Is Voltorb Good in HeartGold & SoulSilver Playthrough?
Team Rocket Hideout in Mahogany Town and Route 10 in Kanto. Electric-type with AbilityStatic or AbilitySoundproof. Electrode at level 30 is one of the fastest things available. Handles any Water or Flying trainer from mid-game onward.
Voltorb trades roughly evenly with Falkner's team.
Voltorb has the type edge here and should clean up Bugsy's team.
Voltorb trades roughly evenly with Whitney's team.
Voltorb trades roughly evenly with Morty's team.
Voltorb trades roughly evenly with Chuck's team.
Jasmine's typing presses Electrode's defenses.
Electrode has the type edge here and should clean up Pryce's team.
Electrode trades roughly evenly with Clair's team.
Electrode trades roughly evenly with Brock's team.
Electrode has the type edge here and should clean up Misty's team.
Lt. Surge's typing presses Electrode's defenses.
Electrode trades roughly evenly with Erika's team.
Electrode has the type edge here and should clean up Janine's team.
Electrode has the type edge here and should clean up Sabrina's team.
Electrode trades roughly evenly with Blaine's team.
Electrode trades roughly evenly with Blue's team.
Electrode has the type edge here and should clean up Will's team.
Electrode has the type edge here and should clean up Koga's team.
Electrode trades roughly evenly with Bruno's team.
Electrode has the type edge here and should clean up Karen's team.
Electrode has the type edge here and should clean up Lance's team.
In-Game Trade
Voltorb can be received through an in-game trade in Olivine City. Trade Krabby. Trade a Krabby to a trainer in Olivine City.
Recommended Moves
- LV 12ElectricSparkPower 98Accuracy 100%PP 20
- After Bugsy
- TM25ElectricThunderPower 180Accuracy 70%PP 10Goldenrod Department Store
- TM24ElectricThunderboltPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15Goldenrod Game Corner
- TUTORNormalHeadbuttPower 70Accuracy 100%PP 15Ilex Forest
- LV 26ElectricCharge BeamPower 75Accuracy 90%PP 10
- LV 29NormalSelf-DestructPower 200Accuracy 100%PP 5
- After Jasmine
- TM43NormalSecret PowerPower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Lake of Rage
- LV 43NormalExplosionPower 250Accuracy 100%PP 5
Catch Voltorb
Catch Voltorb on Team Rocket HQ (interact, Lv 23, limited). Encounter during the Team Rocket takeover of the Goldenrod Radio Tower.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 23)
- LV 23ElectricSparkPower 98Accuracy 100%PP 20
- After Bugsy
- TM25ElectricThunderPower 180Accuracy 70%PP 10Goldenrod Department Store
- TM24ElectricThunderboltPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15Goldenrod Game Corner
- TUTORNormalHeadbuttPower 70Accuracy 100%PP 15Ilex Forest
- LV 26ElectricCharge BeamPower 75Accuracy 90%PP 10
- LV 29NormalSelf-DestructPower 200Accuracy 100%PP 5
- After Jasmine
- TM43NormalSecret PowerPower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Lake of Rage
- LV 43NormalExplosionPower 250Accuracy 100%PP 5
Evolve Voltorb to Electrode
Voltorb evolves into Electrode at Level 30. Your Voltorb should hit Level 30 before you reach Jasmine, at typical leveling pace.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 30)
- LV 30ElectricSparkPower 98Accuracy 100%PP 20
- LV 30NormalSelf-DestructPower 200Accuracy 100%PP 5
- After Bugsy
- TM25ElectricThunderPower 180Accuracy 70%PP 10Goldenrod Department Store
- TM24ElectricThunderboltPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15Goldenrod Game Corner
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TUTORNormalHeadbuttPower 70Accuracy 100%PP 15Ilex Forest
- After Jasmine
- TM43NormalSecret PowerPower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Lake of Rage
- LV 51NormalExplosionPower 250Accuracy 100%PP 5
How to Get Voltorb in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Voltorb rolls across a few routes wild, common in the low 20s, with a disguised one planted in the Rocket Hideout that battles you when you check the wrong ball. A Power Plant trade rounds out the ways to grab one.
3 locations to catch Voltorb
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Badge 4
Badge 5
Badge 6
Badge 7
Badge 8Where To Catch Voltorb in HGSS
The line opens with Voltorb at Lv. 17-23 via trade and walking encounters. 2 catchable stages total, with locations listed for each one below.
- Step 2Catch or Evolve into ElectrodeTeam Rocket HQ - B2FLv.23Interact with PokemonLimitedCerulean Cave - 1FLv.40CaveRate 5%Cerulean Cave - 2FLv.41CaveRate 5%Cerulean Cave - B1FLv.46CaveRate 5%or evolve from Voltorb (Step 1)
To plan your throws, open the HeartGold & SoulSilver catch rate calculator with Voltorb preloaded.
How to Get Shiny Voltorb in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Voltorb rolls around Route 10 and the Team Rocket Hideout, but a shiny comes faster from Masuda breeding. Compare Shiny Voltorb odds across every game
HeartGold & SoulSilver Shiny Voltorb Calculator
3 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.
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 | 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 Voltorb already selected.
Voltorb Weakness
Voltorb is weak to Ground. Few weaknesses and 3 resistances make the typing clean. At base 100 Speed, Voltorb outspeeds most threats and doesn't need to tank what it can outrun.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Ground |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Electric, Flying, Steel |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Voltorb Weak Against
Good
Voltorb Evolutions
One evolution ahead. Voltorb grows into Electrode through a straightforward two-stage chain. No compatible partners for breeding via one egg group. Eggs take an average time to hatch. Evolving adds up to 160 stat points total. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Voltorb is genderless and can only breed with Ditto. Part of the Mineral egg group.
Ditto onlyHGSS Voltorb Best Moveset
Fast at 100 Speed with 55 Sp. Atk for basic special Electric damage. AbilitySoundproof blocks sound-based moves, a narrow niche. The moveset outruns most targets but can't deliver enough damage to matter. MoveExplosion is the exit strategy.
Best Build
Voltorb best EVs are Sp. Atk and Speed
Special Stallbreaker Moveset
- Explosion
- Thunder
- Rain Dance
- Taunt
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Leveling does the heavy lifting. Voltorb picks up Self-Destruct and Explosion along the way, building toward a complete offensive set. TMs add Normal and Rock coverage and more, but the foundation's already strong by then.
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 18 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
It rolls to move. If the ground is uneven, a sudden jolt from hitting a bump can cause it to explode.
It was discovered when Poké Balls were introduced. It is said that there is some connection.
Voltorb HeartGold & SoulSilver Guide
Trade a Krabby to a trainer in Olivine City. This is an NPC trade, so the Voltorb you receive is yours immediately, no transfer cable needed.
Voltorb is a static encounter at Johto Team Rocket Hq in HeartGold & SoulSilver. Voltorb appears at level 23. Save before the encounter. These one-shot Pokemon don't respawn if you knock them out or run out of Poke Balls.
For HeartGold & SoulSilver, you can run Voltorb through the first few routes without issues. 330 BST won't carry you far though. Get it to Electrode as fast as you can.
Yes. Hisuian Voltorb is a regional variant with different typing and a reworked stat spread. Introduced in Gen 8. Plays completely differently from the original.
Game Availability
Since debuting in Red & Blue, Voltorb has appeared in 20 titles over 9 generations. Along the way, it received a Hisuian form in Generation 8, keeping it relevant across different competitive metas.
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 8PLAHisuian
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves
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