Is Vulpix Good in HeartGold & SoulSilver Playthrough?
SoulSilver encounter on Routes 36 and 37. Fire-type with AbilityFlash Fire granting Fire immunity. Ninetales at Fire Stone is one of the few Fire options in HGSS. HeartGold players need to breed or trade for it.
Vulpix has the type edge here and should clean up Falkner's team.
Vulpix resists most of Bugsy's coverage and hits back hard.
Vulpix trades roughly evenly with Whitney's team.
Ninetales has the type edge here and should clean up Morty's team.
Ninetales trades roughly evenly with Chuck's team.
Ninetales resists most of Jasmine's coverage and hits back hard.
Ninetales has the type edge here and should clean up Pryce's team.
Clair's team hits Ninetales's weaknesses hard.
Ninetales has the type edge here and should clean up Brock's team.
Ninetales has the type edge here and should clean up Misty's team.
Ninetales has the type edge here and should clean up Lt. Surge's team.
Ninetales resists most of Erika's coverage and hits back hard.
Ninetales has the type edge here and should clean up Janine's team.
Ninetales has the type edge here and should clean up Sabrina's team.
Ninetales trades roughly evenly with Blaine's team.
Ninetales trades roughly evenly with Blue's team.
Ninetales has the type edge here and should clean up Will's team.
Ninetales resists most of Koga's coverage and hits back hard.
Ninetales has the type edge here and should clean up Bruno's team.
Ninetales has the type edge here and should clean up Karen's team.
Lance's team hits Ninetales's weaknesses hard.
Catchable
Catch Vulpix on Route 36 (walking, Lv 13, uncommon).
Recommended Moves
- After Bugsy
- TM28GroundDigPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 10National Park
- TUTORNormalHeadbuttPower 70Accuracy 100%PP 15Ilex Forest
- LV 24FireFlamethrowerPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15
- After Jasmine
- TM23SteelIron TailPower 100Accuracy 75%PP 15Prize for defeating Jasmine
- TM43NormalSecret PowerPower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Lake of Rage
- After Clair
- TM79DarkDark PulsePower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15Sold by the TM clerk on 3F of the Celadon Department Store
- LV 44PsychicExtrasensoryPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 30
- LV 47FireFire BlastPower 180Accuracy 85%PP 5
Evolve Vulpix to Ninetales
Vulpix evolves into Ninetales with a Fire Stone. You can receive the Fire Stone from an NPC in Route 36. 1 other location is also available.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 19)
- LV 19DarkNasty PlotPower —Accuracy 100%PP 20
- After Bugsy
- TM38FireFire BlastPower 180Accuracy 85%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM35FireFlamethrowerPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15Goldenrod Game Corner
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM22GrassSolar BeamPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod Department Store
- TM28GroundDigPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 10National Park
- After Jasmine
- TM23SteelIron TailPower 100Accuracy 75%PP 15Prize for defeating Jasmine
- After Clair
- TM79DarkDark PulsePower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15Sold by the TM clerk on 3F of the Celadon Department Store
How to Get Vulpix in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Vulpix is a SoulSilver exclusive, walking several Johto and Kanto routes there from day into night. HeartGold players see none in the wild and need a trade, so the fire fox is one of the clearer version splits in this stretch.
Wild Vulpix may be holding when caught:
Rawst Berry (always) It may be used or held by a Pokemon to recover from a burn.5 locations to catch Vulpix
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Badge 3
Badge 4
Badge 5
Badge 6
Badge 7
Badge 8Where To Catch Vulpix in HGSS
Vulpix is where the line starts, caught through walking encounters at Lv. 13-24. The chain covers 1 catchable stage before reaching the final form.
- Step 2Evolve into Ninetales
Want the exact numbers? Work out your catch odds in HeartGold & SoulSilver for Vulpix.
How to Get Shiny Vulpix in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Vulpix prowls Route 7 and Route 8 in SoulSilver, so breed it Masuda-style with a foreign parent at 1 in 1,638. Compare Shiny Vulpix odds across every game
HeartGold & SoulSilver Shiny Vulpix 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 Vulpix.
