Is Lugia Good in HeartGold & SoulSilver Playthrough?
Whirl Islands static encounter. Level 45 in SoulSilver during the story, level 70 in HeartGold postgame. Psychic/Flying with AbilityPressure. Enormous special Defense. The SoulSilver box legendary handles the E4 and Red. HeartGold players wait until after all 16 badges.
Lugia resists most of Falkner's coverage and hits back hard.
Lugia resists most of Bugsy's coverage and hits back hard.
Lugia has the type edge here and should clean up Whitney's team.
Lugia resists most of Morty's coverage and hits back hard.
Lugia resists most of Chuck's coverage and hits back hard.
Lugia trades roughly evenly with Jasmine's team.
Lugia has the type edge here and should clean up Pryce's team.
Lugia resists most of Clair's coverage and hits back hard.
Lugia resists most of Brock's coverage and hits back hard.
Lugia has the type edge here and should clean up Misty's team.
Lugia has the type edge here and should clean up Lt. Surge's team.
Lugia resists most of Erika's coverage and hits back hard.
Lugia resists most of Janine's coverage and hits back hard.
Lugia has the type edge here and should clean up Sabrina's team.
Lugia has the type edge here and should clean up Blaine's team.
Lugia has the type edge here and should clean up Blue's team.
Lugia has the type edge here and should clean up Will's team.
Lugia resists most of Koga's coverage and hits back hard.
Lugia resists most of Bruno's coverage and hits back hard.
Lugia has the type edge here and should clean up Karen's team.
Lugia resists most of Lance's coverage and hits back hard.
Catchable
Catch Lugia on Whirl Islands (interact, Lv 45, limited). Encounter deep in the Whirl Islands after collecting the Silver Wing and Tidal Bell.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 45)
- LV 45FlyingAeroblastPower 150Accuracy 95%PP 5
- LV 45PsychicExtrasensoryPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 30
- After Bugsy
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- After Chuck
- HM02FlyingFlyPower 135Accuracy 95%PP 15From Chuck's wife outside Cianwood Gym
- After Clair
- TM26GroundEarthquakePower 100Accuracy 100%PP 10Victory Road
- LV 79PsychicFuture SightPower 120Accuracy 90%PP 15
- LV 93PsychicCalm MindPower —Accuracy 100%PP 20
- LV 99FlyingSky AttackPower 210Accuracy 90%PP 5
How to Get Lugia in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Lugia waits deep in the Whirl Islands with a catch rate of 3. SoulSilver players meet it as a level 45 story catch, while HeartGold runs into a tougher level 70 version after the main game, so the timing flips by version.
1 location to catch Lugia
Badge 8How to Get Lugia in HeartGold & SoulSilver
How to Get Shiny Lugia in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Lugia waits deep in the Whirl Islands, so save in front of it and soft-reset the long 1 in 8,192 odds until it shines. Compare Shiny Lugia odds across every game
Shiny Lugia Evolution
Does Not EvolveHeartGold & SoulSilver Shiny Lugia Calculator
1 MethodThe only route here is Soft Reset, about 1 in 8,192 on each try.
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 | 864-- | -- |
| 25%one in four | 2,357-- | -- |
| 50%coin flip | 5,678-- | -- |
| 90%very likely | 18,862-- | -- |
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 Lugia already selected.
