
Is Moltres Good in HeartGold & SoulSilver Playthrough?
Mt. Silver entrance static encounter at level 50. Fire/Flying with AbilityPressure. The strongest Fire-type you can catch. By Mt. Silver, all 16 gyms are done. Moltres is a Battle Frontier and Red rematch powerhouse, not a story contributor.
Moltres resists most of Falkner's coverage and hits back hard.
Moltres resists most of Bugsy's coverage and hits back hard.
Moltres has the type edge here and should clean up Whitney's team.
Moltres has the type edge here and should clean up Morty's team.
Moltres has the type edge here and should clean up Chuck's team.
Moltres has the type edge here and should clean up Jasmine's team.
Moltres resists most of Pryce's coverage and hits back hard.
Moltres has the type edge here and should clean up Clair's team.
Moltres has the type edge here and should clean up Brock's team.
Moltres has the type edge here and should clean up Misty's team.
Moltres trades roughly evenly with Lt. Surge's team.
Moltres resists most of Erika's coverage and hits back hard.
Moltres resists most of Janine's coverage and hits back hard.
Moltres has the type edge here and should clean up Sabrina's team.
Moltres trades roughly evenly with Blaine's team.
Moltres has the type edge here and should clean up Blue's team.
Moltres has the type edge here and should clean up Will's team.
Moltres resists most of Koga's coverage and hits back hard.
Moltres resists most of Bruno's coverage and hits back hard.
Moltres has the type edge here and should clean up Karen's team.
Moltres trades roughly evenly with Lance's team.
Catchable
Catch Moltres in Mt. Silver (interact, Lv 50, limited). Encounter at Mt. Silver after obtaining the National Pokedex.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 50)
- LV 50FireFlamethrowerPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15
- LV 50FlyingAir SlashPower 113Accuracy 95%PP 20
- After Bugsy
- TM38FireFire BlastPower 180Accuracy 85%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- After Chuck
- HM02FlyingFlyPower 135Accuracy 95%PP 15From Chuck's wife outside Cianwood Gym
- LV 64FireHeat WavePower 150Accuracy 90%PP 10
- LV 71GrassSolar BeamPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10
- LV 78FlyingSky AttackPower 210Accuracy 90%PP 5
How to Get Moltres in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Moltres guards the slopes of Mt. Silver at level 50, the toughest place to reach of the three birds. Catch rate of 3 and no second chance, so come loaded for a long battle.
1 location to catch Moltres
How to Get Moltres in HeartGold & SoulSilver
How to Get Shiny Moltres in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Moltres perches deep inside Mt. Silver, so save in front of it and soft-reset the battle until it turns shiny. Compare Shiny Moltres odds across every game
Shiny Moltres Evolution
Does Not EvolveHeartGold & SoulSilver Shiny Moltres 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.
Want exact numbers for your session? Calculate your shiny odds in HeartGold & SoulSilver with Moltres preloaded.
Moltres Weakness
Type-wise, Moltres takes extra damage from Rock, Water, and Electric. Watch out for Rock attacks, those deal 4x damage. Ground moves do nothing thanks to a full immunity. The Fire/Flying typing picks up 5 resistances to work with. With 90 HP and balanced defenses, Moltres can afford to eat a neutral hit or two.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 4x (Critical) | Rock |
| 2x (Weak) | Water, Electric |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Fire, Fighting, Steel |
| 0.25x (Resist) | Grass, Bug |
| 0x (Immune) | Ground |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Moltres Weak Against
GoodBest Pokemon Against Moltres
Rampardos Rock | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Cranidos (Pewter City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Moltres View Rampardos builds →Head Smash 4x346-407%KO Thunderbolt 2x35-41% Surf 2x35-41% | ||
Tyranitar RockDark | S | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Moltres View Tyranitar builds →Stone Edge 4x193-227%KO Thunderbolt 2x48-56% Surf 2x48-56% | ||
Rhydon GroundRock | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Moltres View Rhydon builds →Stone Edge 4x189-222%KO Thunderbolt 2x27-32% Surf 2x27-32% | ||
Kabutops RockWater | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Kabuto (Pewter City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Moltres View Kabutops builds →Stone Edge 4x168-198%KO Waterfall 2x68-81% | ||
Aerodactyl Rock | B | |
Obtain MethodPewter City Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Moltres View Aerodactyl builds →Stone Edge 4x157-185%KO Thunder Fang 2x34-41% | ||
Armaldo RockBug | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Anorith (Pewter City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Moltres View Armaldo builds →Stone Edge 4x182-214%KO Water Pulse 2x24-28% | ||
Solrock RockPsychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Moltres View Solrock builds →Stone Edge 4x144-169%KO Charge Beam 2x17-20% | ||
Sudowoodo Rock | C | |
Obtain MethodRoute 36 Interact Encounter | ||
Gyarados Water | S | |
Obtain MethodLake Of Rage Good Rod Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Moltres View Gyarados builds →Stone Edge 4x121-143%KO Aqua Tail 2x82-96% Thunderbolt 2x33-40% | ||
Raikou Electric | B | |
Cradily RockGrass | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Lileep (Pewter City Gift) | ||
Lunatone RockPsychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Moltres View Lunatone builds →Stone Edge 4x94-111%KO Charge Beam 2x25-30% | ||
Suicune Water | A | |
Obtain MethodBurned Tower Interact Encounter | ||
Vaporeon Water | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Goldenrod City Gift) | ||
Moltres Evolutions
No breeding, no evolution. Moltres is a Fire/Flying legendary with 580 base stat total that you obtain once and build around. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
HGSS Moltres Best Moveset
Special Fire/Flying at 125 Sp. Atk and 90 Speed delivers massive Fire damage from the special side. 90 HP and 90 Defense provide decent bulk. AbilityPressure doubles PP consumption. 25% HP from MoveStealth Rock every switch is the defining limitation.
Best Build
Moltres best EVs are HP and Defense
Wall Moveset
- Flamethrower
- Roost
- Toxic
- Substitute
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
The level-up pool tells the story here. Moltres learns Flamethrower and Heat Wave naturally, plus enough variety that TMs feel like bonuses. Coverage across 9 types extends the reach beyond that.
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
24 of 25 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
This legendary Pokémon scatters embers with every flap of its wings. It is a thrilling sight to behold.
This legendary bird Pokémon is said to bring early spring to the wintry lands it visits.
Moltres HeartGold & SoulSilver Guide
Moltres is a static encounter at Johto Mt Silver in HeartGold & SoulSilver. Moltres appears at level 50. Save before the encounter. These one-shot Pokemon don't respawn if you knock them out or run out of Poke Balls.
Yes. Moltres is not available during the main story. It can only be obtained after entering the Hall of Fame. Moltres becomes available after the main story is complete in HeartGold & SoulSilver.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Moltres plays as a support. Speed is middling, so pick your spots carefully. Flamethrower is the primary attack.
Yes. Galarian Moltres is a regional variant with different typing and a reworked stat spread. Introduced in Gen 8. Plays completely differently from the original.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Moltres pairs best with Starmie. Starmie has Decent synergy and covers what Moltres can't handle on its own.
Game Availability
Since Red & Blue, Moltres has appeared in 20 games. Legendary Pokemon like Moltres are usually found through story events or special post-game areas rather than random encounters.
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 8SwShGalarian

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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