Is Aerodactyl Good in HeartGold & SoulSilver Playthrough?
Old Amber fossil revival. Rock/Flying with AbilityRock Head preventing recoil or AbilityPressure draining PP. Fast with decent Attack. No evolution in Gen 4. Handles Karen's Murkrow and contributes Rock coverage against Lance. Fossil timing is postgame.
Aerodactyl resists most of Falkner's coverage and hits back hard.
Aerodactyl resists most of Bugsy's coverage and hits back hard.
Aerodactyl has the type edge here and should clean up Whitney's team.
Aerodactyl has the type edge here and should clean up Morty's team.
Aerodactyl trades roughly evenly with Chuck's team.
Aerodactyl trades roughly evenly with Jasmine's team.
Aerodactyl has the type edge here and should clean up Pryce's team.
Aerodactyl has the type edge here and should clean up Clair's team.
Aerodactyl trades roughly evenly with Brock's team.
Aerodactyl has the type edge here and should clean up Misty's team.
Aerodactyl has the type edge here and should clean up Lt. Surge's team.
Aerodactyl resists most of Erika's coverage and hits back hard.
Aerodactyl has the type edge here and should clean up Janine's team.
Aerodactyl has the type edge here and should clean up Sabrina's team.
Aerodactyl has the type edge here and should clean up Blaine's team.
Aerodactyl has the type edge here and should clean up Blue's team.
Aerodactyl has the type edge here and should clean up Will's team.
Aerodactyl resists most of Koga's coverage and hits back hard.
Aerodactyl has the type edge here and should clean up Bruno's team.
Aerodactyl resists most of Karen's coverage and hits back hard.
Aerodactyl has the type edge here and should clean up Lance's team.
Fossil
Aerodactyl can be revived from a fossil obtained in Pewter City. Revive Old Amber. Revive an Old Amber fossil at the Pewter Museum of Science.
Recommended Moves
- After Bugsy
- TM38FireFire BlastPower 120Accuracy 85%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM35FireFlamethrowerPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 15Goldenrod Game Corner
- After Chuck
- HM02FlyingFlyPower 135Accuracy 95%PP 15From Chuck's wife outside Cianwood Gym
- After Clair
- TM40FlyingAerial AcePower 90Accuracy 100%PP 20Mt. Mortar
- TM26GroundEarthquakePower 100Accuracy 100%PP 10Victory Road
- LV 57NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5
- LV 65RockRock SlidePower 113Accuracy 90%PP 10
- LV 73NormalGiga ImpactPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5
How to Get Aerodactyl in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Aerodactyl skips the wild entirely. Hand the Old Amber to the Pewter City lab and it gets revived at level 20, the only way to add one to the team.
1 location to catch Aerodactyl
Badge 8How to Get Aerodactyl in HeartGold & SoulSilver
How to Get Shiny Aerodactyl in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Aerodactyl restores from the Old Amber in Pewter City, but breeding it Masuda-style is the quicker route to a shiny. Compare Shiny Aerodactyl odds across every game
Shiny Aerodactyl Evolution
Does Not EvolveHeartGold & SoulSilver Shiny Aerodactyl Calculator
2 MethodsThe best route is Masuda Method, about 1 in 1,639 on each try.
Masuda Method: Breed with a parent from a different-language game. Works on any breedable line.
Soft Reset: Save in front of a static, gift, or legendary encounter, then reset until it sparkles.
How many you have done, or plan to do.
| Chance | Encounters | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 10%lucky few | 173-- | -- |
| 25%one in four | 472-- | -- |
| 50%coin flip | 1,136-- | -- |
| 90%very likely | 3,773-- | -- |
Time assumes -- at your pace and does not change your shiny odds.
How is this calculated?
Every encounter has the same shiny chance, the Shiny Odds Per Try shown above. Each one is a separate roll that does not care how many you have already done, so the more you hunt, the higher your overall chance of at least one shiny. The formula below turns your odds and your number of tries into that combined chance.
chance after N tries = 1 − (1 − p)^N, where p = 1 / odds per try
Example at 1 in 8,192 (classic full odds): about 864 encounters for a 10 percent chance, 5,678 for 50 percent, and 18,862 for 90 percent.
The table above flips that around: it shows how many encounters it takes to reach a 10, 25, 50, and 90 percent chance at your current odds. Turning on boosts like the Shiny Charm, sandwiches, or chains improves your odds, so the encounter numbers drop.
These are estimates, not promises. Most games have no pity counter, meaning no guaranteed shiny no matter how many you hunt, so even Very Likely is not guaranteed: some hunters find one early, others go well past that point.
For time estimates and charm math, open the HeartGold & SoulSilver shiny odds calculator with Aerodactyl already selected.
