FAQ

The questions players ask most, with short answers and links to the full details.

Stuck in the story?

The story often moves on only after you talk to the right person, sometimes someone you’ve already talked to. If Blue or Green tells you to “ask around”, talk to everyone in town again, inside buildings too. These are the places where most players get stuck:

Where you’re stuck	What to do
Pewter City: Brock keeps leaving the Gym	Follow him to the north-east house, the museum (answer his siblings’ quizzes) and the flower garden. Finding Brock
Mt. Moon: guards block the way	What opens the roadblock
Vermilion City: “ask around town some more”	Talk to all six people involved, including Granny Kin right next to Lt. Surge at the construction site, then go back to Blue or your friend in the Pokémon Center. The construction-site dispute
Lavender Town: nothing happens at the Pokémon Tower	Go to Mr. Fuji’s Pokémon House and talk to the Cubone. Pokémon Tower
Lavender Town: “I want to see you…” and you can’t leave town	The Lavender curse: buy the fortune-teller’s 10 Cleanse Tags and use them at an exit, then talk to the girl in the fortune-teller’s house and answer No. The girl who waits
Celadon City: where is Erika’s Gloom?	The stolen Gloom
Celadon Rocket base: the Persian statue password	The password changes with the day of the week and the hour. How to read it
Saffron City: a barrier blocks every gate	Talk to someone at the north, south and west gates, then go back to Sabrina at the east gate (Route 8). Getting past the barrier

Some story choices only come once, like the bomb on the S.S. Anne. Missable rewards are marked in the guide; Known issues lists the ones that can close for good.

Getting the game running

Is this the official site? Where do I get the patch?

Yes. This is the official site of the Origin HeartGold English translation. Patches are published only on our GitHub releases. The patch page on this site uses the same patch and applies it in your browser. If another site offers the patch, it isn’t from us: get it here or from GitHub, so you know it’s the current, unmodified release. What changed in each version is on the changelog.

Where can I get help or talk to other players?

Join the official Discord to ask questions and talk to other players. To report a mistake in the game or the guide, use the links at the bottom of every page or open an issue on GitHub.

Which HeartGold do I need?

Pokémon HeartGold Version (USA), a clean, untrimmed copy (CRC32 C180A0E9). European, Japanese, Korean and already-patched files won’t work. The patcher on this site checks your file for you and accepts both .nds and .zip.

The patch fails: “not a VCDIFF input”, “source file too short”, “secondary decompressor” or “file too big”

Use the patcher on this site: it handles zipped files and tells you what’s wrong with your file. If you patch by hand, these errors usually mean one of these:

• The two files are swapped. Your HeartGold .nds is the source (original) file, the .xdelta is the patch.
• A file is still zipped. Unzip both first.
• Wrong or modified HeartGold file. Get a clean USA copy, not a “Rev 1”, European or already-patched file.
• The patching tool is too old. Some tools, including Rom Patcher JS and some phone apps, can’t read this patch. xdelta-wasm works.

Can someone send me the patched game?

No. Sharing ROMs isn’t allowed, here or on the Discord. The patch is all you need, plus your own HeartGold (USA) file.

Which emulator should I use?

The translation was tested in melonDS. The automated checks for rc8, including the text speed setting, ran in DeSmuME; the freeze and battle fixes in rc8 were also checked in melonDS 1.1. There has been no full second-emulator pass for this build. Players also use DraStic, Lemuroid and others, but those aren’t tested. For a real DS, DSi or 3DS, see the next question.

Can I play on a real DS, DSi or 3DS?

Yes, from rc6 on, but it hasn’t been tested on a real console yet. The original Chinese hack has anti-piracy checks that make the game freeze after a while when it runs from a flashcart or loader on a real console (often when you open a menu or start a battle), even when it boots fine. The English patch now switches those checks off. On emulators nothing changes.

