Mechanics and controls

Origin HeartGold adds automatic party training, capture-chain bonuses and new information screens. Here is how to use them in v4.0.3.

Information-screen controls

These are Nintendo DS buttons, not particular keyboard keys. Use the corresponding buttons in your emulator or on your controller.

Where	Button	Action
Pokémon summary, stats/moves page	L	Show IVs and EVs together
IV/EV panel	L or B	Close the panel
Battle command menu	Y, or tap the information button at the top right of the touch screen	Open battle information
Battle-information panel	B	Close the panel

If the first Y press only highlights a battle command, press Y again. The panel shows information such as stat stages and your Pokémon’s ability; it is not a promise that an opponent’s unrevealed ability will be visible.

Use L for the IV/EV panel with normal button settings; the game’s L/R hint is misleading.

Automatic EXP and EV sharing

Your party shares battle experience points (EXP) and effort values (EVs) automatically. EVs are training points that affect a Pokémon’s stats; IVs are its individual stat values.

Participating Pokémon receive full EXP; benched Pokémon receive half. Both receive EVs.

The original v4.0.3 hack has no on/off setting for this sharing. You do not need the held Exp. Share to enable it. Keep party-wide EV gains in mind when training. From rc7 the English patch adds an optional switch for it, and an optional level cap: see Difficulty settings. In rc8 a held Exp. Share keeps working with the switch off.

Capture chains

The Chain Logger is added to your Bag during new-game setup. Use it to inspect your chain and the area’s encounters.

Catching the same species and form builds a chain. The bonuses use the number already caught before the next encounter is generated:

Completed catches	Hidden Ability selection chance from the chain	Distinct IVs forced to 31
0–5	No chain bonus	0
6–9	10%	1
10–19	50%	2
20+	70%	4

A Pokémon may naturally have more perfect IVs. Hidden Ability selection still depends on that species’ ability data.

The game’s displayed ranges are inaccurate around 10 and 20. The bonus thresholds are 6, 10 and 20 catches. Shiny chances also improve, but the displayed fractions do not establish the exact combined probability; they should not be used as precise odds.

• Catching a different species or form starts a new chain at 1.
• Catching a shiny of the same species and form clears the chain.
• A shiny of a different species or form follows the new-chain rule and starts at 1.
• Defeating or fleeing does not advance the chain; they do not reset the chain.

Chain bonuses can apply to a different species from the one you chained, including scripted wild encounters. The chain counter stops increasing at 255.

EV Allocator

The EV Allocator is added after battle if you do not already have one.

It redistributes EVs you already earned. It does not create new training points. Before exiting, you must restore each party member’s total to the amount it had when you opened the tool.

Button	Action
Left / Right	Decrease / increase the selected EV by 4
L / R	Decrease / increase it by 64
X / Y	Previous / next party member
SELECT	Open the clear-EVs confirmation
START	Open the restore-entry-EVs confirmation

These buttons use the normal button settings.

Mom’s charms

Mom’s savings purchases include these three charms. Each purchase is queued for delivery and deducts money from your savings; reaching a threshold does not mean immediate receipt.

Charm	Savings threshold	Cost from savings
Catching Charm	$30,000	$3,000
Exp. Charm	$40,000	$3,000
Shiny Charm	$50,000	$3,000

There is no Oval Charm in this game: it is unavailable.

Visible encounters and shinies

The game supports up to six visible wild Pokémon nearby. Repel prevents new visible spawns. Visible Pokémon can also reduce ordinary encounters nearby.

A visible shiny has a sparkle and sound cue. The game keeps one visible shiny and can use it when you re-enter the same map, searching for a position near you. Terrain can still prevent an accessible placement, and another shiny can replace the single record.

Catch a visible shiny before restarting. Restarting clears it. Do not rely on an ordinary save to preserve it for later.

Special calendar encounters modify particular land encounters on annual dates. They are listed separately from the ordinary location tables.

Evolution

The hack rewrites many evolutions. Each Pokémon page lists its evolution requirements. The main rules:

• No trading needed for the old trade evolutions. Kadabra, Machoke, Graveler, Haunter and the rest now evolve when they level up holding an item, often only by day or by night (for example Haunter → Gengar holding a Spell Tag at night, Machoke → Machamp holding a Black Belt by day). Onix and Porygon simply level up. Boldore and Gurdurr still need a trade in the original hack; the English patch from rc6 evolves them at Lv. 35 and Lv. 40 instead.
• Evolution moves: from rc6 the English patch offers a Pokémon its evolution moves when it evolves (Crobat’s Cross Poison, for example), each once. In the original hack only the Move Reminder teaches them.
• Day and night: night is 20:00–3:59, “day” is 4:00–19:59. A few evolutions need 10:00–16:59 and say so.
• Friendship: “high friendship” means 220 or more; Sylveon needs 158 or more plus a Fairy-type move.
• The first match wins: Meowth, Slowpoke and Cubone must take their held-item evolution before the level of their normal one, and Eevee checks Sylveon and Espeon before Glaceon.
• Some evolutions can’t happen: a few evolution methods do not work. Most belong to Pokémon that can’t be met anyway; the ones that matter are Moss Rock Leafeon and magnetic-field Probopass, which still evolve with a Leaf Stone or Thunder Stone. See Known issues.

