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Track your HeartGold Nuzlocke run with all Johto routes pre-loaded. Record encounters, manage your team, and analyze type weaknesses — built specifically for the Gen 4 remake of Pokemon Gold.
HeartGold is famous for having two full regions — Johto's 8 main badges plus Kanto's 8 post-game badges. This table covers the critical Johto main storyline and the Elite Four. Plan every fight carefully to keep your Nuzlocke team alive.
| Boss | Type | Key Pokemon | Level Cap | Counter Strategy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falkner | Flying | Pidgey Lv.7, Pidgeotto Lv.9 | 9 | Electric: Mareep, Rock: Geodude. Mud-Slap works well with the starter. |
| Bugsy | Bug | Metapod, Kakuna, Scyther (Lv.17) | 17 | Fire: Cyndaquil line, Flying: Pidgeotto. Watch out for Scyther U-turn. |
| Whitney | Normal | Clefairy Lv.18, Miltank Lv.20 | 20 | Fighting: Machop/Mankey. Miltank Rollout can one-shot teams. Paralysis is critical. |
| Morty | Ghost | Gastly x2, Haunter, Gengar (Lv.25) | 25 | Dark: Umbreon (Eevee stone), Psychic in Gen 4 still works. Watch for Shadow Ball and Hypnosis. |
| Chuck | Fighting | Primeape, Poliwrath (Lv.30) | 30 | Flying: Pidgeot/Crobat, Psychic: Kadabra. Poliwrath has Surf as coverage. |
| Jasmine | Steel | Magnemite x2, Steelix Lv.35 | 35 | Fire: Quilava, Fighting: Machoke, Ground: Phanpy. Steelix has Earthquake. |
| Pryce | Ice | Seel, Dewgong, Piloswine (Lv.34) | 34 | Fire: Arcanine/Quilava, Fighting: Machoke, Electric: Ampharos for Dewgong. |
| Clair | Dragon | Dragonair x2, Gyarados, Kingdra (Lv.40) | 40 | Ice: Lapras/Piloswine Ice Beam, Electric: Ampharos for Gyarados. Kingdra has no 4x weakness. |
| Will (E4) | Psychic | Xatu, Jynx, Exeggutor, Slowbro, Xatu (Lv.42) | 42 | Dark: Umbreon/Tyranitar, Bug: Heracross, Ghost: Gengar. |
| Koga (E4) | Poison | Ariados, Venomoth, Forretress, Muk, Crobat (Lv.44) | 44 | Psychic: Alakazam, Fire: Typhlosion for Forretress. Watch for Sludge Bomb poison. |
| Bruno (E4) | Fighting | Hitmontop, Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan, Onix, Machamp (Lv.46) | 46 | Psychic: Alakazam, Flying: Crobat, Fairy moves in Gen 6+. Water on Onix. |
| Karen (E4) | Dark | Umbreon, Vileplume, Gengar, Murkrow, Houndoom Lv.47 | 47 | Fighting: Machamp, Ground: Donphan for Houndoom, Ghost for Gengar. |
| Lance | Dragon | Gyarados, Dragonite x3, Charizard, Aerodactyl (Lv.50) | 50 | Ice Beam is king. Lapras, Piloswine, Mamoswine, or any Ice-move user. Stealth Rock helps massively. |
Kanto post-game: After defeating Lance, you can travel to Kanto and challenge 8 more gym leaders plus a bonus fight with Red on Mt. Silver (Lv.88 team). Kanto gyms have notoriously low levels (mid-50s) because Nintendo never updated them from the original Gold/Silver.
HeartGold has two full regions, but the critical encounters happen in Johto. Here are the most important routes and what to watch for.
Route 32 — Mareep (S-tier): Ampharos is arguably the single best Pokemon in any HeartGold Nuzlocke. Massive Special Attack, excellent bulk, STAB Thunderbolt, and great type coverage. Handles Chuck, Jasmine (Magnemite line), Clair (Gyarados), and Lance's Gyarados/Charizard.
Route 30/31 — Hoothoot: Noctowl is a surprisingly useful Normal/Flying with decent Special Attack. Insomnia ability prevents Morty's Hypnosis. Extrasensory is good coverage.
Union Cave — Geodude: Golem has powerful STAB Earthquake and Rock Slide. Sturdy ability saves you from one-shot KOs. Solid answer to Falkner, Jasmine, and Lance's Charizard.
Ilex Forest — Paras/Zubat: Paras isn't great, but Crobat (from Golbat at high happiness) is amazing. STAB Cross Poison, Fly access, great Speed, Inner Focus prevents flinch.
