Is Tentacruel Good in HeartGold & SoulSilver Playthrough?
Tentacool evolves at level 30. Water/Poison with excellent special bulk. Handles Jasmine through Water and contributes against Pryce. The constant surfing encounters make Tentacruel easy to raise without grinding. Competes with Quagsire for the Water slot.
Tentacool trades roughly evenly with Falkner's team.
Tentacool trades roughly evenly with Bugsy's team.
Tentacool trades roughly evenly with Whitney's team.
Tentacruel has the type edge here and should clean up Morty's team.
Tentacruel trades roughly evenly with Chuck's team.
Tentacruel has the type edge here and should clean up Jasmine's team.
Tentacruel has the type edge here and should clean up Pryce's team.
Tentacruel trades roughly evenly with Clair's team.
Tentacruel has the type edge here and should clean up Brock's team.
Tentacruel trades roughly evenly with Misty's team.
Tentacruel trades roughly evenly with Lt. Surge's team.
Tentacruel has the type edge here and should clean up Erika's team.
Tentacruel trades roughly evenly with Janine's team.
Tentacruel has the type edge here and should clean up Sabrina's team.
Tentacruel has the type edge here and should clean up Blaine's team.
Tentacruel has the type edge here and should clean up Blue's team.
Tentacruel has the type edge here and should clean up Will's team.
Tentacruel trades roughly evenly with Koga's team.
Tentacruel has the type edge here and should clean up Bruno's team.
Tentacruel has the type edge here and should clean up Karen's team.
Tentacruel has the type edge here and should clean up Lance's team.
Catch Tentacool
Catch Tentacool in New Bark Town (Surf, Lv 10-25, common).
Recommended Moves
- After Bugsy
- TM13IceIce BeamPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod Game Corner
- LV 19WaterBubble BeamPower 98Accuracy 100%PP 20
- After Whitney
- HM03WaterSurfPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15Gift from a Kimono Girl in the Ecruteak Dance Theater
- LV 29WaterWater PulsePower 90Accuracy 100%PP 20
- LV 33PoisonPoison JabPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 20
- After Pryce
- HM07WaterWaterfallPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15Item ball on Ice Path 1F
- After Jasmine
- TM36PoisonSludge BombPower 135Accuracy 100%PP 10Route 43
- LV 40WaterHydro PumpPower 180Accuracy 80%PP 5
Evolve Tentacool to Tentacruel
Tentacool evolves into Tentacruel at Level 30. Your Tentacool should hit Level 30 before you reach Morty, at typical leveling pace.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 30)
- LV 30WaterBubble BeamPower 98Accuracy 100%PP 20
- After Bugsy
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM13IceIce BeamPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod Game Corner
- After Whitney
- HM03WaterSurfPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15Gift from a Kimono Girl in the Ecruteak Dance Theater
- After Pryce
- HM07WaterWaterfallPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15Item ball on Ice Path 1F
- After Jasmine
- TM36PoisonSludge BombPower 135Accuracy 100%PP 10Route 43
- LV 36PoisonPoison JabPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 20
- LV 49WaterHydro PumpPower 180Accuracy 80%PP 5
How to Get Tentacruel in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Tentacruel surfs and rods up across twenty-one ocean spots, common to rare and sitting in the 15 to 40 range. You can land the evolved jelly straight from the waves or raise a Tentacool to level 30 along the way.
Wild Tentacruel may be holding when caught:
Poison Barb (5% chance) An item to be held by a Pokemon. It is a small, poisonous barb that ups the power of Poison-type moves.21 locations to catch Tentacruel21 locations to catch Tentacool
Encountered via fishing with a Rod, Surfing
Encountered via fishing with a Rod, Surfing
Badge 1
Badge 2
Badge 3
Badge 4
Badge 5
Badge 6
Badge 7
Badge 8Catch Tentacool at any of the 21 locations below, then level it up to 30 — it evolves into Tentacruel.
Badge 1 Badge 2 Badge 3 Badge 4 Badge 5 Badge 6 Badge 7 Badge 8Where To Catch Tentacruel in HGSS
Tentacool gets you Tentacruel sooner: catch it (before Badge 2) and evolve it at Lv 30. Wild Tentacruel needs Surf (after Badge 3).