Held-item forms

• Charizard holding Charizardite becomes Mega Charizard X. Any nature except Timid or Modest.
• Charizard holding Charizardite becomes Mega Charizard Y. Timid or Modest nature.
• Mewtwo holding Steel Armor becomes Armored Mewtwo. No nature requirement.
• Greninja holding Ninja Scroll becomes Ash-Greninja. No nature requirement.
• Giratina holding Griseous Orb becomes Giratina (Origin Forme). No nature requirement.
• Arceus holding Flame Plate becomes Arceus (Fire type). Its Multitype Ability changes its type to match the Plate.
• Arceus holding Splash Plate becomes Arceus (Water type). Its Multitype Ability changes its type to match the Plate.
• Arceus holding Zap Plate becomes Arceus (Electric type). Its Multitype Ability changes its type to match the Plate.
• Arceus holding Meadow Plate becomes Arceus (Grass type). Its Multitype Ability changes its type to match the Plate.
• Arceus holding Icicle Plate becomes Arceus (Ice type). Its Multitype Ability changes its type to match the Plate.
• Arceus holding Fist Plate becomes Arceus (Fighting type). Its Multitype Ability changes its type to match the Plate.
• Arceus holding Toxic Plate becomes Arceus (Poison type). Its Multitype Ability changes its type to match the Plate.
• Arceus holding Earth Plate becomes Arceus (Ground type). Its Multitype Ability changes its type to match the Plate.
• Arceus holding Sky Plate becomes Arceus (Flying type). Its Multitype Ability changes its type to match the Plate.
• Arceus holding Mind Plate becomes Arceus (Psychic type). Its Multitype Ability changes its type to match the Plate.
• Arceus holding Insect Plate becomes Arceus (Bug type). Its Multitype Ability changes its type to match the Plate.
• Arceus holding Stone Plate becomes Arceus (Rock type). Its Multitype Ability changes its type to match the Plate.
• Arceus holding Spooky Plate becomes Arceus (Ghost type). Its Multitype Ability changes its type to match the Plate.
• Arceus holding Draco Plate becomes Arceus (Dragon type). Its Multitype Ability changes its type to match the Plate.
• Arceus holding Dread Plate becomes Arceus (Dark type). Its Multitype Ability changes its type to match the Plate.
• Arceus holding Iron Plate becomes Arceus (Steel type). Its Multitype Ability changes its type to match the Plate.

These are held-item transformations, not permanent evolutions. Removing the required item returns the Pokémon to its base form.

Use the move reference for stats, effects and learning methods, and the ability reference to find abilities for your team. The TM/HM list shows where to get each machine and which Pokémon can use it.

Pickup

A Pokémon with Pickup can find items after battle. Items go straight into the Bag; the Pokémon does not need an empty held-item slot. Eggs do not activate Pickup.

Pickup first has a 10% chance to activate per eligible check. The chart then gives each item’s chance after activation. For example, a 30% entry means approximately 3% per eligible check; a 1% entry means approximately 0.1%. These are nominal chances, not guaranteed rewards after a fixed number of battles.

Each item has the chance shown at the top of its column, after Pickup activates. Use the level of the Pokémon with Pickup.

Pickup items by Pokémon level

Level	30%	10%	5%	3%	1%
1–10	Potion	Antidote Nugget Great Ball Star Piece Pearl String Full Heal	Hyper Potion	Luxury Ball	Big Nugget Max Revive
11–20	Antidote	Nugget Great Ball Star Piece Pearl String Full Heal Hyper Potion	Luxury Ball	Max Revive	King’s Rock Big Nugget
21–30	Nugget	Great Ball Star Piece Pearl String Full Heal Hyper Potion Luxury Ball	Max Revive	Rare Candy	King’s Rock Big Nugget
31–40	Great Ball	Star Piece Pearl String Full Heal Hyper Potion Luxury Ball Max Revive	Rare Candy	Comet Shard	Max Elixir Big Nugget
41–50	Star Piece	Pearl String Full Heal Hyper Potion Luxury Ball Rare Candy Max Revive	Comet Shard	Big Nugget	Max Elixir Ability Capsule
51–60	Pearl String	Full Heal Hyper Potion Luxury Ball Rare Candy Comet Shard Max Revive	Big Nugget	Heart Scale	PP Max Ability Capsule
61–70	Full Heal	Hyper Potion Luxury Ball Rare Candy Comet Shard Big Nugget Max Revive	Heart Scale	Ability Capsule	Lucky Egg PP Max
71–80	Hyper Potion	Luxury Ball Rare Candy Comet Shard Heart Scale Big Nugget Max Revive	Ability Capsule	PP Max	Lucky Egg Bottle Cap
81–90	Luxury Ball	Rare Candy Comet Shard Heart Scale Big Nugget Ability Capsule Max Revive	PP Max	Lucky Egg	Bottle Cap Gold Bottle Cap
91–100	Max Revive	Rare Candy Comet Shard Heart Scale PP Max Big Nugget Ability Capsule	Lucky Egg	Bottle Cap	Ability Patch Gold Bottle Cap

Other training and battle changes

• Held items after battle: the game restores many items, but has exceptions, including special berry handling. Do not assume every consumed, stolen or knocked-off item comes back.
• Hatching: Flame Body and Magma Armor speed up hatching. Their effects do not stack with multiple holders. See Overworld abilities for every ability that works outside battle, and Apricorn trees for where to pick each colour.
• Destiny Knot: either parent holding it raises inherited IV slots to five. This does not guarantee five perfect IVs.
• Everstone: give it to one parent to pass on its nature. Using two holders or parents from different language games can affect inheritance.

Field moves

The hack intentionally lets you use scripted obstacle moves without teaching them to a Pokémon. Badge requirements still apply, and party-menu moves have separate restrictions. See the field-move table for the precise distinctions.