Is Metapod Good in HeartGold & SoulSilver Playthrough?
Caterpie evolves at level 7. AbilityShed Skin for occasional status cures. Butterfree at 10 is close. Neither Caterpie nor Metapod should see real combat.
Butterfree trades roughly evenly with Falkner's team.
Butterfree has the type edge here and should clean up Bugsy's team.
Butterfree trades roughly evenly with Whitney's team.
Butterfree has the type edge here and should clean up Morty's team.
Butterfree trades roughly evenly with Chuck's team.
Jasmine's team hits Butterfree's weaknesses hard.
Butterfree has the type edge here and should clean up Pryce's team.
Butterfree trades roughly evenly with Clair's team.
Butterfree resists most of Brock's coverage and hits back hard.
Butterfree resists most of Misty's coverage and hits back hard.
Butterfree trades roughly evenly with Lt. Surge's team.
Butterfree resists most of Erika's coverage and hits back hard.
Butterfree has the type edge here and should clean up Janine's team.
Butterfree has the type edge here and should clean up Sabrina's team.
Blaine's team hits Butterfree's weaknesses hard.
Butterfree trades roughly evenly with Blue's team.
Butterfree resists most of Will's coverage and hits back hard.
Butterfree trades roughly evenly with Koga's team.
Butterfree has the type edge here and should clean up Bruno's team.
Butterfree has the type edge here and should clean up Karen's team.
Lance's team hits Butterfree's weaknesses hard.
Catchable
Catch Metapod on Route 30 (walking, Lv 4, uncommon).
Recommended Moves
- After Pryce
- REMINDERNormalTacklePower 35Accuracy 95%PP 35
Catch Caterpie
Catch Caterpie on Route 30 (walking, Lv 3-4, common).
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 3)
- LV 3NormalTacklePower 35Accuracy 95%PP 35
- LV 15BugBug BitePower 90Accuracy 100%PP 20
How to Get Metapod in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Metapod shows up wild in scattered early grass and Headbutt trees, usually uncommon and always brief between its two evolution stages. Catching one directly skips a Caterpie, which evolves into Metapod at level 7 anyway.
7 locations to catch Metapod6 locations to catch Caterpie
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Badge 1
Badge 2
Badge 3
Badge 4
Badge 5
Badge 6
Badge 7
Badge 8Catch Caterpie at any of the 6 locations below, then level it up to 7 — it evolves into Metapod.
Badge 1 Badge 2 Badge 3 Badge 4 Badge 5 Badge 6 Badge 7 Badge 8Where To Catch Metapod in HGSS
Caterpie is your first catch on the way to Metapod. You'll find walking and headbutt encounters from Lv. 3-36 across 39 total spots in the chain.
- Step 1Catch CaterpieIlex ForestLv.5-6GrassHeartGoldRate 60%DayRoute 30Lv.3-4GrassHeartGoldRate 50%MorningIlex ForestLv.5-6GrassHeartGoldRate 50%MorningNational ParkLv.10-12FloorHeartGoldRate 50%MorningViridian ForestLv.3GrassHeartGoldRate 40%Morning/dayRoute 30Lv.3-4GrassHeartGoldRate 35%DayRoute 31Lv.4-5GrassHeartGoldRate 35%Morning/dayRoute 2 - NorthLv.3-4GrassHeartGoldRate 31%Morning/dayRoute 2 - SouthLv.3-4GrassHeartGoldRate 31%Morning/dayIlex ForestLv.3-5Headbutting treesHeartGoldRate 30%National ParkLv.10FloorHeartGoldRate 30%DayNational Park - Bug Catching ContestLv.7-18FloorRate 20%Before post-gameNational Park - Bug Catching ContestLv.24-36FloorRate 20%Post-game (Tue)
- Step 2Metapod ✓Viridian ForestLv.3-5GrassHeartGoldRate 30%Morning/dayIlex ForestLv.5-6GrassHeartGoldRate 30%DayIlex ForestLv.6GrassHeartGoldRate 30%MorningNational ParkLv.10FloorHeartGoldRate 30%Morning/dayRoute 2 - NorthLv.5GrassHeartGoldRate 20%MorningRoute 2 - SouthLv.5GrassHeartGoldRate 20%Morning/dayRoute 30Lv.4GrassHeartGoldRate 15%DayRoute 31Lv.5GrassHeartGoldRate 15%Morning/dayIlex ForestLv.3-5Headbutting treesHeartGoldRate 10%Route 30Lv.4GrassHeartGoldRate 10%MorningNational Park - Bug Catching ContestLv.9-18FloorRate 10%Before post-gameRoute 47Lv.25-28Headbutting special treesHeartGoldRate 50%National Park - Bug Catching ContestLv.26-36FloorRate 10%Post-game (Tue)or evolve from Caterpie (Step 1)
- Step 3Catch or Evolve into ButterfreeIlex ForestLv.6-8Headbutting treesHeartGoldRate 10%Route 2 - NorthLv.7-8GrassHeartGoldRate 10%Morning/dayRoute 2 - SouthLv.7-8GrassHeartGoldRate 10%MorningViridian ForestLv.7GrassHeartGoldRate 10%Morningor evolve from Metapod (Step 2)
To plan your throws, open the HeartGold & SoulSilver catch rate calculator with Metapod preloaded.