- Step 1Catch TentacoolCherrygrove CityLv.10-25Surfing on waterRate 90%Cianwood CityLv.10-25Surfing on waterRate 90%New Bark TownLv.10-25Surfing on waterRate 90%Olivine CityLv.10-25Surfing on waterRate 90%Route 34Lv.10-25Surfing on waterRate 90%Route 40Lv.10-25Surfing on waterRate 90%Route 41Lv.10-25Surfing on waterSoulSilverRate 90%Route 27Lv.15-20Surfing on waterRate 90%Route 32Lv.10-20Surfing on waterRate 60%Union Cave - B2FLv.10-20Surfing on waterRate 60%Route 41Lv.15-25Surfing on waterHeartGoldRate 60%Route 47Lv.15-25Surfing on waterRate 60%Whirl Islands - 1FLv.15-25Surfing on waterRate 60%New Bark TownLv.10Old RodRate 15%Route 32Lv.10Old RodRate 15%Route 41Lv.10Old RodRate 15%Route 47Lv.10Old RodRate 15%Cinnabar IslandLv.10Old RodRate 15%Pallet TownLv.10Old RodRate 15%Route 12Lv.10Old RodRate 15%Route 13Lv.10Old RodRate 15%Route 20Lv.10Old RodRate 15%Route 21Lv.10Old RodRate 15%Route 26Lv.10Old RodRate 15%Route 27Lv.10Old RodRate 15%Vermilion City - CityLv.10Old RodRate 15%Cianwood CityLv.15Gift from NPCLimitedRequires exactly one Pokémon in the party and all 540 PC storage slots empty before receiving TentacoolRoute 26Lv.25-30Surfing on waterRate 90%Cinnabar IslandLv.30-35Surfing on waterRate 90%Pallet TownLv.30-35Surfing on waterRate 90%Route 19Lv.30-35Surfing on waterRate 90%Route 20Lv.30-35Surfing on waterRate 90%Route 21Lv.30-35Surfing on waterRate 90%Vermilion City - CityLv.30-35Surfing on waterRate 90%Route 12Lv.20Good RodRate 60%Route 13Lv.20Good RodRate 60%Route 12Lv.25Surfing on waterRate 60%Route 13Lv.25Surfing on waterRate 60%Route 32Lv.20Good RodRate 55%New Bark TownLv.20Good RodRate 30%Route 41Lv.20Good RodRate 30%Route 47Lv.20Good RodRate 30%Cinnabar IslandLv.20Good RodRate 30%Pallet TownLv.20Good RodRate 30%Route 20Lv.20Good RodRate 30%Route 21Lv.20Good RodRate 30%Route 26Lv.20Good RodRate 30%Route 27Lv.20Good RodRate 30%Vermilion City - CityLv.20Good RodRate 30%Route 32Lv.40Super RodRate 70%Route 12Lv.40Super RodRate 70%Route 13Lv.40Super RodRate 70%
- Step 2Tentacruel ✓Route 41Lv.15-25Surfing on waterHeartGoldRate 30%Whirl Islands - B2FLv.15-25Surfing on waterRate 30%Cherrygrove CityLv.15-25Surfing on waterRate 10%Cianwood CityLv.15-25Surfing on waterRate 10%New Bark TownLv.15-25Surfing on waterRate 10%Olivine CityLv.15-25Surfing on waterRate 10%Route 32Lv.15-36Surfing on waterRate 10%Route 34Lv.15-29Surfing on waterRate 10%Route 40Lv.15-25Surfing on waterRate 10%Route 41Lv.15-25Surfing on waterSoulSilverRate 10%Union Cave - B2FLv.15-25Surfing on waterRate 10%Whirl Islands - 1FLv.15-25Surfing on waterRate 10%Route 27Lv.20Surfing on waterRate 10%Route 12Lv.25Surfing on waterRate 10%Route 13Lv.25Surfing on waterRate 10%Route 26Lv.30Surfing on waterRate 10%New Bark TownLv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 41Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 47Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Cinnabar IslandLv.40Super RodRate 20%Pallet TownLv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 20Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 21Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 26Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 27Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Vermilion City - CityLv.40Super RodRate 20%Cinnabar IslandLv.35Surfing on waterRate 10%Pallet TownLv.35Surfing on waterRate 10%Route 19Lv.35Surfing on waterRate 10%Route 20Lv.35Surfing on waterRate 10%Route 21Lv.35Surfing on waterRate 10%Vermilion City - CityLv.35Surfing on waterRate 10%or evolve from Tentacool (Step 1)
Not landing the catch? Calculate Tentacruel catch rates for HeartGold & SoulSilver by ball, status, and HP.
