Is Haunter Good in HeartGold & SoulSilver Playthrough?
Gastly evolves at level 25. AbilityLevitate still active. Haunter hits hard with special Attack and contributes through Morty, Chuck, and the E4. Trade for Gengar if possible, but Haunter does the job on its own.
Falkner's typing presses Gastly's defenses.
Gastly trades roughly evenly with Bugsy's team.
Whitney's typing presses Gastly's defenses.
Haunter resists most of Morty's coverage and hits back hard.
Haunter has the type edge here and should clean up Chuck's team.
Jasmine's typing presses Haunter's defenses.
Haunter has the type edge here and should clean up Pryce's team.
Gengar has the type edge here and should clean up Clair's team.
Gengar has the type edge here and should clean up Brock's team.
Gengar has the type edge here and should clean up Misty's team.
Gengar has the type edge here and should clean up Lt. Surge's team.
Gengar resists most of Erika's coverage and hits back hard.
Gengar has the type edge here and should clean up Janine's team.
Gengar resists most of Sabrina's coverage and hits back hard.
Gengar has the type edge here and should clean up Blaine's team.
Gengar has the type edge here and should clean up Blue's team.
Gengar resists most of Will's coverage and hits back hard.
Gengar has the type edge here and should clean up Koga's team.
Gengar has the type edge here and should clean up Bruno's team.
Gengar has the type edge here and should clean up Karen's team.
Gengar has the type edge here and should clean up Lance's team.
Catch Gastly
Catch Gastly in Sprout Tower (walking, Lv 3-6, common).
Recommended Moves
- After Bugsy
- TM24ElectricThunderboltPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 15Goldenrod Game Corner
- LV 22DarkSucker PunchPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 5
- LV 29GhostShadow BallPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15
- LV 33PsychicDream EaterPower 100Accuracy 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 36DarkDark PulsePower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15
Evolve Gastly to Haunter
Gastly evolves into Haunter at Level 25. Your Gastly should hit Level 25 before you reach Morty, at typical leveling pace.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 25)
- LV 25GhostShadow PunchPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 20
- LV 25DarkSucker PunchPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 5
- After Bugsy
- TM24ElectricThunderboltPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 15Goldenrod Game Corner
- After Whitney
- TM65GhostShadow ClawPower 105Accuracy 100%PP 15Route 42
- LV 33GhostShadow BallPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15
- After Jasmine
- TM36PoisonSludge BombPower 135Accuracy 100%PP 10Route 43
- LV 39PsychicDream EaterPower 100Accuracy 100%PP 15
- LV 44DarkDark PulsePower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15
Evolve Haunter to Gengar
Haunter evolves into Gengar when traded. Most players are ready to trade before reaching Clair.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 34)
- LV 34GhostShadow BallPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15
- LV 34GhostShadow PunchPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 20
- After Bugsy
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM24ElectricThunderboltPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 15Goldenrod Game Corner
- After Whitney
- TM65GhostShadow ClawPower 105Accuracy 100%PP 15Route 42
- After Chuck
- TM01FightingFocus PunchPower 150Accuracy 100%PP 20Prize for defeating Chuck
- After Jasmine
- TM36PoisonSludge BombPower 135Accuracy 100%PP 10Route 43
- LV 39PsychicDream EaterPower 100Accuracy 100%PP 15
How to Get Haunter in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Haunter also haunts the night, common to uncommon in a couple of tower spots in the teens. Catch it after dark or evolve a Gastly at level 25, the middle step of a line that ends in a trade.
2 locations to catch Haunter3 locations to catch Gastly
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Badge 6
Badge 7
Badge 8Catch Gastly at any of the 3 locations below, then level it up to 25 — it evolves into Haunter.
Badge 1
Badge 2
Badge 3
Badge 4
Badge 5 Badge 6 Badge 7 Badge 8Where To Catch Haunter in HGSS
Available earlier: catch Gastly at the very start and evolve it at Lv 25. Wild Haunter first appears at Safari Zone (after Badge 4).
- Step 2Haunter ✓or evolve from Gastly (Step 1)
- Step 3Evolve into Gengar
To plan your throws, open the HeartGold & SoulSilver catch rate calculator with Haunter preloaded.
How to Get Shiny Haunter in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Haunter drifts along Route 8 at night, so breed it Masuda-style with a foreign parent at 1 in 1,638. Compare Shiny Haunter odds across every game
HeartGold & SoulSilver Shiny Haunter 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.
For time estimates and charm math, open the HeartGold & SoulSilver shiny odds calculator with Haunter already selected.