Aerodactyl Weakness
Type-wise, Aerodactyl takes extra damage from Water, Electric, Ice, Rock, and Steel. Ground moves do nothing thanks to a full immunity. 5 resistances help offset the weaknesses.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Water, Electric, Ice, Rock, Steel |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Normal, Fire, Poison, Flying, Bug |
| 0x (Immune) | Ground |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Aerodactyl Weak Against
AvgBest Pokemon Against Aerodactyl
 Rampardos Rock | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Cranidos (Pewter City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Aerodactyl View Rampardos builds →Head Smash 2x238-280%KO Iron Tail 2x106-125%KO Avalanche 2x64-76% Thunderbolt 2x41-49% | ||
 Rhydon GroundRock | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Aerodactyl View Rhydon builds →Stone Edge 2x129-152%KO Iron Tail 2x86-101%KO Avalanche 2x53-62% Thunderbolt 2x32-38% | ||
 Metagross SteelPsychic | A | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Aerodactyl View Metagross builds →Meteor Mash 2x121-142%KO Rock Slide 2x67-79% | ||
 Aggron SteelRock | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Aerodactyl View Aggron builds →Iron Head 2x90-106%KO Stone Edge 2x112-132%KO Avalanche 2x45-54% Thunderbolt 2x39-46% | ||
 Magnezone ElectricSteel | A | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Aerodactyl View Magnezone builds →Thunderbolt 2x110-130%KO Flash Cannon 2x93-110%KO | ||
 Steelix SteelGround | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Aerodactyl View Steelix builds →Iron Tail 2x91-107%KO Stone Edge 2x61-71% Thunder Fang 2x40-47% Ice Fang 2x40-47% | ||
 Raikou Electric | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Aerodactyl View Raikou builds →Thunderbolt 2x99-117%KO Iron Tail 2x61-71% | ||
 Kingler Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Aerodactyl View Kingler builds →Crabhammer 2x129-152%KO Rock Slide 2x65-77% Metal Claw 2x44-52% Ice Beam 2x34-40% | ||
 Suicune Water | A | |
Obtain MethodBurned Tower Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Aerodactyl View Suicune builds →Surf 2x81-96% Ice Beam 2x54-64% Iron Tail 2x55-65% | ||
 Kabutops RockWater | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Kabuto (Pewter City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Aerodactyl View Kabutops builds →Waterfall 2x93-110%KO Stone Edge 2x116-137%KO Ice Beam 2x41-49% | ||
 Golduck Water | C | |
Obtain MethodIlex Forest Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Aerodactyl View Golduck builds →Hydro Pump 2x106-125%KO Ice Beam 2x56-67% Iron Tail 2x59-69% | ||
 Slowbro WaterPsychic | C | |
Obtain MethodSlowpoke Well Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Aerodactyl View Slowbro builds →Surf 2x88-104%KO Ice Beam 2x59-69% Iron Tail 2x55-65% | ||
 Jynx IcePsychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Aerodactyl View Jynx builds →Ice Beam 2x99-117%KO Water Pulse 2x42-50% | ||
 Floatzel Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Aerodactyl View Floatzel builds →Waterfall 2x86-101%KO Ice Beam 2x52-61% Iron Tail 2x72-85% Rock Tomb 2x37-43% | ||
Aerodactyl Evolutions
Aerodactyl is what you get. No evolutions, but it breeds through one egg group with a decent partner pool. Its eggs are slow to hatch. It's got 7 egg moves worth looking into. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed Aerodactyl (with patience) with 31 breeding partners from the Flying egg group. Pass egg moves like Assurance, Curse, Dragon Breath and 4 more to offspring.
HGSS Aerodactyl Best Moveset
Fastest MoveStealth Rock setter at 130 Speed, getting hazards down before almost anything can respond. AbilityRock Head removes recoil from MoveDouble-Edge, and 105 Attack fires physical Rock and Flying damage. The moveset leads, sets rocks, and attacks. 25% SR cost on switch is the tax.
Best Build
Aerodactyl best EVs are Attack and Speed
Physical Stallbreaker Moveset
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Stone Edge
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Stall teams hate this. Aerodactyl can spread damage across 11 types, with Dark and Fire punishing common defensive pivots. STAB from Sky Attack and Fly keeps the pressure honest on everything else.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- Egg
- Inherited via breeding.
- Tutor
- NPC tutor (cost: items, BP, money).
- Reminder
- An NPC reteaches any move this Pokemon could have learned by leveling up.
- Transfer
- Carried over from an older game using Pokemon HOME.
- Event
- Given out through Mystery Gift events.
Visual Signals
CAT (Category)
How the move deals damage and which stats it uses.
A small dot on the icon's corner marks the move as contact. That triggers abilities like Static, Flame Body, Rough Skin, or Iron Barbs, plus items like Rocky Helmet and Sticky Barb.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM, Egg, and Tutor sort by tier by default (best first). On Level-Up, click the Tier header to do the same.
PWR (Power)
Base damage. Numbers shown in a type color include STAB (base × 1.5). Hover any colored number to see the math.
— means no power (status moves) or variable power.
Sorting & Filter
Click any column header to sort. Level-Up opens with Lv 1 at the top. TM, Egg, and Tutor open with the highest-tier moves at the top.
Search filters by move name or type. The Filter button limits the list to STAB, Physical, Special, or Status moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
31 of 32 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
A vicious Pokémon from the distant past, it appears to have flown by spreading its wings and gliding.
This vicious Pokémon is said to have flown in ancient skies while shrieking high-pitched cries.
Aerodactyl HeartGold & SoulSilver Guide
Mega Evolution isn't available in HeartGold & SoulSilver, but Aerodactyl does have a Mega form in Gen 6-7 games (X/Y, ORAS, Sun/Moon). Mega Aerodactyl hits 615 BST.
Revive an Old Amber fossil at the Pewter Museum of Science. Aerodactyl is revived at level 5. Give it Rare Candies or experience-share if you want it ready for the late-game.
Yes. Aerodactyl is not available during the main story. It can only be obtained after entering the Hall of Fame. Aerodactyl becomes available after the main story is complete in HeartGold & SoulSilver.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Aerodactyl plays as a sweeper. It outspeeds most threats, so it can pressure opponents before they move.
Game Availability
Since debuting in Red & Blue, Aerodactyl has appeared in 20 titles over 9 generations. Along the way, it received a Mega form in Generation 6, keeping it relevant across different competitive metas.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORASMega
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7Let's Go
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves
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