• 3DS and 2DS with TWiLight Menu++: untested. Please try it and tell us how it goes. Update TWiLight Menu++ and nds-bootstrap to the newest versions. Select the game, press Y for its per-game settings and set Run in: DSi mode and VRAM: DSi.
• DSi with TWiLight Menu++, DSPico, and DS or DS Lite flashcarts (R4 with Wood R4, YSMenu, AKAIO…): untested. Please try it and tell us how it goes.
• Don’t add another anti-piracy patch. The fix is built into the English patch. Don’t apply a separate anti-piracy patch or an nds-bootstrap anti-piracy .ips file on top of it, and turn off your flashcart’s own anti-piracy patching for this game if it has an option for that.

If it freezes, report it on the Discord or on GitHub with:

1. your console, and the loader or flashcart with its version (for TWiLight Menu++, also the nds-bootstrap version);
2. the per-game settings you used (DS or DSi mode, CPU speed, VRAM);
3. the patch version;
4. where it froze and what you were doing, how long you had been playing since you switched it on, and how many Badges you have;
5. whether the screen went black or the picture froze;
6. if you use nds-bootstrap, a RAM dump: open its in-game menu with L + Down + Select and save a RAM dump (the nds-bootstrap controls page has the details), then attach ramDump.bin from the _nds/nds-bootstrap folder on your SD card.

Crashes in a story scene that also happen on an emulator come from the original hack, not your console: check Known issues first.

How do I update to a new version without losing my progress?

1. Patch your original HeartGold (USA) file again with the new version. A patch can’t be applied on top of an already-patched game.
2. Save in game before you switch. Emulator save states don’t carry over between versions.
3. Give your save file the same name as the new game file (for example Origin_HeartGold_EN.nds and Origin_HeartGold_EN.sav), or import it in your emulator.

New versions of the translation don’t change the save format, so your save keeps working.

The game crashes after Misty’s Gyarados, when I open the Bag or a Pokémon’s summary, or at the move reminder

You’re on an old version of the patch (before rc4). The crashes after double-size shouts like Misty’s and on the Bag and summary screens are fixed in the current release. Update as described above and keep your save. A freeze at Mr. Psychic’s move reminder in Saffron City has also been reported; it didn’t happen in our emulator tests of the current release. If it still happens to you, please report it with a screenshot and the Pokémon you were teaching.

There are several English patches. Which one is this?

This site covers the English translation, which keeps the Chinese hack exactly as it was made. Other community patches, such as ones that add level caps or a hard mode, are shared on the Discord. This guide doesn’t cover their changes. Each patch has to be applied to a clean HeartGold (USA) file; you can’t stack them.

Game settings and speed

Why does the game run fast, and slow down in towns?

The original Chinese hack runs the overworld at a higher speed (a “60 fps” feature). It’s busier in towns with many characters on screen, so it feels slower there. It’s part of the hack, not the translation. The released translation keeps this behavior. Make sure your emulator itself is set to normal (1×) speed.

Is there a text speed setting?

Yes. The Options screen has a seventh row, TEXT SPEED, with NORMAL and FAST. NORMAL is the original hack’s text speed. FAST prints up to three letters per frame when the frame has room, and is never slower than NORMAL. New games start on FAST. If you load a save made before this setting existed, it shows NORMAL; change it in Options and save. MUSIC SPEED is still a separate option.

Text also prints faster in towns and on routes, at both settings. In those places the hack runs at 30 fps and used to print one letter every two frames; it now prints one letter per frame, as the original game does on FAST. A side effect is that some short pauses in those scenes are about half as long as in the Chinese hack.

Phone calls now wait for you to press A or B on every page, including right after a battle. Some other text shown right after a battle may still advance by itself, as in the original hack.

If you will go back to the Chinese hack or an older English patch with a save from this version, set TEXT SPEED to NORMAL and save first. Text speed shares a field that older versions use for MUSIC SPEED, and a FAST setting can show up there as an odd value.

Not everything has been checked with the setting: cutscenes, the intro and credits, the radio and TV, mail and the naming screen were not covered by our tests.

Why does Kanto play the Johto battle music?

Until you first set foot in Vermilion City (any way in, which also unlocks it as a Fly destination), wild and Trainer battles in Kanto use the Johto themes. From then on they switch to the Kanto themes. Gym Leader, rival and other special battle themes don’t change. The rule comes from HeartGold, where you first reach Kanto by ship at Vermilion; the hack starts you in Kanto but kept it. The original Chinese game does the same.

