Is Cacturne Good in HeartGold & SoulSilver Playthrough?
Cacnea evolves at level 32. Grass/Dark with AbilitySand Veil. Mediocre defenses limit practical use.
Cacturne has the type edge here and should clean up Falkner's team.
Cacturne has the type edge here and should clean up Bugsy's team.
Cacturne resists most of Whitney's coverage and hits back hard.
Cacturne resists most of Morty's coverage and hits back hard.
Cacturne trades roughly evenly with Chuck's team.
Cacturne has the type edge here and should clean up Jasmine's team.
Cacturne resists most of Pryce's coverage and hits back hard.
Cacturne trades roughly evenly with Clair's team.
Cacturne resists most of Brock's coverage and hits back hard.
Cacturne resists most of Misty's coverage and hits back hard.
Cacturne trades roughly evenly with Lt. Surge's team.
Cacturne trades roughly evenly with Erika's team.
Cacturne trades roughly evenly with Janine's team.
Cacturne has the type edge here and should clean up Sabrina's team.
Cacturne trades roughly evenly with Blaine's team.
Cacturne trades roughly evenly with Blue's team.
Cacturne has the type edge here and should clean up Will's team.
Koga's team hits Cacturne's weaknesses hard.
Cacturne trades roughly evenly with Bruno's team.
Cacturne trades roughly evenly with Karen's team.
Lance's team hits Cacturne's weaknesses hard.
Catchable
Catch Cacturne in the Safari Zone (walking, Lv 42). Requires 35 Forest objects placed in Savannah.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 42)
- LV 42DarkSucker PunchPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 5
- LV 42DarkFeint AttackPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 20
- After Bugsy
- TM22GrassSolar BeamPower 180Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod Department Store
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM52FightingFocus BlastPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- After Chuck
- TM01FightingFocus PunchPower 150Accuracy 100%PP 20Prize for defeating Chuck
- After Clair
- TM79DarkDark PulsePower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15Sold by the TM clerk on 3F of the Celadon Department Store
- LV 53GrassNeedle ArmPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 15
How to Get Cacturne in HeartGold & SoulSilver
At level 32 a bred Cacnea sharpens into Cacturne. Neither stage haunts the wild in these games, so a hatched Cacnea is the only way the scarecrow ever shows up.
Wild Cacturne may be holding when caught:
Sticky Barb (5% chance) A held item that damages the holder on every turn. It may latch on to foes that touch the holder.1 location to catch Cacturne1 location to catch Cacnea
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Badge 8Catch Cacnea at any of the 1 location below, then level it up to 32 — it evolves into Cacturne.
Badge 8Where To Catch Cacturne in HGSS
Cacnea is your first catch on the way to Cacturne. You'll find walking encounters from Lv. 35-48 across 6 total spots in the chain.
- Step 2Cacturne ✓Safari Zone - SavannahLv.42FloorRequires 35 Forest objects placed in SavannahSafari Zone - DesertLv.48FloorRequires 42 Water objects placed in Desertor evolve from Cacnea (Step 1)
Not landing the catch? Calculate Cacturne catch rates for HeartGold & SoulSilver by ball, status, and HP.
How to Get Shiny Cacturne in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Cacturne evolves from Cacnea, so breed that base form Masuda-style and raise it once the shiny shows. Compare Shiny Cacturne odds across every game
HeartGold & SoulSilver Shiny Cacturne 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.
Full Odds: Walk through grass, surf, or fish. Every encounter is its own independent shiny roll.
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.
Want exact numbers for your session? Calculate your shiny odds in HeartGold & SoulSilver with Cacturne preloaded.
