Is Gloom Good in HeartGold & SoulSilver Playthrough?
Oddish evolves at level 21. AbilityChlorophyll still active. The fork to Vileplume (Leaf Stone) or Bellossom (Sun Stone) defines the Oddish line. Vileplume hits harder. Bellossom is the more defensive choice.
Oddish trades roughly evenly with Falkner's team.
Oddish trades roughly evenly with Bugsy's team.
Oddish has the type edge here and should clean up Whitney's team.
Morty's team hits Vileplume's weaknesses hard.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Morty:
Vileplume has the type edge here and should clean up Chuck's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Chuck:
Vileplume trades roughly evenly with Jasmine's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Jasmine:
Vileplume resists most of Pryce's coverage and hits back hard.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Pryce:
Vileplume trades roughly evenly with Clair's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Clair:
Vileplume resists most of Brock's coverage and hits back hard.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Brock:
Vileplume resists most of Misty's coverage and hits back hard.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Misty:
Vileplume has the type edge here and should clean up Lt. Surge's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Lt. Surge:
Vileplume has the type edge here and should clean up Erika's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Erika:
Vileplume trades roughly evenly with Janine's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Janine:
Vileplume trades roughly evenly with Sabrina's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Sabrina:
Vileplume trades roughly evenly with Blaine's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Blaine:
Vileplume trades roughly evenly with Blue's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Blue:
Vileplume has the type edge here and should clean up Will's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Will:
Vileplume trades roughly evenly with Koga's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Koga:
Vileplume has the type edge here and should clean up Bruno's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Bruno:
Vileplume trades roughly evenly with Karen's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Karen:
Vileplume trades roughly evenly with Lance's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Lance:
Catch Oddish
Catch Oddish in Ilex Forest (walking, Lv 5-6, common).
Recommended Moves
- LV 9PoisonAcidPower 60Accuracy 100%PP 30
- After Bugsy
- TM22GrassSolar BeamPower 180Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod Department Store
- LV 21GrassMega DrainPower 60Accuracy 100%PP 15
- After Jasmine
- TM36PoisonSludge BombPower 135Accuracy 100%PP 10Route 43
- TM43NormalSecret PowerPower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Lake of Rage
- TM10NormalHidden PowerPower 60Accuracy 100%PP 15Lake of Rage
- LV 37GrassGiga DrainPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 10
- LV 41GrassPetal DancePower 135Accuracy 100%PP 20
Evolve Oddish to Vileplume
Gloom evolves into Vileplume with a Leaf Stone. You can receive the Leaf Stone from an NPC in Route 34. 2 other locations are also available.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 19)
- LV 19GrassMega DrainPower 60Accuracy 100%PP 15
- After Bugsy
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- After Whitney
- TM60FightingDrain PunchPower 60Accuracy 100%PP 5Route 39
- After Jasmine
- TM36PoisonSludge BombPower 135Accuracy 100%PP 10Route 43
- TM43NormalSecret PowerPower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Lake of Rage
- TM10NormalHidden PowerPower 60Accuracy 100%PP 15Lake of Rage
- LV 53GrassPetal DancePower 135Accuracy 100%PP 20
- LV 65GrassSolar BeamPower 180Accuracy 100%PP 10
Evolve Oddish to Bellossom
Gloom evolves into Bellossom with a Sun Stone. You can usually obtain this item before you reach Morty.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 19)
- LV 19GrassLeaf BladePower 135Accuracy 100%PP 15
- After Bugsy
- TM22GrassSolar BeamPower 180Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod Department Store
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- After Whitney
- TM60FightingDrain PunchPower 60Accuracy 100%PP 5Route 39
- LV 23GrassMagical LeafPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 20
- After Jasmine
- TM36PoisonSludge BombPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 10Route 43
- TM43NormalSecret PowerPower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Lake of Rage
- LV 53GrassLeaf StormPower 210Accuracy 90%PP 5
How to Get Gloom in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Gloom also favors the night, thinly scattered on a few routes from the mid-teens to the low 30s. You can catch the middle stage after dark or evolve an Oddish at level 21, then branch it with a stone later.
4 locations to catch Gloom6 locations to catch Oddish
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Badge 6
Badge 7
Badge 8Catch Oddish at any of the 6 locations below, then level it up to 21 — it evolves into Gloom.
Badge 2
Badge 3
Badge 4
Badge 5 Badge 6 Badge 7 Badge 8Where To Catch Gloom in HGSS
Oddish gets you Gloom sooner: catch it (before Badge 2) and evolve it at Lv 21. Wild Gloom first appears at Route 48 (after Badge 4).
