SoulGold Pokédex: commonly missed Pokémon and where to find them

Nothing is lost for good, but these will stall you

You can get all 608 non-legendaries in 1.2.1. Nothing here is permanently missable except the one-time choices I point out. What stalls a dex run is a ‘mon with exactly one source: one grotto, one egg, one NPC, one fishing spot. These were the last entries I filled.

The levels below are base levels. Wild Scaling raises them, never lowers them. For the babies you have to hatch (Elekid, Happiny and the rest), see the breeding guide.

Missed because they only exist in a Hidden Grotto

These four only live in one grotto each. The grotto has to roll a Pokémon (60 percent), then roll that species (25 percent). Grotto ‘mons come with two perfect IVs and their Hidden Ability.

Grottos refill once a day. To refill one now, ring a Beckoning Bell. You get one free from an NPC in Ilex Forest, and the Battle Factory lobby sells more for BP after the third gym.

The Route 35 grotto costs the most Bells, since it holds two of the four. Its other spawns are Pikachu and Eevee, so a bad roll still gets you something. The Factory sells Bells next to the IV feathers, so one Factory session pays for both. I rang more Bells for Poltchageist than I want to count.

A few more only show up early in a grotto, though they have a late source too:

• Larvesta: Route 47 grotto. Otherwise only the Lv 30 Larvesta encounter in Deep Ilex Forest.
• Own Tempo Rockruff: Goldenrod Shore grotto. It’s the only way to Dusk Form Lycanroc.
• Oricorio Sensu: Lake of Rage grotto only.

Every grotto is in the grotto guide.

Missed because the source is one egg, one gift or one trade

The game hands you these once. Skipping the NPC doesn’t lock you out, but several of them are the only way into a whole family.

Pokémon	Where	Why it is missed
Goomy	Rival’s Odd Egg, Route 34 Day Care (1 in 7)	Only direct source. Fallback: breed a Sliggoo (Kitakami Border, 5%) or Goodra (Safari Zone Low Right, 15%)
Tyrogue	Gift in Mt. Mortar B1F after the Karate King	Only source for Tyrogue, Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan and Hitmontop. Breed two more before evolving
Gimmighoul	Gift in a Cianwood City house	Only source for Gimmighoul and Gholdengo (evolves at level 55, no coins)
Beldum	Gift from Steven in Kitakami	Only source for the Metagross line (Metang 20, Metagross 45)
Porygon	Goldenrod Game Corner exchange	Only source for Porygon, Porygon2 (Upgrade) and Porygon-Z (Dubious Disc)
Honedge	Goldenrod Department Store trade for a Clefairy	Only Honedge source. Clefairy is 5% on Route 34
Meltan	Rinto Village trade for a Tinkaton	Only source. Tinkatink is 8% in Union Cave; Melmetal at level 60
Rotom	Route 39 to Route 49 gatehouse trade for a regular Zorua	Also 5% in Nameless Cave, but the trade is far earlier
Pawmi, Galarian Slowpoke, Hisuian Voltorb, Gabite	Trades in Violet (Cottonee), Azalea (Slowpoke), Olivine (Mareanie), Blackthorn (Dragonair)	Pawmi and Gabite are also wild; the two regional forms are not listed anywhere else
Togepi	Gift egg, Violet City Pokémon Center	Only Togepi source; Togetic by friendship, Togekiss by Shiny Stone
Kubfu	Blackthorn Rock Climb cave	Gift. Urshifu needs a Darkness or Water Scroll from the Rocket Arcade
Alolan Rattata or Galarian Zigzagoon	Cherrygrove gift, pick one	Both are also wild in the Safari Zone, so the choice is not permanent
Pikachu or Eevee	Bill’s gift, pick one	Pikachu is 5% in Railway Cave, Eevee 8% on Route 48 and in the Route 35 grotto
The 25 Gachapon starters	Goldenrod Game Corner Gachapon, 3,000 coins minimum	Bulbasaur through Fuecoco have no other source. Froakie (Route 45 water) and Quaxly (Victory Road B1F fishing) are the exceptions
Fossils (11)	Rock Smash at the Ruins of Alph, revive in the lab	Archen, Tyrunt and Amaura have no wild stage at all. The Dome Fossil gives a different Pokémon before and after the 4th badge

The Gachapon is the biggest hole in most dex runs. 25 starter lines is 75 entries. Pay more than the 3,000-coin minimum to cut the duplicate chance. Each new pull evolves into three entries. Start saving coins as soon as you get the Coin Case from Goldenrod Underground. I started late and lived at the Game Corner for a week.

Do the Honedge trade. Doublade is 15 percent on Routes 26 and 27, and Aegislash is in Nameless Cave and on Mt. Silver’s mountain side, but Honedge itself only comes from the trade or from breeding. Clefairy takes five minutes on Route 34.

Missed because of the clock

The clock goes:

• Morning: 06:00 to 10:00
• Day: 10:00 to 19:00
• Evening: 19:00 to 20:00
• Night: 20:00 to 06:00

Only a few maps change with the time: Route 36, Ice Path, Dragon’s Den, Dark Cave North Side, Tohjo Falls and Olivine Port. On most of those, day and night are the same. These are the ones that differ:

The clock matters more for evolutions:

• Espeon: friendship by day
• Umbreon: friendship by night
• Obstagoon: level 35 at night
• Gliscor: level up at night holding a Razor Fang
• Sneasler: level up by day holding a Razor Claw

You can change the clock in game, so you never have to wait. I waited up for Umbreon anyway before I knew that.

Missed because the method is fishing, Surf or Rock Smash

Walking the grass gets you about two thirds of the dex. The rest needs a rod, Surf, or Rock Smash on one map.