How to Get Shiny Metapod in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Metapod hangs in Viridian Forest and Ilex Forest, though breeding it Masuda-style is the quicker route to a shiny. Compare Shiny Metapod odds across every game
HeartGold & SoulSilver Shiny Metapod 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 Metapod already selected.
Metapod Weakness
Metapod's Bug typing leaves it vulnerable to Fire, Flying, and Rock. Metapod's physical bulk (base 55 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Fire, Flying, Rock |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Grass, Fighting, Ground |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Metapod Weak Against
AvgBest Pokemon Against Metapod
 Ninetales Fire | C | |
 Arcanine Fire | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Metapod View Arcanine builds →Fire Blast 2x283-333%KO Aerial Ace 2x63-76% | ||
 Flareon Fire | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Goldenrod City Gift) | ||
 Magmar Fire | C | |
 Camerupt FireGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Metapod View Camerupt builds →Fire Blast 2x297-350%KO Rock Slide 2x73-87% | ||
 Golbat Poison | C | |
 Noctowl Normal | C | |
 Scyther Bug | C | |
 Dodrio Normal | C | |
 Farfetch'd Normal | C | |
 Quilava Fire | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Cyndaquil (New Bark Town Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Metapod View Quilava builds →Fire Blast 2x238-280%KO Aerial Ace 2x43-51% | ||
 Fearow Normal | C | |
 Ninjask Bug | C | |
 Gyarados Water | S | |
Obtain MethodLake Of Rage Good Rod | ||
Metapod Evolutions
Metapod sits between Caterpie and Butterfree in this three-stage line. Not the final form yet. For breeding, quick to hatch with a decent partner pool via one egg group. So far, Defense got the biggest boost (+20 from Caterpie). The final form adds another 190 stats on top. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Metapod to get Caterpie eggs easily using 48 partners from the Bug egg group.
HGSS Metapod Best Moveset
Status clears sometimes through AbilityShed Skin, but 20 Attack and 25 Sp. Atk mean the moveset deals no damage worth tracking. Harden builds Defense that 50 HP can't use. Evolve to Butterfree.
Best Build
Metapod best EVs are Sp. Atk and Sp. Def
Utility Moveset
- Bug Bite
- String Shot
- Harden
- Iron Defense
Moves List
A compact toolkit overall. The offense runs through Bug Bite for Metapod, with Normal coverage doing what it can. Don't expect versatility from this one.
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
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Reminder Moves
Base Stats
Inside the shell, it is soft and weak as it prepares to evolve. It stays motionless in the shell.
It prepares for evolution by hardening its shell as much as possible to protect its soft body.
Metapod HeartGold & SoulSilver Guide
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, for a casual playthrough, Metapod works as a placeholder. Bug coverage is useful early. The real payoff is Butterfree. That's where the stats start mattering.
Game Availability
Present since Red & Blue, Metapod appears in 19 games spanning 9 generations. Gen 1 originals like Metapod 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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