Is Zapdos Good in HeartGold & SoulSilver Playthrough?
Power Plant area static encounter at level 50. Electric/Flying with AbilityPressure draining PP. The strongest Electric-type available in HGSS. Handles Misty, any Water trainer, and Lance's Gyarados. A postgame catch that dominates everything it touches.
Zapdos resists most of Falkner's coverage and hits back hard.
Zapdos resists most of Bugsy's coverage and hits back hard.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Whitney's team.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Morty's team.
Zapdos resists most of Chuck's coverage and hits back hard.
Zapdos trades roughly evenly with Jasmine's team.
Zapdos resists most of Pryce's coverage and hits back hard.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Clair's team.
Zapdos trades roughly evenly with Brock's team.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Misty's team.
Lt. Surge's typing presses Zapdos's defenses.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Erika's team.
Zapdos resists most of Janine's coverage and hits back hard.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Sabrina's team.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Blaine's team.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Blue's team.
Zapdos resists most of Will's coverage and hits back hard.
Zapdos resists most of Koga's coverage and hits back hard.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Bruno's team.
Zapdos resists most of Karen's coverage and hits back hard.
Zapdos has the type edge here and should clean up Lance's team.
Catchable
Catch Zapdos on Route 10 (interact, Lv 50, limited). Encounter outside the Power Plant on Route 10 after obtaining the National Pokedex.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 50)
- LV 50ElectricDischargePower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15
- LV 50FlyingPluckPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 20
- After Bugsy
- TM24ElectricThunderboltPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15Goldenrod Game Corner
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- After Chuck
- HM02FlyingFlyPower 135Accuracy 95%PP 15From Chuck's wife outside Cianwood Gym
- After Clair
- TM40FlyingAerial AcePower 90Accuracy 100%PP 20Mt. Mortar
- LV 71FlyingDrill PeckPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 20
- LV 78ElectricThunderPower 180Accuracy 70%PP 10
How to Get Zapdos in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Save before you approach Zapdos near the end of Route 10, because this level 50 bird does not come back if it faints. Its catch odds are as low as they get, so bring a stack of strong balls.
1 location to catch Zapdos
Badge 8How to Get Zapdos in HeartGold & SoulSilver
How to Get Shiny Zapdos in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Zapdos guards the Power Plant off Route 10, so save before it and soft-reset until the shiny sparkle appears. Compare Shiny Zapdos odds across every game
Shiny Zapdos Evolution
Does Not EvolveHeartGold & SoulSilver Shiny Zapdos Calculator
1 MethodThe only route here is Soft Reset, about 1 in 8,192 on each try.
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 | 864-- | -- |
| 25%one in four | 2,357-- | -- |
| 50%coin flip | 5,678-- | -- |
| 90%very likely | 18,862-- | -- |
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 Zapdos.
Zapdos Weakness
Ice and Rock moves hit Zapdos for super-effective damage. The upside? Ground-type moves can't touch it at all. 5 resistances help offset the weaknesses. With 90 HP and balanced defenses, Zapdos can afford to eat a neutral hit or two.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Ice, Rock |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Grass, Fighting, Flying, Bug, Steel |
| 0x (Immune) | Ground |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Zapdos Weak Against
ExcellentBest Pokemon Against Zapdos
 Rampardos Rock | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Cranidos (Pewter City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Zapdos View Rampardos builds →Head Smash 2x181-213%KO Avalanche 2x48-57% | ||
 Rhydon GroundRock | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Zapdos View Rhydon builds →Stone Edge 2x99-116%KO Avalanche 2x40-47% | ||
 Jynx IcePsychic | C | |
 Tyranitar RockDark | S | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Zapdos View Tyranitar builds →Stone Edge 2x101-119%KO Ice Beam 2x45-54% | ||
 Glaceon Ice | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Goldenrod City Gift) | ||
 Armaldo RockBug | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Anorith (Pewter City Gift) | ||
 Cradily RockGrass | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Lileep (Pewter City Gift) | ||
 Weavile DarkIce | B | |
 Articuno Ice | C | |
Obtain MethodSeafoam Islands Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Zapdos View Articuno builds →Ice Beam 2x68-81% Ancient Power 2x29-34% | ||
 Lapras WaterIce | C | |
Obtain MethodUnion Cave Interact Encounter | ||
 Mamoswine IceGround | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Zapdos View Mamoswine builds →Ice Fang 2x64-75% Stone Edge 2x66-78% | ||
 Probopass RockSteel | C | |
 Solrock RockPsychic | C | |
 Lunatone RockPsychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Zapdos View Lunatone builds →Ice Beam 2x45-54% Stone Edge 2x49-58% | ||
Zapdos Evolutions
A Electric/Flying-type legendary, Zapdos doesn't evolve or breed. At 580 total stats, it's meant to stand on its own. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
HGSS Zapdos Best Moveset
Electric/Flying at 125 Sp. Atk and 100 Speed fires fast special Electric damage while resisting Fighting, Bug, and Grass. The moveset combines offensive power with enough bulk at 90 HP and 85 Defense to switch in repeatedly. AbilityPressure taxes PP on longer battles.
Best Build
Zapdos best EVs are HP and Defense
Wall Moveset
- Thunderbolt
- Roost
- Hidden Power Ice
- Heat Wave
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Leveling does the heavy lifting. Zapdos picks up Thunder and Fly along the way, building toward a complete offensive set. TMs add coverage across 9 types, 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
26 of 27 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
This legendary bird Pokémon causes savage thunderstorms by flapping its glittering wings.
This legendary bird Pokémon is said to appear only when a thundercloud parts into two halves.
Zapdos HeartGold & SoulSilver Guide
Zapdos is a static encounter at Route 10 in HeartGold & SoulSilver. Zapdos appears at level 50. Save before the encounter. These one-shot Pokemon don't respawn if you knock them out or run out of Poke Balls.
Yes. Zapdos is a post-game Pokemon. You need to defeat the Elite Four and enter the Hall of Fame first. Zapdos becomes available after the main story is complete in HeartGold & SoulSilver.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, use Zapdos as a support. Splits damage between physical and special. It outspeeds most threats, Thunderbolt is the primary attack.
Zapdos has a Galarian form that swaps the typing and reshuffles the stats. Introduced in Gen 8. Worth checking if the original version doesn't fit your team.
Game Availability
First obtainable in Red & Blue, Zapdos has been featured in 20 titles across 9 generations. Legendary status means a single encounter per playthrough in most games.
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 8SwShGalarian
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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