Is Vigoroth Good in HeartGold & SoulSilver Playthrough?
Slakoth evolves at level 18. Normal-type with AbilityVital Spirit preventing sleep. The only stage without Truant, making Vigoroth functional in every fight. Slaking at 36 is the real goal.
Vigoroth has the type edge here and should clean up Falkner's team.
Vigoroth resists most of Bugsy's coverage and hits back hard.
Vigoroth resists most of Whitney's coverage and hits back hard.
Vigoroth has the type edge here and should clean up Morty's team.
Vigoroth trades roughly evenly with Chuck's team.
Vigoroth trades roughly evenly with Jasmine's team.
Vigoroth has the type edge here and should clean up Pryce's team.
Vigoroth has the type edge here and should clean up Clair's team.
Vigoroth has the type edge here and should clean up Brock's team.
Vigoroth has the type edge here and should clean up Misty's team.
Vigoroth has the type edge here and should clean up Lt. Surge's team.
Vigoroth has the type edge here and should clean up Erika's team.
Vigoroth has the type edge here and should clean up Janine's team.
Vigoroth trades roughly evenly with Sabrina's team.
Vigoroth trades roughly evenly with Blaine's team.
Vigoroth has the type edge here and should clean up Blue's team.
Vigoroth has the type edge here and should clean up Will's team.
Vigoroth has the type edge here and should clean up Koga's team.
Vigoroth has the type edge here and should clean up Bruno's team.
Vigoroth has the type edge here and should clean up Karen's team.
Slaking has the type edge here and should clean up Lance's team.
Catchable
Catch Vigoroth in the Safari Zone (walking, Lv 47). Requires 56 Forest and 28 Plains objects placed in Peak.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 47)
- LV 47NormalSlashPower 105Accuracy 100%PP 20
- LV 47FightingFocus PunchPower 150Accuracy 100%PP 20
- After Bugsy
- TUTORNormalHeadbuttPower 105Accuracy 100%PP 15Ilex Forest
- TM38FireFire BlastPower 120Accuracy 85%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM22GrassSolar BeamPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod Department Store
- After Whitney
- HM04NormalStrengthPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15Gift from a Hiker on Route 42
- After Jasmine
- TM43NormalSecret PowerPower 105Accuracy 100%PP 20Lake of Rage
- After Clair
- TM26GroundEarthquakePower 100Accuracy 100%PP 10Victory Road
Evolve Vigoroth to Slaking
Vigoroth evolves into Slaking at Level 36. You get it at Level 47, past Level 36, so it evolves into Slaking the next time it levels up. A lower-level Vigoroth evolves when it reaches Level 36.
Recommended Moves
- After Bugsy
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 225Accuracy 90%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TUTORNormalHeadbuttPower 105Accuracy 100%PP 15Ilex Forest
- TM38FireFire BlastPower 120Accuracy 85%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM22GrassSolar BeamPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod Department Store
- After Whitney
- HM04NormalStrengthPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15Gift from a Hiker on Route 42
- After Chuck
- TM01FightingFocus PunchPower 150Accuracy 100%PP 20Prize for defeating Chuck
- After Jasmine
- TM43NormalSecret PowerPower 105Accuracy 100%PP 20Lake of Rage
- After Clair
- TM26GroundEarthquakePower 100Accuracy 100%PP 10Victory Road
How to Get Vigoroth in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Pull a Slakoth from its post-National-Dex Headbutt tree and level it to 18, and Vigoroth follows. That tree spawn is the lone entry into the middle of this line.
1 location to catch Vigoroth1 location to catch Slakoth
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Badge 8Catch Slakoth at any of the 1 location below, then level it up to 18 — it evolves into Vigoroth.
Badge 8Where To Catch Vigoroth in HGSS
To get Vigoroth, start by catching Slakoth through headbutt encounters at Lv. 10-18. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.
- Step 2Vigoroth ✓or evolve from Slakoth (Step 1)
- Step 3Evolve into Slaking
Bring the right balls: check Vigoroth catch odds in the HeartGold & SoulSilver Catch Rate Calculator before you throw.
How to Get Shiny Vigoroth in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Vigoroth evolves from Slakoth, so breed that base form Masuda-style and raise it once the shiny shows. Compare Shiny Vigoroth odds across every game
HeartGold & SoulSilver Shiny Vigoroth 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.
Planning a longer hunt? Set up Vigoroth in the HeartGold & SoulSilver Shiny Odds Calculator to compare every method side by side.
Vigoroth Weakness
Vigoroth is weak to Fighting. On the flip side, it's immune to Ghost-type moves entirely. Vigoroth's physical bulk (base 80 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Fighting |
| 0x (Immune) | Ghost |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Vigoroth Weak Against
GoodBest Pokemon Against Vigoroth
 Hariyama Fighting | B | |
 Hitmonchan Fighting | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Tyrogue (Mt Mortar Gift) | ||
 Primeape Fighting | C | |
 Machoke Fighting | C | |
 Medicham FightingPsychic | C | |
Vigoroth Evolutions
Vigoroth is the middle stage between Slakoth and Slaking. It's a three-stage line with one more evolution to go. For breeding, quick to hatch with a massive partner pool via one egg group. Speed has grown the most so far (+60), but there's still another 230 stats to gain in the final evolution. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Vigoroth to get Slakoth eggs easily using 131 partners from the Field egg group. Notable egg moves include Body Slam, Crush Claw, Curse and 6 more.
HGSS Vigoroth Best Moveset
AbilityVital Spirit replaces Truant, so every turn counts again. 80 Attack at 90 Speed fires physical Normal hits without skipping turns. The moveset is the only stage that functions normally. Evolving to Slaking brings Truant back.
Best Build
Vigoroth best EVs are Attack and Speed
Physical Setup Sweeper Moveset
- Return
- Earthquake
- Slack Off
- Bulk Up
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
The TM pool is where it gets interesting. Coverage across 12 types means almost nothing walls Vigoroth cleanly, with Uproar and Body Slam anchoring the STAB side. Matchup flexibility isn't a problem.
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 32 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Reminder Moves
Base Stats
Its stress level rises if it cannot keep moving constantly. Too much stress makes it feel sick.
Vigoroth HeartGold & SoulSilver Guide
- How do I catch Vigoroth in the HeartGold & SoulSilver Safari Zone?
See the Locations section above for where to find Vigoroth in HeartGold & SoulSilver.
Safari rules: You can only use Safari Balls. No battling. Two tactical items shift the catch/flee trade-off:
- Throw bait to keep Vigoroth from fleeing (flee rate cut to 1/4) but it becomes harder to catch (catch factor halved).
- Throw a rock to make Vigoroth easier to catch (catch factor doubled) but it flees twice as often.
- Each effect lasts 2-6 random turns; throwing one cancels the other.
Yes. Vigoroth is not available during the main story. It can only be obtained after entering the Hall of Fame. Vigoroth becomes available after the main story is complete in HeartGold & SoulSilver.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Vigoroth has 440 BST and evolves into Slaking. Compare the two forms before you give either one a team slot.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Vigoroth plays as a pivot. Speed is middling, so pick your spots carefully. Return is the primary attack.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Jolly is the go-to nature for Vigoroth. That's +Speed / -Sp. Atk. Pair it with 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe EVs. Fits the pivot role.
Game Availability
Vigoroth first appeared in Ruby & Sapphire and has been available in 14 games across 7 generations. Obtainable through catching or hatching as a base form 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 3RSDebut
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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