Get your rods here:

• Old Rod: Route 32 Pokémon Center
• Good Rod: a house in Olivine
• Super Rod: Blackthorn

Can’t find Phione? The South Johto Sea has several water maps that look the same. Surf until you’re on the one that only has Shellos and Gastrodon. Phione only bites there. I fished the wrong map for a good while.

Rock Smash the rocks outside the Ruins of Alph for all eleven fossils.

Missed because the spawn rate is 5 percent or lower

Chain these with the DexNav. A chain raises the odds and the shiny rate at 50 and 100. It’s the only sane way to farm a 2 percent slot. My longest chain was for Kangaskhan, and I’d do it again.

Lots of rare ‘mons have a common pre-evo you can catch instead: Arcanine from Growlithe, Houndoom from Houndour, Lucario from Riolu, Blissey from Chansey, Scolipede from Venipede, Luxio from Shinx, Muk from Grimer. This table is only the ones with no easy way around.

Pokémon	Where	Rate
Kangaskhan	Union Cave B2F	5%
Hawlucha	Union Cave B2F	5%
Dhelmise	Whirl Islands Descent	5%
Tangela	Route 36, day or night	5% (Tangrowth is 20% in Nameless Cave; breed it)
Kleavor	Route 28	5% (or Scyther with a Black Augurite from the Indigo Plateau)
Audino	Kitakami Border	5%
Maractus	Vajra Desert West	5%
Flamigo	Route 48	2%
Indeedee	Lake of Rage	10% in the grass table, 5% per form
Scovillain	Route 27	5% (also the only parent for Capsakid)
Delibird	Ice Path B3F and B4F	5%
Pupitar	Dark Cave North Side	5% (or Larvitar from Dark Cave South or the Vajra grotto)
Aurorus	Faraway Island Jungle	5% (or revive an Amaura)
Decidueye	Safari Zone Top Right	5% (or a Rowlet from the Gachapon)
Noivern	Dragon’s Den Cavern	2% (Noibat is 30% in Slowpoke Well)
Galvantula	Mt. Silver 1F	2% (Joltik is 30% in Ilex Forest)
Avalugg	Safari Zone Low Right, Snowtop Outside	2% (Bergmite is 35% at Snowtop Outside)
Charcadet	Burned Tower	2% (needed for Armarouge and Ceruledge)
Pichu	Route 31	5% (or breed Pikachu)
Clefairy	Route 34	5% (needed twice: Cleffa and the Honedge trade)

Kangaskhan, Hawlucha and Dhelmise have no fallback. Kangaskhan and Hawlucha share Union Cave B2F, so one long DexNav session gets both. For the rest, the option in brackets is usually faster than chaining.

There are no swarms, radio broadcasts or daily rotations. If a ‘mon seems missing from its route, check the time and the floor.

Missed because they are in one place you never go

These have normal rates, but in one spot that’s easy to walk past:

• Unown: 100 percent in Ruins of Alph B1F, nowhere else. One entry, any letter.
• Snorlax: 20 percent in Nameless Cave B2F (Kitakami Border, postgame). Munchlax is at the Lake of Rage and the Route 38 grotto if you’d rather evolve one.
• Scizor: 30 percent on the same Nameless Cave floor. Way easier than a 1 percent National Park Scyther plus a Metal Coat.
• Phantump: 25 percent in the Lost Woods, through Kitakami. Trevenant needs a Linking Cord.
• Frigibax: 6 percent in Snowtop Mountain B1F. Missed it? Arctibax is in Ice Path Depths and the Route 44 grotto.
• Zoroark: 30 percent outside Mt. Silver. Regular Zorua is 2 percent at the Ruins and 30 percent in Safari Zone Low Left. Catch an extra Zorua for the Rotom trade. I forgot and went back.
• Dewgong: 15 percent in Whirl Islands Descent. Seel is common on the floors above.
• Spiritomb: 5 percent on all four floors of Kitakami Mountain. Low per floor, but it adds up on the climb.
• Paradox Pokémon: Meteor Island only, and not needed for 608. If you want them, the 5 percent ones are Slither Wing, Roaring Moon, Iron Moth and Iron Thorns.

The commonly missed checklist

Clear these twenty-two and most of your dex problems are gone. Crossing the last one off felt great:

1. Roselia, Ilex Forest grotto
2. Rookidee, Route 35 grotto
3. Poltchageist, Route 35 grotto
4. Meowstic (both forms), Route 38 grotto
5. Goomy, Odd Egg or bred from Sliggoo
6. Tyrogue, Mt. Mortar B1F gift (breed before evolving)
7. Gimmighoul, Cianwood house gift
8. Beldum, Steven in Kitakami
9. Porygon, Game Corner exchange
10. Honedge, Department Store trade for Clefairy
11. Meltan, Rinto Village trade for Tinkaton
12. Togepi, Violet City egg
13. All 25 Gachapon starters
14. The 11 fossils from the Ruins of Alph
15. Wobbuffet, Dark Cave North Side at night
16. Phione, South Johto Sea fishing
17. Skrelp, Whirl Islands fishing
18. Barbaracle, Mt. Silver 2F Rock Smash
19. Crabrawler, Route 40 Rock Smash
20. Kangaskhan and Hawlucha, Union Cave B2F
21. Dhelmise, Whirl Islands Descent
22. Unown, Ruins of Alph B1F

Next, hatch the sixteen babies in the breeding guide. The 173 evolution-only entries are mostly levels and a stack of Linking Cords. When the counter hits 608, Oak is waiting on the Radio Tower’s second floor with Arceus. Legendaries don’t count toward it, so plan those with the legendary locations page.