20 if used on Pokémon weighing less than 225.8 lbs, no modifier if used on Pokémon weighing between 225.8 lbs and 451.5 lbs, +20 if used on Pokémon weighing between 451.5 lbs and 677.3 lbs, +30 if used on Pokémon weighing more than 677.3 lbs. It's a bit tricky to determine when a Heavy Ball makes more sense than an Ultra Ball, but according to this site, the only 2 Pokemon a Heavy Ball should be used on are Lugia and Snorlax.For comparison, the catch rate for a standard Ultra Ball is 2x.12: The Bug-Catching ContestA competition held every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday in Johto's National Park. No entry fee. The goal is to catch the best Bug-type Pokemon. You have 20 Park Balls at your disposal and you can only use one Pokemon from your team to weaken your targets. The contest ends when all Park Balls are used, you black out, leave the park, or 20 minutes have passed. The score earned for your Bug-type Pokemon is the sum of the following:4 times the max HP of the PokémonThe sum of the Pokémon's other statsUp to 29 points based on the Pokémon's individual values:16 points if the Defense IV is odd, 0 otherwise8 points if the Attack IV is odd, 0 otherwise4 points if the Special IV is odd, 0 otherwise1 point if the Speed IV is odd, 0 otherwise1/8 of the current HP of the Pokémon, rounded down1 point if the Pokémon is holding an item, 0 otherwiseSince you can't influence the IVs, it is advisable to go for the Pokemon with the highest base stat. For this contest, this would be Scyther and Pinsir. Out of these 2, Scyther gains the upper hand because its HP stat is slightly higher than Pinsir's. Overall, the best Pokemon you could catch in this contest is a Lv.14 Scyther with full HP (try to put it asleep instead of attacking it).Prizes are:1st: Sun Stone (Evolution item)2nd: Everstone (Evolution stopper)3rd: Gold Berry (If the holder's HP falls below 50%, it will consume its held Gold Berry and restore 30 HP)Consolation Prize: Berry13: Time CapsuleA quick statement about the time capsule. Yes, you can use it to trade between Gen 1 and Gen 2.However, you cannot trade a new Pokemon from Gen 2 to Gen 1 for obvious reasons.You also cannot trade a Pokemon from Gen 2 to Gen1 that either knows a move that didn't exist in Gen 1 or holds an item that didn't exist in Gen 1 (so you can't evolve a Scyther into Scizor by giving it Metal Coat, trading it to Gen 1 and then trading it back).Eggs are not allowed either.However, you can send a Pokemon from Gen 2 to Gen 1 that knows a move that exists in Gen 1 but could not be learned by said Pokemon in Gen 1.14: Mother's savingsYou can allow your mother to save money for you. If you do so, 25% of the money you earn from each battle automatically goes to your mother. She will then proceed to buy certain stuff, be it healing items or decoration for your room. I recommend enabling this feature from the beginning because her 5th purchase is a Moon Stone, and these are rare, especially early in the game.15: The PhoneThe phone in your Pokegear can store up to 10 numbers. 2 of them are always taken by your mother and Prof. Elm. Some trainers will try to give you their number and sometimes call you to either inform you about a swarm or call you for a rematch. I find the former option to be much more useful. You gain nothing from rematches that you don't gain from battling the E4 over and over again. The E4 give you more money and their Pokemon have higher levels. Swarm Pokemon on the other hand are very rare outside of swarms, giving those NPCs at least some importance.Hiker Anthony: Route 32 - Calls to tell you when Dunsparce is availableFisher Ralph: Route 32 - Calls to tell you when Qwilfish is availableBug Catcher Arnie: Route 35 - Calls to tell you when Yanma is availableFisher Wilton: Route 44 - Calls to tell you when Remoraid is availableSchoolboy Chad: Route 38 - Calls to tell you when Snubbull is availableLass Dana: Route 38 - Calls to tell you when Tauros is availableHiker Parry: Route 45 - Calls to tell you when Marill is availableAnother useful number is Bill's (Goldenrod City). He will call you whenever a PC Box is about to be filled. Back in the days, not changing your box was kind of a horrible situation. Nothing's worse than traveling all the way to Lugia and weaken it, only to hear that the goddamn box is full.16: HeadbuttNot sure if it was just me, but I completely overlooked this mechanic 15 years ago. The concept is simple: Interact with a special kind of tree while having a Pokemon with the move Headbutt in your team, and with some luck, you will engage in a battle. This is the only way to encounter certain Pokemon (for example Pineco, or the popular Heracross). If done at a certain time of the day, there's a chance that the encountered Pokemon is asleep from the start of the battle, making catching it all the more easier. via /r/pokemon http://ift.tt/2xzLrsb