MothimLevel 20 ♂WormadamLevel 20 ♀Wormadam (Sandy Cloak)Level 20 ♀Wormadam (Trash Cloak)Level 20 ♀
Is Mothim Good in HeartGold & SoulSilver Playthrough?
Male Burmy evolves at level 20. Bug/Flying with AbilitySwarm. Decent special Attack but frail. Outclassed by Butterfree and Beautifly at the same role.
Falkner's team hits Burmy's weaknesses hard.
Bugsy's typing presses Burmy's defenses.
Burmy trades roughly evenly with Whitney's team.
Wormadam trades roughly evenly with Morty's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Morty:
Wormadam trades roughly evenly with Chuck's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Chuck:
Wormadam trades roughly evenly with Jasmine's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Jasmine:
Wormadam has the type edge here and should clean up Pryce's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Pryce:
Clair's team hits Wormadam's weaknesses hard.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Clair:
Wormadam resists most of Brock's coverage and hits back hard.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Brock:
Wormadam has the type edge here and should clean up Misty's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Misty:
Wormadam has the type edge here and should clean up Lt. Surge's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Lt. Surge:
Wormadam trades roughly evenly with Erika's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Erika:
Wormadam trades roughly evenly with Janine's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Janine:
Wormadam has the type edge here and should clean up Sabrina's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Sabrina:
Blaine's team hits Wormadam's weaknesses hard.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Blaine:
Wormadam trades roughly evenly with Blue's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Blue:
Wormadam has the type edge here and should clean up Will's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Will:
Koga's team hits Wormadam's weaknesses hard.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Koga:
Wormadam trades roughly evenly with Bruno's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Bruno:
Wormadam trades roughly evenly with Karen's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Karen:
Lance's team hits Wormadam's weaknesses hard.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Lance:
Catch Burmy
Catch Burmy on Route 38 (Headbutt (rare), Lv 18-25, limited). Post-National Dex.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 18)
- LV 18BugBug BitePower 90Accuracy 100%PP 20
- LV 18NormalTacklePower 35Accuracy 95%PP 35
- LV 20NormalHidden PowerPower 60Accuracy 100%PP 15
Evolve Burmy to Mothim
Burmy evolves into Mothim at Level 20. Your Burmy should hit Level 20 before you reach Morty, at typical leveling pace.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 20)
- LV 20BugBug BitePower 90Accuracy 100%PP 20
- After Bugsy
- TM89BugU-turnPower 105Accuracy 100%PP 20Prize for defeating Bugsy
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM22GrassSolar BeamPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod Department Store
- LV 41FlyingAir SlashPower 113Accuracy 95%PP 20
- After Clair
- TM40FlyingAerial AcePower 90Accuracy 100%PP 20Mt. Mortar
- LV 44PsychicPsychicPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 10
- LV 47BugBug BuzzPower 135Accuracy 100%PP 10
Evolve Burmy to Wormadam
Usually ready to evolve before you reach Morty, at typical party pace.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 19)
- LV 19BugBug BitePower 90Accuracy 100%PP 20
- After Bugsy
- TM22GrassSolar BeamPower 180Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod Department Store
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM28GroundDigPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 10National Park
- After Clair
- TM26GroundEarthquakePower 100Accuracy 100%PP 10Victory Road
- LV 44PsychicPsychicPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 10
- LV 47GrassLeaf StormPower 210Accuracy 90%PP 5
- LV 47SteelIron HeadPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15
How to Get Mothim in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Mothim doesn't appear wild. Catch Burmy instead, it shows up at solid rates. Evolve it at level 20 to get Mothim. The 2-stage line is mapped in the step cards below.
Wild Mothim may be holding when caught:
Silver Powder (5% chance) An item to be held by a Pokemon. It is a shiny, silver powder that ups the power of Bug-type moves.Catch Burmy at any of these 1 spot to eventually evolve into Mothim.
- 1Catch Burmy
- 2Evolve Mothimat Lv.20
Badge 4How to Obtain Mothim in HGSS
- Step 2Mothim ✓
How to Get Shiny Mothim in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Mothim comes from a male Burmy, so breed that base form Masuda-style and raise it once the shiny shows. Compare Shiny Mothim odds across every game
HeartGold & SoulSilver Shiny Mothim 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.
Curious how fast a hunt could go? Work out your HeartGold & SoulSilver shiny odds for Mothim.
