FAQ - Pokemon Heart & Soul

Type	Question	Answer	Detailed Answer (If Applicable)
Pokemon	How do I get [Pokemon] from the Odd Egg?	The bookshelves in the day care contain the answer combinations for each Pokemon. Read them left to right.
Shiny	How do I hunt a shiny starter?	Save before interacting with any of the three balls. Interact with a ball, and if the starter is shiny, the picture of the Pokemon that appears will be shiny too.
Technical	How do I download and patch the game?	You need the .ups patch file and a legal copy of Pokemon Emerald that ends in .gba, not .zip. The ROM must match the SHA-1 hash F3AE088181BF583E55DAF962A92BB46F4F1D07B7.	Latest release, for the .ups patch: https://github.com/PokemonHnS-Development/pokehns-expansion/releases/latest/ Hackdex page: https://www.hackdex.app/hack/pokemon-heart-and-soul Patcher: https://www.marcrobledo.com/RomPatcher.js/ On the releases page, download the file ending in .ups. On a mobile device you will need to scroll down; on a computer it is usually on the right. Open the patcher, put the .ups patch and your .gba ROM into the appropriate places, and apply the patch.
Gameplay	How do I enter the Ruins of Alph puzzle chambers?	This is different from the vanilla games; it requires using the Pokemon for the respective puzzle. Make sure they're in the front slot of your party.	(For fossil Pokemon) Solve the puzzle room and collect the fossil when it appears.
Shiny	How do I get Shiny Pokemon? Is [Pokemon] shiny locked?	Check Gifts & Statics for shiny locks. For gift Pokemon, save the game (not a save state) and soft reset. For overworld interact encounters - excluding Mew, Deoxys and the first Celebi - run away and re-encounter. For wild Pokemon in grass, caves or water, just keep encountering.
Items	How do I get Nature Mints?	They are available in the Goldenrod Flower Shop after defeating Whitney.
Items	How do I get special Pokeballs?	Bring Kurt berries in Azalea Town. His balls keep their Heart & Soul 1.2 type-based behaviour as well as their GSC and HGSS behaviour. They are the only Pokeballs in the game besides the regular, Great, Ultra, Master and Premier balls.	Berry and ball details are on Items & TMs.
Other	Can I save state reset for shinies, natures or EVs?	Technically yes, but in practice no. You reload the same seed every time, so encountering at the same moment hits the same few frames over and over. You would have to vary your actions slightly, which is slower. Soft resetting is easier and more effective.
Other	Is broken Emerald RNG fixed?	Yes, it is fixed in this game, and soft resetting changes your seed.
Pokemon	How does [Pokemon] evolve?	Check the Evolution tab for that species on Pokédex. Methods differ from the vanilla games in places.
Pokemon	How do I find legendary Pokemon?	Check Gifts & Statics for locations, and Items & TMs for the key items some of them need.
Pokemon	How do I switch a Pokemon's ability?	Use an Ability Capsule, available at the Saffron Dojo and the Battle Frontier.	Hidden abilities do exist in this game - a species' hidden ability is listed on its card on Pokédex. Some legendaries also get a different ability when the LEGEN. ABILITIES setting is on; that is shown on their card too.
Pokemon	How do trade evolutions work?	You can still trade locally for them. You can also level them up while holding the item that would normally be involved in the trade.
Pokemon	Are Gen IV and later evolutions available?	Yes, many are. Anything that evolves from a Generation 1-3 family is in - Magnezone, Rhyperior, Electivire, Magmortar, Togekiss, Leafeon, Glaceon, Sylveon, Gliscor, Mamoswine, Porygon-Z, Weavile and more.	Check the Evolution tab on a species in Pokédex for its exact method.
Time	When are the time of day cutoffs?	Day (for encounters and evolutions): 6am-6:59pm Night (for encounters and evolutions): 7pm-5:59am
Story	What's up with the radio in Tohjo Falls? How do I battle Giovanni? Where is the HGSS Giovanni/Silver scene?	Put Celebi first in your party and enter the Tohjo Falls radio room to trigger the Giovanni battle. Put Celebi first and explore Route 22 to trigger the Giovanni/Silver scene.