Some moves have no sound. Is my game broken?

No. In the original hack these newer moves have no sound effect: Electro Ball, Soak, Flame Charge, Coil, Low Sweep, Acid Spray, Foul Play, Simple Beam, After You, Round, Echoed Voice, Chip Away, Clear Smog, Synchronoise and Venom Drench. Terrain Pulse has no animation at all. Opposing Pokémon don’t cry when they faint, either (wild or a Trainer’s). Moves from the original games, like Vine Whip, keep their sounds; if one of those is silent for you, check your emulator’s audio settings.

Can I turn off the shared EXP, or set a level cap?

Yes, from rc7. The original hack has neither: your whole party shares EXP and EVs automatically (details). The English patch adds two optional settings on the second Options page: SHARE (turn it OFF so benched Pokémon get no EXP or EVs, except one holding an Exp. Share) and CAP (a level cap). They start at SHARE ON and CAP OFF, the original behaviour. A third setting, ITEMS (DEFAULT or ALL), controls which medicine you can use from the Bag in Trainer battles. Since rc8 the settings also apply in story battles you are allowed to lose, and SHARE OFF no longer switches off a held Exp. Share. The cap follows your Gym progress; see Difficulty settings for how to turn them on and when the cap goes up.

Training your Pokémon

How do I see IVs and EVs?

Open a Pokémon’s summary, go to the stats page and press L. More controls are on Mechanics and controls.

Are shiny odds increased? What are the catch-chain thresholds?

Yes, the verified wild-encounter code adds a boosted shiny check even without a chain. That check starts at 1 in 4,096, or 1 in 2,048 with the Shiny Charm. The bonuses increase after 6, 10 and 20 completed catches of the same species and form, and apply when the next encounter is generated.

Completed catches	Extra shiny check: no charm	Extra shiny check: Shiny Charm
0–5	1 in 4,096	1 in 2,048
6–9	49 / 65,536 (about 1 in 1,337)	1 in 1,024
10–19	81 / 65,536 (about 1 in 809)	97 / 65,536 (about 1 in 676)
20+	113 / 65,536 (about 1 in 580)	1 in 512

These are the extra check’s odds, not exact overall encounter odds. The fractions count successful values out of the random number generator’s 65,536 possible outputs. If that check fails, ordinary Pokémon generation can still produce a shiny; its interaction with the extra check has not been fully quantified. We therefore cannot yet give one exact combined rate for each tier. The Chain Logger’s fractions differ slightly because it displays a rounded divisor rather than accounting for every successful random value.

The in-game range labels are also inaccurate at 10 and 20: use the thresholds above. There is no further increase beyond 20 catches in this check. See capture chains for chain resets, IV and Hidden Ability bonuses, and the encounter types verified so far. These rates should not be assumed for starters, gifts or Eggs.

Can I change natures and abilities?

Yes, in shops:

• Mints (change the nature’s stat effect): $9,000 each at the Celadon Department Store 4F and the Goldenrod Department Store 1F. For example the Adamant Mint.
• Ability Capsule ($25,000) and Ability Patch ($50,000): Celadon Department Store 4F.
• Hidden Abilities also come from catch chains with the Chain Logger.

Why do all my wild catches have the same nature?

Your first party Pokémon has the ability Synchronize. In this hack Synchronize always passes its nature to wild Pokémon (in HeartGold it works half the time), including shinies. It counts even if that Pokémon has fainted. Synchronize Pokémon include Abra, Kadabra, Alakazam, Natu, Xatu, Espeon, Umbreon, Baltoy, Claydol, Munna and Musharna, and Ralts and Kirlia with their Hidden Ability. Put a Pokémon without Synchronize first for random natures, or lead with a Synchronize Pokémon of the nature you want. It also works in scripted battles with a single Pokémon, such as legendaries; gift Pokémon aren’t affected.

How do I nickname a Pokémon I caught?

Wild catches don’t ask for a nickname in this hack (gifts do). Visit the Name Rater in the north-east house of Viridian City.

How do I evolve trade evolutions like Haunter, Kadabra or Machoke?