Mothim Weakness
Type-wise, Mothim takes extra damage from Rock, Fire, Electric, Ice, and Flying. Watch out for Rock attacks, those deal 4x damage. Ground moves do nothing thanks to a full immunity.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 4x (Critical) | Rock |
| 2x (Weak) | Fire, Electric, Ice, Flying |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Bug |
| 0.25x (Resist) | Grass, Fighting |
| 0x (Immune) | Ground |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Mothim Weak Against
VulnerableBest Pokemon Against Mothim
 Rampardos Rock | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Cranidos (Pewter City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Mothim View Rampardos builds →Head Smash 4x620-730%KO Avalanche 2x83-98% Fire Blast 2x76-89% Thunderbolt 2x60-71% | ||
 Aggron SteelRock | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Mothim View Aggron builds →Stone Edge 4x292-344%KO Avalanche 2x59-69% Aerial Ace 2x59-69% Fire Blast 2x71-84% | ||
 Rhydon GroundRock | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Mothim View Rhydon builds →Stone Edge 4x338-398%KO Avalanche 2x68-80% Fire Blast 2x58-68% Thunderbolt 2x46-54% | ||
 Rayquaza Dragon | S | |
Obtain MethodEmbedded Tower Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Mothim View Rayquaza builds →Stone Edge 4x254-299%KO Fly 2x171-202%KO Overheat 2x177-209%KO Ice Beam 2x121-143%KO | ||
 Armaldo RockBug | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Anorith (Pewter City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Mothim View Armaldo builds →Stone Edge 4x325-383%KO Aerial Ace 2x65-77% | ||
 Ho-Oh Fire | S | |
Obtain MethodBell Tower Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Mothim View Ho-Oh builds →Brave Bird 2x202-238%KO Overheat 2x204-240%KO Ancient Power 4x118-139%KO Thunderbolt 2x92-109%KO | ||
 Kabutops RockWater | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Kabuto (Pewter City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Mothim View Kabutops builds →Stone Edge 4x302-356%KO Aerial Ace 2x61-72% Ice Beam 2x60-71% | ||
 Aerodactyl Rock | B | |
Obtain MethodPewter City Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Mothim View Aerodactyl builds →Stone Edge 4x282-332%KO Fly 2x127-149%KO Thunder Fang 2x61-72% Ice Fang 2x61-72% | ||
 Zapdos Electric | A | |
Obtain MethodRoute 10 Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Mothim View Zapdos builds →Thunderbolt 2x155-182%KO Ancient Power 4x131-155%KO Fly 2x111-131%KO | ||
 Dragonite Dragon | A | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Dragonair (Dragons Den Super Rod) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Mothim View Dragonite builds →Stone Edge 4x231-271%KO Fly 2x156-184%KO Fire Blast 2x108-127%KO Thunder Punch 2x87-103%KO | ||
 Skarmory Steel | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Mothim View Skarmory builds →Rock Slide 4x113-133%KO Fly 2x101-119%KO | ||
 Entei Fire | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Mothim View Entei builds →Stone Edge 4x202-237%KO Overheat 2x173-204%KO | ||
 Lugia Psychic | S | |
Obtain MethodWhirl Islands Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Mothim View Lugia builds →Aeroblast 2x124-146%KO Ancient Power 4x101-119%KO Ice Beam 2x78-92% Thunderbolt 2x78-92% | ||
 Magnezone ElectricSteel | A | |
Mothim Evolutions
Mothim is one of 2 ways Burmy's chain can end. This one takes the level-up path, while the siblings go different directions. Breed through Burmy to get eggs. Evolving from Burmy gave Mothim the biggest boost in Attack (+65), bringing the total to 424 stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Mothim to get Burmy eggs using 48 partners from the Bug egg group.
HGSS Mothim Best Moveset
Bug/Flying at 94 in both Attack and Sp. Atk firing from either side. 66 Speed is average and 50 in both defenses fold fast. 25% HP from MoveStealth Rock per switch compounds the fragility. Mixed power without the bulk to use it.
Best Build
Mothim best EVs are Sp. Atk and Speed
Special Sweeper Moveset
- Hidden Power Water
- Psychic
- Bug Buzz
- Air Slash
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Mothim develops a solid moveset just through leveling. Psychic and Bug Buzz show up naturally, and the progression handles both STAB and utility without leaning on TMs for the core attacks.
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 21 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
It flutters around at night and steals honey from the COMBEE hive.
Mothim HeartGold & SoulSilver Guide
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Mothim can work for a story run. It rates C-Tier, a middle-of-the-pack pick, so the Bug/Flying typing decides whether it earns a team slot.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Mothim plays as a balanced. Not the fastest, so pick your spots carefully.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Timid is the go-to nature for Mothim. That's +Speed / -Attack. Pair it with 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe EVs. Fits the balanced role.
Game Availability
Mothim first appeared in Diamond & Pearl and has been available in 11 games across 6 generations. Obtainable through wild encounters in most titles where it appears.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DPDebut
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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