Items	What are the best ways to make money?	A few that work at different points in the game:	Bug Contest first prize only needs a Pinsir or Scyther, and the evolution stone reward sells for 5,000. Get a Butterfree or Venonat with Compound Eyes and hunt for held items - Grimer for Nuggets, Magnemite for Metal Coats, Slowpoke for King's Rocks. Compound Eyes gives a 20% held-item chance. Nuggets and King's Rocks sell for 5,000; Metal Coats and Moon Stones sell for 1,500. Sell Kurt's berry balls - they are easy to farm in bulk. The Amulet Coin is in the Goldenrod Department Store basement, and works as long as anyone in your party is holding it.
Time	Can I change the time of day?	Change the clock from the Pokemon Center. This may lock you out of certain daily events for 24 hours.
Difficulty	What happens to level caps after badge 8?	With the level cap setting on, the caps after badge 8 are based on Johto Champion Lance's party, then Kanto Champion Lance's party.
Nuzlocke, Randomizer	Why is my Pokemon able to use X move from the party menu?	In certain nuzlocke and randomizer configurations, the first party Pokemon can use more field moves to prevent softlocks.
Nuzlocke	Why can I catch infinite Pokemon in the Bug Contest or Safari Zone?	The Bug Contest and Safari Zone have specific items and quests built around catching Pokemon, so nuzlocke rules are disabled in those locations.
Randomizer	Why won't the move relearner help me?	Due to technical limitations, move relearning is disabled when random moves is turned on.
Story	How do I get to Mt. Silver?	Talk to Oak after 16 badges.
Gameplay	Why can't I see my Pokemon's head when I walk in front of a lamp?	GBA limitation. It was either no glows, or glows with a few compromises.
Story	I can't get past the RageCandyBar guy in Mahogany Town.	After beating Pryce, Elm calls to say Rockets have taken over the Goldenrod Radio Tower. Go to Goldenrod and deal with it. You also need 7 badges in total, so make sure Chuck and Jasmine are beaten.
Story	How do I fix the Power Plant?	Talk to the chief engineer at the Power Plant. As you go to leave, a guard asks for help.	Go to Misty's gym and you'll run into a Rocket grunt. Find that grunt again on Nugget Bridge, battle and beat him. Return to the gym - the camera zooms in on a sparkle. Interact with the spot that sparkled to get the Machine Part.
Story	How do I get past the Kinglers south of Fuchsia City?	They clear once you have progressed far enough through Kanto. You need at least Lt. Surge's badge to begin.	Surf to the Power Plant east of Cerulean to start the Machine Part quest. Go to Cerulean Gym to run into the Rocket grunt and recover the Machine Part. Return the Machine Part to the Power Plant. Get the Expansion Card from the Director at the Lavender Town Radio Tower. Wake the Snorlax east of Vermilion and go through Diglett's Tunnel to Pewter City. Travel down through Pallet Town to Cinnabar Island. Work through the Cinnabar storyline and Seafoam Islands. The Kinglers will be gone.
Story	How do I get to Lugia or Ho-Oh?	You need the Silver Wing (Lugia) or Rainbow Wing (Ho-Oh), all 8 Johto badges, the Master Ball from Prof. Elm, and to have defeated the Kimono Girls in Ecruteak City afterwards.
Gameplay	Why can't I open this door?	It's just there to look nice. Don't worry, we tried it a bunch too.
Gameplay	How do I rematch the gym leaders?	Every gym leader you have met can be rematched. Each one waits in a specific place, and the conditions differ between Johto and Kanto leaders.	See Trainers - each leader's card lists their rematch location and when it unlocks on the rematch battle's tab.
Pokemon	Can you complete the Pokedex in this game?	Yes. Every Pokemon in the Pokedex can be caught, obtained or evolved.	See Pokédex for every species, and Completion for what completion requires.