No trading is needed for the old trade evolutions. They level up while holding an item, often only by day or by night (Haunter holding a Spell Tag at night, for example). Every Pokémon page shows how it evolves, and the rules are on Mechanics and controls. Some evolutions changed completely: Karrablast and Shelmet simply evolve at Lv. 25. Boldore and Gurdurr still needed a trade in the original hack; from rc6 the English patch evolves them at Lv. 35 (Gigalith) and Lv. 40 (Conkeldurr).

My Pokémon didn’t learn its evolution move

In the original hack, and in English patches up to rc5, a Pokémon that evolves never learns the moves it should get on evolution (Crobat’s Cross Poison, Charizard’s Air Slash, Gyarados’s Bite and others); only the Move Reminder teaches them. From rc6 the game offers these moves when the Pokémon evolves, each once. For a Pokémon that evolved before you updated, use the Move Reminder.

Can other Pokémon Mega Evolve?

No. Charizard is the only Pokémon that can Mega Evolve, holding the Charizardite: Mega Charizard Y with a Timid or Modest nature, Mega Charizard X with any other nature (held-item forms).

Where do I get a Light Ball?

• Pikachu starters get one as a send-off gift in Pallet Town. Get it before you go to Viridian City.
• Lt. Surge gives one after your Gym battle in Vermilion City (Pikachu starters get a Thunder Stone instead). After the construction-site clash.
• Wild Pikachu can hold one.

Why can’t I use a Full Heal or a Revive in battle?

The original hack leaves most medicine out of the battle Bag: status heals, Full Restore, Max and Hyper Potions, Revives, Ethers and Elixirs. This may be intended. Carry status-healing Berries (Lum, Pecha, Cheri and others) or the Blue, Yellow and Red Flutes, which do work in battle; for PP, the Leppa Berry is in the battle Bag. If you play with the optional difficulty settings, ITEMS: ALL (second Options page) adds twenty more medicines to the Trainer-battle Bag; see Difficulty settings. The full list is in Known issues.

My Pokémon is out of PP and won’t use Struggle

In the original hack a Pokémon with no PP left never uses Struggle: FIGHT still opens the move list, and every move says it’s out of PP. Switch to another Pokémon, or use a Leppa Berry from the Bag. If your only usable Pokémon has no PP left and you have no Leppa Berry, a Trainer battle can’t go on and you have to reset. Watch out in the Route 12 battle against the boyfriend (Ace Trainer Newt), which you have to lose: his Rattata knows only Normal-type moves, so a team of Ghost types can neither lose nor win there. See Known issues.

Why can’t I find a Pokémon or event someone else got?

Many events and some wild Pokémon depend on your starter (Charmander, Pikachu or Bulbasaur). Pick your starter at the top of any quest page and the guide shows only what your game can get.

Reading references and using the save editor

Is every reference entry obtainable or every author claim verified?

No. Entries that cannot be obtained are marked NOT AVAILABLE IN GAME. Entries with no known acquisition route are marked separately. Check the Pokémon or item page before planning your team. The source reference explains how the guide’s information was assembled.

How do I use the save editor?

Keep a backup, then open your game’s battery save in the save editor. Use a raw 512 KiB .sav or a DeSmuME .dsv save, not an emulator save state. Follow the editor’s controls to make changes and download a copy, then import it through your emulator’s save-file controls. Your save is processed locally in your browser.

Cheats and extras

Is there a cheat menu?

The original hack has a built-in Pokémon generator: in the field, hold SELECT and press X. Choose the species, level, nature, IVs, held item and more (L and R switch pages), then press START to create it. It was made by the Chinese developers, not added by the translation. Whether you use it is up to you. The save editor on this site can also change your save.

About the translation

Is the whole game translated?

Yes, from start to end, including the post-game. If you find a mistake, please report it with a screenshot.

Does it have fakemon or changed Pokémon?

No fakemon. The hack does change many Pokémon’s stats, abilities, moves and evolutions. Each Pokémon page shows the hack’s data.

How mature is the story?

This fan game contains strong language, sexual themes and innuendo, violence, death, and dark humour. It is intended for mature audiences and is not suitable for children.

The story draws on the Pokémon anime and Pokémon Adventures manga, with the hack’s own scenes added. The English translation preserves the original hack’s tone and content.