Cacturne Weakness
Cacturne is weak to Bug, Fire, Ice, Fighting, Poison, and Flying. Watch out for Bug attacks, those deal 4x damage. On the flip side, it's immune to Psychic-type moves entirely. It resists 6 types, so it can switch into a lot of moves safely.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 4x (Critical) | Bug |
| 2x (Weak) | Fire, Ice, Fighting, Poison, Flying |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Water, Electric, Grass, Ground, Ghost, Dark |
| 0x (Immune) | Psychic |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Cacturne Weak Against
VulnerableBest Pokemon Against Cacturne
 Pinsir Bug | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Pinsir builds →X-Scissor 4x227-268%KO Focus Punch 2x140-165%KO | ||
 Hariyama Fighting | B | |
 Scyther Bug | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Scyther builds →X-Scissor 4x202-238%KO Wing Attack 2x78-92% Rock Smash 2x35-41% | ||
 Skarmory Steel | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Skarmory builds →Fly 2x88-104%KO Rock Smash 2x28-33% | ||
 Kricketune Bug | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Kricketune builds →X-Scissor 4x164-193%KO Aerial Ace 2x42-50% Rock Smash 2x28-33% | ||
 Ninjask Bug | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Ninjask builds →U-turn 4x151-179%KO Aerial Ace 2x65-77% | ||
 Hitmonlee Fighting | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Tyrogue (Mt Mortar Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Hitmonlee builds →Focus Punch 2x202-238%KO Blaze Kick 2x77-91% | ||
 Gliscor Ground | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Gliscor builds →U-turn 4x107-126%KO Aerial Ace 2x69-82% Poison Jab 2x60-71% Ice Fang 2x49-58% | ||
 Yanmega Bug | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Yanmega builds →Silver Wind 4x160-188%KO Aerial Ace 2x59-69% | ||
 Vespiquen Bug | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Vespiquen builds →Attack Order 4x177-208%KO Aerial Ace 2x60-72% Sludge Bomb 2x59-69% | ||
 Primeape Fighting | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Primeape builds →Focus Punch 2x181-213%KO U-turn 4x115-136%KO Aerial Ace 2x49-58% | ||
 Beautifly Bug | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Beautifly builds →Bug Buzz 4x211-248%KO Aerial Ace 2x55-64% | ||
 Venomoth BugPoison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Venomoth builds →Signal Beam 4x164-193%KO Sludge Bomb 2x97-114%KO Aerial Ace 2x35-41% | ||
 Glaceon Ice | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Goldenrod City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Glaceon builds →Ice Beam 2x139-164%KO Rock Smash 2x22-26% | ||
Cacturne Evolutions
Cacturne is what Cacnea becomes. Breed it for Cacnea eggs (average hatch time). A decent partner pool for breeding via two egg groups. Eggs take an average time to hatch. The evolution from Cacnea pushed Cacturne to 475 total stats. Attack saw the largest single gain at +30. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Cacturne to get Cacnea eggs easily using 45 partners from the Grass and Human-Like egg groups. Notable egg moves include Acid, Counter, Dynamic Punch and 7 more.
HGSS Cacturne Best Moveset
Grass/Dark at 115 in both Attack and Sp. Atk, hitting equally hard from either side. AbilitySand Veil adds evasion in sandstorm. The moveset fires mixed coverage. 55 Speed goes after most threats, and 60 in both defenses limit survival.
Best Build
Cacturne best EVs are Sp. Atk and HP
Support Moveset
- Energy Ball
- Spikes
- Dark Pulse
- Synthesis
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Egg moves make a real difference. Cacturne gets Acid and Counter exclusively through breeding, filling gaps that TMs and level-up can't touch. Poison and Fighting coverage and more rounds out the picture alongside Solar Beam and Dark Pulse.
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
All 26 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
Packs of them follow travelers through the desert until the travelers can no longer move.
Cacturne HeartGold & SoulSilver Guide
- How do I catch Cacturne in the HeartGold & SoulSilver Safari Zone?
See the Locations section above for where to find Cacturne in HeartGold & SoulSilver.
Safari rules: You can only use Safari Balls. No battling. Two tactical items shift the catch/flee trade-off:
- Throw bait to keep Cacturne from fleeing (flee rate cut to 1/4) but it becomes harder to catch (catch factor halved).
- Throw a rock to make Cacturne easier to catch (catch factor doubled) but it flees twice as often.
- Each effect lasts 2-6 random turns; throwing one cancels the other.
Yes. Wild Cacturne in HeartGold & SoulSilver can hold Sticky Barb (5%). Use Thief (TM46) or Covet to swipe the held item without affecting your catch chance. Quickest way to farm rare items like Sticky Barb.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Cacturne pairs best with Sableye, Skuntank, and Hitmonchan. Sableye has Excellent synergy and covers what Cacturne can't handle on its own.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Cacturne plays as a cannon. Not the fastest, so pick your spots carefully.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Modest is the go-to nature for Cacturne. That's +Sp. Atk / -Attack. Pair it with 172 HP / 252 SpA / 84 Spe EVs. Fits the cannon role.
Game Availability
Debuting in Ruby & Sapphire, Cacturne appears in 14 games across 7 generations. A reliable presence in a solid number of games, typically found through wild encounters.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RSDebut
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 6ORAS
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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