Legendary Pokémon in Gold & Silver
Gold & Silver have 5 legendaries: three roaming beasts plus Lugia and Ho-Oh. Your version picks which one you meet in the story, Ho-Oh at Tin Tower in Gold or Lugia in the Whirl Islands in Silver, both at Lv. 40. The other comes in the post-game at Lv. 70, behind a Pewter City wing.
- In game 2
- Roams 3
- Post-game 2
Gold & Silver legendary list: all 5 legendaries
The Kanto birds and Mewtwo can’t be caught in Gold & Silver, so they come from Red, Blue or Yellow through the Time Capsule, which opens the day after you meet Bill in Ecruteak City.
- #0243
Raikou
Electric typeRoams Johto, after the Burned Tower - #0244
Entei
Fire typeRoams Johto, after the Burned Tower - #0245
Suicune
Water typeRoams Johto, after the Burned Tower - #0249
Lugia
Psychic/Flying typeWhirl Islands, Silver only / Post-game: Whirl Islands (Silver Wing from Pewter City), Gold only - #0250
Ho-Oh
Fire/Flying typeTin Tower, Gold only / Post-game: Tin Tower (Rainbow Wing from Pewter City), Silver only
| Caught | Type | Details | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #0243 |  Raikou | Electric type | 90 | 85 | 75 | 115 | 100 | 115 | 580 | ||
| #0244 |  Entei | Fire type | 115 | 115 | 85 | 90 | 75 | 100 | 580 | ||
| #0245 |  Suicune | Water type | 100 | 75 | 115 | 90 | 115 | 85 | 580 | ||
| #0249 |  Lugia | Psychic/Flying type | 106 | 90 | 130 | 90 | 154 | 110 | 680 | ||
| #0250 |  Ho-Oh | Fire/Flying type | 106 | 130 | 90 | 110 | 154 | 90 | 680 | ||
| Average · 5 | 103 | 99 | 99 | 99 | 120 | 100 | 620 | ||||
| Base statunder 6060 to 8990 to 119120+ | |||||||||||
How to get every legendary in Gold & Silver
After the Burned Tower, Raikou, Entei and Suicune roam Johto. Ho-Oh in Gold or Lugia in Silver can be caught in the story, and the other only after you pick up its wing in Pewter City.
In game2
- LugiaWhirl IslandsOnly in Silver
- Ho-OhTin TowerOnly in Gold
Roams3
- Johto, after the Burned Tower
- Level
- 40
- When
- After the Burned Tower scene in Ecruteak City
- Raikou
- Entei
- Suicune
Post-game2
- LugiaWhirl Islands (Silver Wing from Pewter City)Only in Gold
- Ho-OhTin Tower (Rainbow Wing from Pewter City)Only in Silver
Silver
RainbowBefore you battle
- Lugia and Ho-Oh are in both versions: your version's bird comes at Lv. 40 during the story, and the other one at Lv. 70 after the Elite Four
- Each legendary here is a one-time catch: Lugia and Ho-Oh vanish after one battle even if you run, and a roaming beast that faints never comes back. Save before each fight
- Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres and Mewtwo are not in Gold or Silver: trade them in from Red, Blue or Yellow through the Time Capsule
Roaming beasts3
- In Ecruteak City, go down to the basement of the Burned Tower and walk up to Raikou, Entei and Suicune: all three wake and run off
- From then on they roam the grassy routes of Johto; they never show up in caves, in buildings or while you Surf
- A beast runs on its first turn, so a Master Ball is the surest way to catch one
- Damage you deal stays on a beast between meetings, but one that faints is gone for good
- Once you have met a beast, the Pokédex area map shows where it is roaming
- Lugia
- Level
- 40 in Silver, 70 in Gold
- Where
- Whirl Islands
- Needs
- Silver WingSurfWhirlpool
- When
- Silver: after the Radio Tower. Gold: after the Elite Four
- Silver: clear Team Rocket out of the Goldenrod Radio Tower and the Director gives you the Silver Wing
- Gold: after the Elite Four, an old man in Pewter City in Kanto gives you the Silver Wing
- With the Silver Wing in your bag, Surf to the northeast island of the Whirl Islands on Route 41 and use Whirlpool to reach the entrance
- Head down through the basement floors to Lugia's chamber at the bottom
- The caves are dark, so Flash helps
TipOnly Silver's Lugia knows its signature move Aeroblast
- Ho-Oh
- Level
- 40 in Gold, 70 in Silver
- Where
- Tin Tower
- Needs
- Rainbow Wing
- When
- Gold: after the Radio Tower. Silver: after the Elite Four
- Gold: clear Team Rocket out of the Goldenrod Radio Tower and the Director gives you the Rainbow Wing
- Silver: after the Elite Four, an old man in Pewter City in Kanto gives you the Rainbow Wing
- With the Rainbow Wing in your bag, climb the Tin Tower in Ecruteak City, using its warp tiles, to reach Ho-Oh at the top
- Ho-Oh always holds a Sacred Ash
TipOnly Gold's Ho-Oh knows its signature move Sacred Fire
SacredBring it from another game2
MewNo Mew lives in Gold or Silver: trade one in from Red, Blue or Yellow- Meet Bill in the Ecruteak City Pokémon Center: he gets the Time Capsule working, and it opens the next day
- Trade the Mew over from Red, Blue or Yellow through the Time Capsule in a Pokémon Center
CelebiGold and Silver have no Celebi to catch- Needs
- Pokémon Crystal
- Catch Celebi in the 3DS Virtual Console Crystal with the GS Ball, then trade it over to Gold or Silver
Legendary sets in Gold & Silver
Raikou, Entei and Suicune make the slowest set, since each one runs on its first turn, but damage you deal carries over between meetings. Lugia and Ho-Oh can both join one save in either version.
More Pokémon lists for Gold & Silver
Tyranitar joins Dragonite on the Gold & Silver Pseudo-legendaries list, and Pichu, Togepi and Elekid are among the Baby Pokémon.