Vulpix Weakness
Water, Ground, and Rock moves hit Vulpix for super-effective damage. 5 resistances help offset the weaknesses. Flash Fire grants an additional Fire immunity, reshaping the matchup chart. Vulpix's special bulk (base 65 Sp.Def) helps absorb special-type weaknesses, though physical moves exploit the lower Defense.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Water, Ground, Rock |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Fire, Grass, Ice, Bug, Steel |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Vulpix Weak Against
AvgBest Pokemon Against Vulpix
 Lapras WaterIce | C | |
Obtain MethodUnion Cave Interact Encounter | ||
 Sandslash Ground | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Vulpix View Sandslash builds →Dig 2x162-192%KO Rock Tomb 2x69-82% | ||
 Quagsire WaterGround | C | |
Obtain MethodCliff Edge Gate Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Vulpix View Quagsire builds →Dig 2x146-172%KO Surf 2x100-118%KO Rock Tomb 2x61-72% | ||
 Croconaw Water | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Totodile (New Bark Town Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Vulpix View Croconaw builds →Surf 2x95-113%KO Dig 2x92-108%KO Rock Tomb 2x57-69% | ||
 Nidoking PoisonGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Vulpix View Nidoking builds →Dig 2x162-192%KO Surf 2x80-95% Rock Tomb 2x69-82% | ||
 Nidoqueen PoisonGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Vulpix View Nidoqueen builds →Dig 2x149-177%KO Surf 2x74-89% Rock Tomb 2x64-75% | ||
 Graveler RockGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Vulpix View Graveler builds →Dig 2x157-187%KO Rock Tomb 2x100-118%KO | ||
 Bibarel NormalWater | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Vulpix View Bibarel builds →Surf 2x92-108%KO Dig 2x97-115%KO Rollout 2x38-46% | ||
 Sudowoodo Rock | C | |
Obtain MethodRoute 36 Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Vulpix View Sudowoodo builds →Dig 2x108-128%KO Rock Tomb 2x103-123%KO | ||
 Buizel Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Vulpix View Buizel builds →Surf 2x95-113%KO Dig 2x80-95% Rock Tomb 2x49-59% | ||
 Slowpoke WaterPsychic | C | |
Obtain MethodSlowpoke Well Surfing | ||
 Numel FireGround | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Vulpix View Numel builds →Dig 2x111-133%KO Rock Tomb 2x46-56% | ||
 Onix RockGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Vulpix View Onix builds →Dig 2x95-113%KO Rock Tomb 2x62-74% | ||
Vulpix Evolutions
Vulpix doesn't evolve by leveling. You'll need an evolution item to push it forward to Ninetales. The evolved forms gain up to 206 total stats over Vulpix. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed Vulpix easily with 131 breeding partners from the Field egg group. Pass egg moves like Disable, Energy Ball, Extrasensory and 9 more to offspring.
HGSS Vulpix Best Moveset
Fire typing at 38 HP loses too much to MoveStealth Rock for the moveset to switch in safely. AbilityFlash Fire absorbs incoming Fire moves for a power boost, but 50 Sp. Atk and 65 Speed aren't enough to capitalize. Evolve to Ninetales.
Best Build
Vulpix best EVs are Sp. Atk and Speed
Special Sweeper Moveset
- Energy Ball
- Fire Blast
- Dark Pulse
- Heat Wave
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Without breeding, Vulpix misses out on Disable and Energy Ball. That's 12 egg moves adding depth that the base kit lacks. STAB comes from Flare Blitz and Fire Blast, with coverage across 7 types rounding things out.
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 19 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
As it develops, its single white tail gains color and splits into six. It is quite warm and cuddly.
If it is attacked by an enemy that is stronger than itself, it feigns injury to fool the enemy and escapes.
Vulpix HeartGold & SoulSilver Guide
Yes. Wild Vulpix in HeartGold & SoulSilver can hold Rawst Berry (always). Use Thief (TM46) or Covet to swipe the held item without affecting your catch chance. Quickest way to farm rare items like Rawst Berry.
For HeartGold & SoulSilver, you can run Vulpix through the first few routes without issues. 299 BST won't carry you far though. Get it to Ninetales as fast as you can.
Vulpix has an Alolan form that swaps the typing and reshuffles the stats. Introduced in Gen 7. Worth checking if the original version doesn't fit your team.
Game Availability
Since debuting in Red & Blue, Vulpix has appeared in 21 titles over 9 generations. Along the way, it received an Alolan form in Generation 7, 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 7SMAlolan
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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