How to Get Shiny Tentacruel in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Tentacruel patrols the seas off Cinnabar Island, so breed it Masuda-style with a foreign-language parent at 1 in 1,638. Compare Shiny Tentacruel odds across every game
HeartGold & SoulSilver Shiny Tentacruel 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.
Want exact numbers for your session? Calculate your shiny odds in HeartGold & SoulSilver with Tentacruel preloaded.
Tentacruel Weakness
Electric, Ground, and Psychic moves hit Tentacruel for super-effective damage. With 7 resistances, the defensive profile is strong. Tentacruel's special bulk (base 120 Sp.Def) helps absorb special-type weaknesses, though physical moves exploit the lower Defense.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Electric, Ground, Psychic |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Fire, Water, Ice, Fighting, Poison, Bug, Steel |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Tentacruel Weak Against
GoodBest Pokemon Against Tentacruel
 Gardevoir Psychic | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Tentacruel View Gardevoir builds →Psychic 2x71-84% Thunderbolt 2x50-59% | ||
 Marowak Ground | C | |
 Magnezone ElectricSteel | A | |
 Ampharos Electric | C | |
 Quagsire WaterGround | C | |
Obtain MethodCliff Edge Gate Surfing | ||
 Jolteon Electric | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Goldenrod City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Tentacruel View Jolteon builds →Thunderbolt 2x68-81% Dig 2x41-49% | ||
 Luxray Electric | C | |
 Plusle Electric | B | |
 Hypno Psychic | C | |
 Sandslash Ground | B | |
 Minun Electric | C | |
 Electrode Electric | B | |
Obtain MethodTeam Rocket Hq Interact Encounter | ||
 Bronzong SteelPsychic | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Tentacruel View Bronzong builds →Extrasensory 2x46-54% Charge Beam 2x20-23% | ||
 Grumpig Psychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Tentacruel View Grumpig builds →Psybeam 2x41-49% Charge Beam 2x21-25% | ||
Tentacruel Evolutions
Evolved from Tentacool. Tentacruel is the final form in this two-stage line. A decent partner pool for breeding via one egg group. Eggs take an average time to hatch. HP grew the most through evolution (+40 over Tentacool), and Tentacruel peaks at 515 total stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Tentacruel to get Tentacool eggs easily using 21 partners from the Water 3 egg group. Notable egg moves include Acupressure, Aurora Beam, Confuse Ray and 6 more.
HGSS Tentacruel Best Moveset
Special tank that moves fast: 120 Sp. Def at 100 Speed clears TermEntry Hazards through MoveRapid Spin before opponents can set up again. The moveset absorbs special attacks, removes hazards, and fires back with 80 Sp. Atk Water and Poison hits.
Best Build
Tentacruel best EVs are HP and Sp. Def
Hazard Setter Moveset
- Rapid Spin
- Surf
- Toxic Spikes
- Sludge Bomb
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Don't skip the egg moves. Tentacruel picks up Acupressure and Aurora Beam only through breeding, and both fill gaps the natural movepool can't. STAB runs through Hydro Pump and Sludge Bomb while Normal and Ice coverage and more adds range.
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 24 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
Its 80 tentacles absorb water and stretch almost endlessly to constrict its prey and enemies.
In battle, it extends all 80 of its tentacles to entrap its opponent inside a poisonous net.
Tentacruel HeartGold & SoulSilver Guide
Yes. Wild Tentacruel in HeartGold & SoulSilver can hold Poison Barb (5%). Use Thief (TM46) or Covet to swipe the held item without affecting your catch chance. Quickest way to farm rare items like Poison Barb.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, use Tentacruel as a pivot. Splits damage between physical and special. It outspeeds most threats, Surf is the primary attack.
For HeartGold & SoulSilver, run Calm on Tentacruel. +Sp. Def is what matters, and the -Attack cut doesn't hurt this set. Fits the pivot role.
Game Availability
One of the original 151, Tentacruel has appeared in 21 games: nearly every mainline game. From Red & Blue through the latest titles, it's rarely been left out of a regional Pokedex.
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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