How to Get Moltres in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver

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Where to find Moltres & tips for catching it

Co-authored by Devin McSween Reviewed by Ethan Dobbs

Last Updated: June 19, 2025 Fact Checked

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Finding & Catching Moltres

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Other Legendaries to Catch

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Moltres is a Fire and Flying-type legendary pokémon introduced in the first Pokémon games that you can catch in both Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver (the remakes of Pokémon Gold and Silver). But if you’re not sure where to find Moltres in these games, we’re here to help! In this article, we’ll explain how to get to Moltres, as well as tips for catching it. Keep reading to learn more!

Quick Steps for Catching Moltres in HG & SS

Go to Mt. Silver after obtaining all 16 gym badges.
Enter the Mt. Silver cave.
Go up the waterfalls to find Moltres’ chamber.
Interact with Moltres to start the battle.
Lower Moltres’ HP and use Dusk Balls to catch it.

Section 1 of 2:

Finding & Catching Moltres

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Once you’ve beaten all of the gym leaders in Johto and Kanto, talk to Professor Oak in Pallet Town. He’ll give you permission to access Mt. Silver and give you the move Rock Climb (HM08), which you need to get through Mt. Silver.^{[1]
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Go to Mt. Silver. To get to Mt. Silver, fly to Viridian City. Head west onto Route 22 and enter the Pokémon League Reception Gate. Take the left exit inside the building to Route 28. Simply travel down the route until you find the entrance to Mt. Silver by the Pokémon Center.^{[2]
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- If you haven’t beaten the 16 gym leaders or talked to Professor Oak yet, the exit to Route 28 in the Pokémon League Reception Gate will be blocked by a guard.
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Go up the waterfalls inside the cave to find Moltres’ chamber. Use Surf on the water to the left of the cave entrance and use Waterfall to go up the waterfall. Hop onto land at the far end of the lake and use Rock Climb to get up the wall. Use Rock Climb to go down the other side of the wall and use Surf on the water. Go up the waterfall and swim to the land at the end of the lake, where you’ll find the entrance to Moltres’ chamber.^{[3]
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- Make sure you have pokémon in your party that know Surf, Waterfall, and Rock Climb, as you must have these moves to get to Moltres’ chamber.
- Use a Repel or Max Repel to make moving through the cave easier, as these items prevent wild pokémon from appearing.
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Enter Moltres’ chamber and save the game. Use Rock Climb to go down the walls of the chamber and get face to face with Moltres. Just make sure to save the game before you press “A” on the legendary bird and start the battle. If you accidentally defeat Moltres, you can turn the game off and on and start right back where you were.^{[4]
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- Note: If you run from or defeat Moltres, it will respawn in the same spot once you beat the Elite 4 again.^{[5]
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- Saving before you battle Moltres is also a great idea if you're shiny hunting. Just know it may take a few tries before you get a shiny Moltres—Pokémon expert Ethan Dobbs says there’s a 1 out of 8,000 chance of encountering a shiny pokémon.^{[6]
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Lower Moltres’ HP and put it to sleep to make it easier to catch. Moltres is a Fire and Flying-type pokémon that’s at level 50, so make sure your pokémon are at a similar level and know moves that can counter Moltres well. Simply battle Moltres until its HP is in the red zone. Then, use a move that puts it to sleep to boost your chances of catching it.^{[7]
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- Water and Electric-type moves are super effective against Fire and Flying-type pokémon, respectively, so use them to get Moltres’ HP down quickly.
- False Swipe is a great move that leaves your opponent with at least 1 HP.
- Great sleep-inducing moves include Sleep Powder, Spore, Hypnosis, Sing, and Yawn.^{[8]
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Use Dusk Balls and Ultra Balls to capture Moltres. Dusk Balls have the highest catch rate when you use them in a cave or at night (a 3x catch rate modifier), so they’re usually better to use than Ultra Balls.^{[9]
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Research source} However, Ultra Balls are a great option, as they have a 2x catch rate modifier and are better than Great Balls.^{[10]
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- Alternatively, throw a Quick Ball on your first turn of battle. They have a 4x catch rate modifier on your first turn, but go down to 1x on every turn after.^{[11]
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- If you’ve been battling Moltres for a while, use a Timer Ball. These balls have a 4x catch rate modifier if you use them after taking at least 30 turns in a battle.^{[12]
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- You can always use your Master Ball on Moltres to capture it without fail.^{[13]
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  Research source} However, you may want to save your Master Ball for one of the other legendaries you can catch in the game, which we’ll discuss in the section below!
- Note: Like most legendary pokémon, Moltres is more difficult to catch than the average pokémon you find in the grass. So, it may take 20+ tries to capture it!

Section 2 of 2:

What other legendaries can you catch in HeartGold and SoulSilver?

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You can catch the Legendary Birds, Dogs, and more in both games. HeartGold and SoulSilver are full of legendary pokémon to catch, including pokémon from Red, Blue, and Yellow, and Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald. Below are the legendaries you can catch, as well as how to find them:
- Articuno: Seafoam Islands
- Zapdos: Route 10, outside of the Power Plant
- Lugia: Whirl Islands
- Ho-oh: The Bell Tower
- Entei: Encounter in the Burned Tower, then roams all over Johto.
- Raikou: Encounter in the Burned Tower, then roams all over Johto.
- Suicune: Encounter in the Burned Tower, then chase to Route 25 in Kanto
- Mewtwo: Cerulean Cave
- Kyogre: Embedded Tower (HeartGold only)
- Groudon: Embedded Tower (SoulSilver only)
- Rayquaza: Embedded Tower, and must have caught both Kyogre and Groudon
- Latios: Roaming Kanto (SoulSilver only)
- Latias: Roaming Kanto (HeartGold only)