Lugia Weakness
Electric, Ice, Rock, Ghost, and Dark moves hit Lugia for super-effective damage. The upside? Ground-type moves can't touch it at all. Lugia's overall bulk (106/130/154) lets it take a hit or two from most weaknesses before going down.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Electric, Ice, Rock, Ghost, Dark |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Grass, Psychic |
| 0.25x (Resist) | Fighting |
| 0x (Immune) | Ground |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Lugia Weak Against
AvgBest Pokemon Against Lugia
 Rampardos Rock | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Cranidos (Pewter City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Lugia View Rampardos builds →Head Smash 2x115-136%KO Avalanche 2x31-37% Assurance 2x26-31% Thunderbolt 2x20-23% | ||
 Shiftry GrassDark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Lugia View Shiftry builds →Dark Pulse 2x32-38% Shadow Ball 2x22-26% Rock Slide 2x25-30% | ||
 Raikou Electric | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Lugia View Raikou builds →Thunderbolt 2x47-55% Shadow Ball 2x26-31% Crunch 2x24-28% | ||
 Absol Dark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Lugia View Absol builds →Sucker Punch 2x51-60% Stone Edge 2x42-50% Shadow Claw 2x30-35% Ice Beam 2x22-26% | ||
 Jynx IcePsychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Lugia View Jynx builds →Ice Beam 2x47-55% Shadow Ball 2x26-31% Payback 2x10-12% | ||
 Rhydon GroundRock | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Lugia View Rhydon builds →Stone Edge 2x63-74% Shadow Claw 2x30-35% Avalanche 2x26-30% Payback 2x22-26% | ||
 Cacturne GrassDark | B | |
 Glaceon Ice | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Goldenrod City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Lugia View Glaceon builds →Ice Beam 2x51-60% Shadow Ball 2x29-34% Bite 2x14-17% | ||
 Armaldo RockBug | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Anorith (Pewter City Gift) | ||
 Kabutops RockWater | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Kabuto (Pewter City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Lugia View Kabutops builds →Stone Edge 2x56-66% Ice Beam 2x20-23% Thief 2x16-18% | ||
 Weavile DarkIce | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Lugia View Weavile builds →Night Slash 2x42-49% Avalanche 2x36-42% Shadow Claw 2x28-33% | ||
 Houndoom DarkFire | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Lugia View Houndoom builds →Dark Pulse 2x38-44% Shadow Ball 2x25-30% Thunder Fang 2x20-24% | ||
 Zapdos Electric | A | |
Obtain MethodRoute 10 Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Lugia View Zapdos builds →Thunderbolt 2x50-59% Ancient Power 2x21-25% | ||
 Mismagius Ghost | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Lugia View Mismagius builds →Shadow Ball 2x36-43% Thunderbolt 2x28-34% Dark Pulse 2x24-29% | ||
Lugia Evolutions
A Psychic/Flying-type legendary, Lugia doesn't evolve or breed. At 680 total stats, it's meant to stand on its own. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
HGSS Lugia Best Moveset
Defensive legendary at 130 Defense and 154 Sp. Def with 106 HP absorbing everything. The moveset blocks attacks from both sides while supporting with MoveRoost recovery. AbilityPressure drains PP. 90 in both offensive stats give modest threat. 110 Speed is fast for a tank. Banned from standard play.
Best Build
Lugia best EVs are HP and Speed
Wall Moveset
- Roost
- Ice Beam
- Whirlwind
- Calm Mind
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Coverage runs deep. Lugia can hit 12 types beyond STAB, including Normal and Dragon. The offense anchors on Sky Attack and Future Sight while TMs handle 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
37 of 38 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
It is said that it quietly spends its time deep at the bottom of the sea because its powers are too strong.
It is said to be the guardian of the seas. It is rumored to have been seen on the night of a storm.
Lugia HeartGold & SoulSilver Guide
Lugia is a static encounter at Johto Whirl Islands in HeartGold & SoulSilver. Lugia appears at level 70. Save before the encounter. These one-shot Pokemon don't respawn if you knock them out or run out of Poke Balls.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, use Lugia as a wall. Special attacks are the main output. It outspeeds most threats,
For HeartGold & SoulSilver, run Timid on Lugia. +Speed is what matters, and the -Attack cut doesn't hurt this set. Fits the wall role.
Game Availability
Lugia has appeared in 17 games since Gold & Silver, spanning 8 generations. As a Legendary, it's typically a one-per-save encounter tied to the story or post-game content.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GSDebut
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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