Route 36 — Growlithe (HG exclusive): Arcanine is a top-tier Fire type. Intimidate, Flash Fire (blocks Fire attacks), massive Attack stat, and ExtremeSpeed via breeding. HeartGold-only Pokemon make this worth a reset.
Route 37 — Phanpy (HG exclusive): Donphan is extremely bulky with high Attack and STAB Earthquake. Sturdy ability. Another HeartGold exclusive worth prioritizing.
National Park — Caterpie/Weedle Bug-Catching Contest: You can enter the Bug-Catching Contest to get one guaranteed Pokemon. Pinsir, Scyther, and Heracross are all possible. Heracross with Guts and STAB Megahorn destroys the Elite Four.
Lake of Rage — Red Gyarados (guaranteed): This is a free Gyarados encounter at Lv.30. Intimidate plus Dragon Dance plus huge Attack. Always worth using as your route encounter for Lake of Rage.
Ice Path — Swinub: Piloswine (and later Mamoswine via Ancient Power level-up) provides crucial Ice coverage for Clair and Lance. Ice Shard priority plus STAB Earthquake is a lethal combination.
Mt. Mortar — Tyrogue: If you catch a Tyrogue, its evolution depends on its stats. Hitmontop (balanced) and Hitmonchan (Defense/SpDef) are both useful Fighting types. Great for Karen's Umbreon.
Dark Cave — Larvitar: Tyranitar has massive bulk, Sand Stream weather, and Dark Pulse for E4 Will and Morty. Hard to raise but worth it for late game.
Victory Road — Donphan/Graveler: Late encounters help patch team holes. Donphan especially useful if you missed it earlier.
In hardcore Nuzlocke rules, you cannot exceed the next gym leader's strongest Pokemon level:
Falkner: 9 - Bugsy: 17 - Whitney: 20 - Morty: 25 - Chuck: 30 - Jasmine: 35 - Pryce: 34 - Clair: 40 - Will: 42 - Koga: 44 - Bruno: 46 - Karen: 47 - Lance: 50
Note: Pryce's cap (34) is lower than Jasmine's (35) because you can do these gyms out of order. Many runners recommend doing Pryce first since Jasmine requires a trip to Cianwood.
HeartGold has several features no other Pokemon game has. These can help or hurt your Nuzlocke run:
Walking Pokemon: Your lead Pokemon follows you around the overworld. Beyond being adorable, some Pokemon give you items based on where you are. Most importantly: your partner's happiness grows just by walking, which matters for evolutions like Crobat and Umbreon.
Pokéathlon: Unique to HGSS, this mini-game facility lets you trade Athlete Points for rare items including evolution stones, Stat-Up items, and berries. Worth visiting once you reach Goldenrod.
HG Exclusives: Growlithe, Mantine, Phanpy, Spinarak, Teddiursa, Delibird, Gligar, Skarmory, Stantler, and Ho-Oh are easier or only available in HeartGold. Arcanine and Donphan in particular are top-tier Nuzlocke picks.
PokéGear Radio: Certain radio stations unlock hidden encounters. The Pokemon Channel at specific times reveals rare Pokemon on routes. Worth checking if you want access to Hoothoot, Pichu, and other PokéGear-only encounters.
Kanto Bonus Region: After defeating Lance, you unlock all of Kanto with 8 more gyms, new routes with new encounters (Red Gyarados aside, some unique Kanto encounters), and the iconic Red fight at Mt. Silver as the true final boss.
Headbutt Trees: Hidden Pokemon appear when you Headbutt certain trees. This is how you can find Heracross, Pineco, and more in specific routes. Some Nuzlocke rulesets allow Headbutt trees as separate encounters.
Looking for more help with your HeartGold Nuzlocke? Check out these community resources:
PokeCommunity Forums — The largest Pokemon fan community with dedicated Nuzlocke discussion boards and team-building advice for HGSS.
r/nuzlocke on Reddit — Active community where players share their HeartGold runs, death stories, and team planning threads.
Need to check type matchups? Use our interactive Type Chart to plan every battle.
HeartGold shares Gen 4 mechanics with Platinum and shares Kanto geography with FireRed. If you enjoyed HeartGold, these related trackers are worth exploring:
Platinum Nuzlocke Tracker — Same Gen 4 engine, Sinnoh region, often considered the hardest Nuzlocke in Gen 4
FireRed Nuzlocke Tracker — Kanto region Nuzlocke, closest match to HeartGold's post-game content
Emerald Nuzlocke Tracker — The most popular Nuzlocke game, pairs well with HGSS as a Gen 3 companion run
Nuzlocke Rules — Complete rules reference for Nuzlocke, Hardcore Nuzlocke, and optional clauses
Best First Nuzlocke Game — HeartGold is one of the top 3 recommendations for beginners. Find out why.