- Step 2Gloom ✓Route 5Lv.15GrassRate 10%NightSafari Zone - MarshlandLv.16-17FloorRate 20%NightRoute 48Lv.22-24GrassRate 20%Route 47Lv.32GrassRate 5%or evolve from Oddish (Step 1)
Available in-game· 2 pathsPick one
Want the exact numbers? Work out your catch odds in HeartGold & SoulSilver for Gloom.
How to Get Shiny Gloom in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Gloom lingers on Route 47 and Route 48, but a shiny comes faster from Masuda breeding with a foreign parent. Compare Shiny Gloom odds across every game
HeartGold & SoulSilver Shiny Gloom 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.
Curious how fast a hunt could go? Work out your HeartGold & SoulSilver shiny odds for Gloom.
Gloom Weakness
Gloom is weak to Fire, Ice, Flying, and Psychic. The Grass/Poison typing picks up 4 resistances to work with. Not too many gaps in the chart, 4 weaknesses to account for.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Fire, Ice, Flying, Psychic |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Water, Electric, Fighting |
| 0.25x (Resist) | Grass |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Gloom Weak Against
VulnerableBest Pokemon Against Gloom
 Ninetales Fire | C | |
 Glaceon Ice | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Goldenrod City Gift) | ||
 Arcanine Fire | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gloom View Arcanine builds →Fire Blast 2x125-148%KO Aerial Ace 2x48-57% | ||
 Magmar Fire | C | |
 Gardevoir Psychic | B | |
 Golbat Poison | C | |
 Noctowl Normal | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gloom View Noctowl builds →Sky Attack 2x93-110%KO Confusion 2x32-39% | ||
 Scyther Bug | C | |
 Lapras WaterIce | C | |
Obtain MethodUnion Cave Interact Encounter | ||
 Dodrio Normal | C | |
 Hypno Psychic | C | |
 Farfetch'd Normal | C | |
 Quilava Fire | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Cyndaquil (New Bark Town Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gloom View Quilava builds →Fire Blast 2x108-128%KO Aerial Ace 2x32-39% | ||
 Fearow Normal | C | |
Gloom Evolutions
Gloom can evolve into Vileplume and Bellossom. Gloom sits before the split, so check the evolution methods below to pick your path. HP has grown the most so far (+15), but there's still another 95 stats to gain in the final evolution. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Gloom to get Oddish eggs easily using 45 partners from the Grass egg group. Notable egg moves include Charm, Flail, Ingrain and 5 more.
HGSS Gloom Best Moveset
Transition stage between Oddish and the final evolution. 85 Sp. Atk fires reasonable special Grass attacks, and AbilityChlorophyll in sun doubles the 40 Speed. Without weather support, the moveset is too slow to contribute. Vileplume or Bellossom each fix what Gloom can't do alone.
Best Build
Gloom best EVs are Sp. Atk and Speed
Support Moveset
- Sludge Bomb
- Sleep Powder
- Energy Ball
- Synthesis
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Egg moves make a real difference. Gloom gets Charm and Flail exclusively through breeding, filling gaps that TMs and level-up can't touch. Normal and Fighting coverage rounds out the picture alongside Petal Dance and Solar Beam.
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 19 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
What appears to be drool is actually sweet honey. It is very sticky and clings stubbornly if touched.
It secretes a sticky, drool-like honey. Although sweet, it smells too repulsive to get very close.
Gloom HeartGold & SoulSilver Guide
- How do I catch Gloom in the HeartGold & SoulSilver Safari Zone?
See the Locations section above for where to find Gloom 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 Gloom from fleeing (flee rate cut to 1/4) but it becomes harder to catch (catch factor halved).
- Throw a rock to make Gloom easier to catch (catch factor doubled) but it flees twice as often.
- Each effect lasts 2-6 random turns; throwing one cancels the other.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, for a casual playthrough, Gloom works as a placeholder. Grass/Poison coverage is useful early. The real payoff is Vileplume. That's where the stats start mattering.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Gloom plays as a trick room. It's slow, so Trick Room or priority moves are key. so pick your spots carefully.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Modest is the go-to nature for Gloom. That's +Sp. Atk / -Attack. Pair it with 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe EVs. Fits the trick room role.
Game Availability
Present since Red & Blue, Gloom appears in 20 games spanning 9 generations. Gen 1 originals like Gloom have the longest track record of availability in the series.
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 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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