Pokemon	What Pokemon are in this romhack? What legendaries and mythicals can I find?	Heart & Soul began as a GBA remake of Crystal built on Emerald, so the roster is built from Generation 1-3 families. Later-generation Pokemon appear only where they are an evolution of one of those families - Magnezone, Togekiss, Sylveon, Mamoswine and Weavile are all in, for example.	See Pokédex for the full list, and Wild Encounters for where each one lives.
Pokemon	Is [Regional Form] Pokemon in the game?	There are no regional forms available.
Pokemon	Can we change the IVs or EVs of our Pokemon?	IVs cannot be changed. EVs can be reduced with the EV-lowering berries available in Kanto.	Berry locations are listed on Items & TMs.
Pokemon	Can you get Larvitar in Dark Cave before Falkner?	Yes. Larvitar appears on the Dark Cave South Side - the part reachable from the start - during the day, at a 5% encounter rate, at levels 2-4.	Full encounter tables are on Wild Encounters.
Shiny	What's the best way to shiny hunt Entei and Raikou?	Entei and Raikou roam independently - both start roaming as soon as you awaken them in the Burned Tower, and neither gates the other. Their shininess and IVs are decided when they are created, so the way to re-roll them is to have them created again by beating the Kanto League.	Both are created together at level 40 by the Burned Tower event, with shininess and IVs fixed at that moment. Because the roll happens at creation, re-encountering the same roamer always gives the same result. Running away and tracking it down again will not re-roll it. Defeating or catching a roamer takes it off the map, and it will not come back on its own. Entering the Hall of Fame as Kanto Champion respawns them: the caught flags are cleared and Raikou and Entei are created fresh, with new IVs and shininess. The Kanto roamer is recreated at the same time. Beating the Kanto League again repeats this, so it is the repeatable way to hunt them. Before that point, save ahead of the Burned Tower event and re-trigger it to re-roll. You can track a roamer's current location from your Pokedex.
Items	Where can I find this HM?	All HM locations are listed on Items & TMs.
Gameplay	What's the best way to gain EXP before the Johto Elite Four?	There is a Lucky Egg lying on the ground on Route 47, which connects Cianwood City to the Safari Zone and Route 48. It increases EXP gain by 1.5x while held. Descend through the caves to the bottom until you can surf, then go up either accessible waterfall to reach it. A Lucky Egg can also be held by a wild Chansey, but only rarely. Chansey itself appears in the grass on Route 47 at a 40% rate during the day and is worth a lot of EXP, so it is a good place to grind either way.
Items	Does the Exp Share S stack with the Exp Share key item?	Yes. The Exp Share S splits the battle's EXP between its holder and the Pokemon that fought. The Exp Share key item generates additional EXP and shares it with the whole party.	Example: you defeat a Pokemon worth 100 EXP. The Pokemon in the battle and the Pokemon holding the Exp Share S get 50 each. The rest of your party earns roughly 20 each, so with a full party the battle is worth about 200 EXP overall.
Technical	My game crashes after the GameFreak text, or goes black and never loads.	MyBoy and gpSP will not work. If the game crashes right after the copyright screen you need a different emulator.	We make GBA games - if they run on original hardware, that is what we are aiming for. Check the recommended emulator list in the downloads post.
Technical	The game got updated. How do I transfer my save to the new version?	Take your character to the nearest Pokemon Center and save. Back up your save file, then rename your original to match the new ROM's name. Start the new ROM, confirm your name appears, then leave the Pokemon Center before doing anything else. That updates everything.	Save files transfer (.sav, .srm, .fla). Save states do not.
Technical	Where are all the cheats? Why won't Emerald GameShark codes work?	Cheats and save editors go against the design philosophy of the game. In v1.2 one concession was made for Nuzlocke mode by adding Infinite Rare Candies, and no more will be added.	Codes found online or intended for vanilla Emerald are not condoned and will not work. Issues reported by people using cheats, or patches from Heart & Soul impersonators, will not be supported.
Other	Will Hoenn be added to the game?	There are no plans to include Hoenn in the official release. The game is open source, so community members are welcome to make their own forks on GitHub.
Other	I want to mod the game myself, or get help with my own version. Where do I start?	Start in the how-to-romhack channel on the Discord, where people are collaborating on their own projects.