Haunter Weakness
Ground, Psychic, Ghost, and Dark moves hit Haunter for super-effective damage. The upside? Normal and Fighting-type moves can't touch it at all. Levitate grants an additional Ground immunity, reshaping the matchup chart. Haunter leans toward special offense (base 115 Sp.Atk) instead of trying to wall anything.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Ground, Psychic, Ghost, Dark |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Grass |
| 0.25x (Resist) | Poison, Bug |
| 0x (Immune) | Normal, Fighting |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Haunter Weak Against
GoodBest Pokemon Against Haunter
 Absol Dark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Haunter View Absol builds →Bite 2x131-154%KO Shadow Claw 2x100-118%KO | ||
 Gardevoir Psychic | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Haunter View Gardevoir builds →Shadow Ball 2x95-113%KO Confusion 2x91-108%KO | ||
Gastly GhostPoison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Haunter View Gastly builds →Shadow Ball 2x121-142%KO Sucker Punch 2x45-54% | ||
 Kadabra Psychic | A | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Haunter View Kadabra builds →Psybeam 2x114-135%KO Shadow Ball 2x94-110%KO | ||
 Sandslash Ground | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Haunter View Sandslash builds →Dig 2x137-162%KO Shadow Claw 2x79-95% | ||
 Girafarig NormalPsychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Haunter View Girafarig builds →Psybeam 2x91-108%KO Shadow Ball 2x73-87% Assurance 2x50-59% | ||
 Misdreavus Ghost | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Haunter View Misdreavus builds →Shadow Ball 2x108-127%KO Psybeam 2x58-69% Payback 2x41-49% | ||
 Nidoqueen PoisonGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Haunter View Nidoqueen builds →Dig 2x127-150%KO Shadow Ball 2x65-77% | ||
 Hypno Psychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Haunter View Hypno builds →Psybeam 2x78-92% Shadow Ball 2x63-74% | ||
 Nidoking PoisonGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Haunter View Nidoking builds →Dig 2x140-165%KO Shadow Ball 2x72-85% | ||
 Mr. Mime Psychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Haunter View Mr. Mime builds →Psybeam 2x97-115%KO Shadow Ball 2x79-95% Payback 2x35-41% | ||
 Steelix SteelGround | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Haunter View Steelix builds →Dig 2x121-142%KO Payback 2x51-62% | ||
 Slowbro WaterPsychic | C | |
Obtain MethodSlowpoke Well Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Haunter View Slowbro builds →Shadow Ball 2x79-95% Confusion 2x78-92% Dig 2x73-87% | ||
 Dugtrio Ground | A | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Haunter View Dugtrio builds →Dig 2x137-162%KO Sucker Punch 2x91-108%KO Shadow Claw 2x79-95% | ||
Haunter Evolutions
Haunter is partway through a three-stage line between Gastly and Gengar. The chain involves a trade, so it's not a straightforward grind. So far, Sp.Def got the biggest boost (+20 from Gastly). The final form adds another 95 stats on top. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Haunter to get Gastly eggs easily using 31 partners from the Amorphous egg group. Notable egg moves include Astonish, Disable, Explosion and 8 more.
HGSS Haunter Best Moveset
Special Ghost attacker at 115 Sp. Atk and 95 Speed, outpowering many fully evolved Pokemon from the special side. AbilityLevitate blocks Ground moves entirely. The moveset hits fast and hard, but 45 HP means one physical hit ends it. Trade to reach Gengar.
Best Build
Haunter best EVs are Sp. Atk and Speed
Special Attacker Moveset
- Shadow Ball
- Toxic
- Destiny Bond
- Sludge Bomb
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Without breeding, Haunter misses out on Astonish and Disable. That's 11 egg moves adding depth that the base kit lacks. STAB comes from Sludge Bomb and Shadow Ball, with Dark and Psychic coverage and more rounding things out.
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 23 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
In total darkness, where nothing is visible, HAUNTER lurks, silently stalking its next victim.
Its tongue is made of gas. If licked, its victim starts shaking constantly until death eventually comes.
Haunter HeartGold & SoulSilver Guide
- Where in the HeartGold & SoulSilver Safari Zone can I find Haunter?
See the Locations section above for where to find Haunter 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 Haunter from fleeing (flee rate cut to 1/4) but it becomes harder to catch (catch factor halved).
- Throw a rock to make Haunter easier to catch (catch factor doubled) but it flees twice as often.
- Each effect lasts 2-6 random turns; throwing one cancels the other.
No. Haunter only evolves into Gengar through a real trade. There is no in-game alternative in HeartGold & SoulSilver.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Haunter does the job early-game if you need a Ghost/Poison type on your team. Evolve it into Gengar before the later gyms and it holds up fine through the story.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, use Haunter as a pivot. Special attacks are the main output. Speed is middling,
For HeartGold & SoulSilver, run Timid on Haunter. +Speed is what matters, and the -Attack cut doesn't hurt this set. Fits the pivot role.
Game Availability
Haunter has been part of the series since Red & Blue, appearing in 22 titles across all 9 generations. As a Gen 1 original, it's one of the most consistently available Pokemon in the franchise.
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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