Where To Get Everstones in Pokémon HGSS (All Methods)

Standing on Route 45 in HeartGold where you can steal Everstones
All Everstone Locations
Method How Often?
1 Stealing from any wild Geodude or Graveler, who hold Everstones 5% of the time Repeatable
2 Receive one from Professor Elm after hatching a Togepi from the Mystery Egg Once-only
3 Second-place prize from the Bug-Catching Contest on Tuesdays and Thursdays Repeatable
4 A reward for showing Bill’s Grandfather in the Sea Cottage a Lickitung (SoulSilver) or a Jigglypuff (HeartGold) Once-only

In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, there are four different ways to get Everstones. Your best option is simply to steal them from wild Geodudes or Gravelers, which each have a 5% chance of holding an Everstone.

But for a full list of all methods, the table above is ordered by distance through the game (early-to-late game).

Everstones prevent a Pokémon from evolving while they’re holding it. So if you want to keep a member of your team nice and cute, you don’t have to keep pressing ‘B’ to interrupt their evolution every time they level up.

But many players don’t realize that Everstones also have a secondary use: if you give a Pokémon holding an Everstone to the Pokémon Day-Care and an egg is laid, the hatchling has a 50% chance of inheriting the same nature as the parent holding the Everstone.

Whatever your reasons are for getting one, we’ll run you through each of the acquisition methods to help you obtain some Everstones in your game.

Method 1: Stealing Everstones from Wild Geodude or Graveler (Best Option)

Wild Geodude and Graveler will be holding an Everstone 5% of the time, which you can steal by either catching them or using the move Thief on them.

You can find the TM46 for Thief in Mahogany Town’s Team Rocket HQ.

Theoretically, you can get an Everstone as early in the game as Dark Cave on Route 31 by using this method – even before your first Gym Badge.

The following table will show all the places Geodude and Graveler appear in the wild.

Pokémon Locations in the Wild
Geodude Routes 45 and 46
Dark Cave
Union Cave
The Ruins of Alph
Mt. Mortar
Cliff Cave
Victory Road
Rock Tunnel
Mt. Moon
Cerulean Cave
The Peak + Meadow Areas of the Safari Zone
Graveler Route 45
Dark Cave
Mt. Mortar
Cliff Cave
Victory Road
Mt. Silver
Cerulean Cave (all times of day)
The Peak Area of the Safari Zone (morning & day only)
Using Thief on a Wild Geodude to attempt to steal its Everstone / Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
Using Thief on a Wild Geodude to attempt to steal its Everstone

If you’re looking to farm a lot of Everstones – or if you’re just having bad luck finding one – there are a few little-known tips to make the job easier.

Pokémon with the ability Compoundeyes double the chances of a wild Pokémon holding an item, if they’re in the front slot of your party. That takes the odds of an Everstone up to 10%.

Venonat, Yanma, and Butterfree all get this ability.

A Yanma with the ability Compoundeyes / Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
A Yanma with the ability Compoundeyes

Pokémon with the ability Frisk are similarly useful.

They will automatically check their opposing Pokémon and alert you to the presence of a held item when they enter battle. This way you don’t have to waste time catching or using Thief on empty-handed Pokémon.

Stantler, found in the wild on Route 36 and 37, is the only common Pokémon to get this ability in Pokémon HG/SS.

A Stantler with the ability Frisk / Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
A Stantler with the ability Frisk

Method 2: Talking To Professor Elm After Hatching Togepi From The Mystery Egg

Once you’ve defeated Falkner in Violet City and earned your very first Gym Badge, you’ll get the opportunity to pick up a Mystery Egg.

To receive the Mystery Egg, head to the Poké Mart in Violet City.

The Poke Mart in Violet City, inside of which you receive the Mystery Egg / Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
The Poke Mart in Violet City, inside of which you receive the Mystery Egg

Inside, a scientist – Professor Elm’s aide – will be waiting for you by the counter.

Talk to him and agree to take the Egg with you on your journey.

Now all you need to do is walk enough steps (between 2570 and 2826, to be exact) and the egg will hatch into an adorable baby Togepi.

If you take this Togepi back to Professor Elm in his laboratory in New Bark Town, he will reward your motherly discovery with an Everstone.

Method 3: Getting Second Place in the Bug-Catching Contest

Players who come second in the National Park’s Bug-Catching Contest will receive an Everstone as a commiseration prize.

The Bug-Catching Contest opens its doors every Tuesday and Thursday, so you have two chances at winning an Everstone per week.

To find the Bug-Catching Contest, leave Goldenrod City’s north gate onto Route 35. Follow the route up north until you come to the building pictured below – inside is the entrance to the National Park.

The entrance to the National Park on Route 35 / Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
The entrance to the National Park on Route 35

Once you’re inside, speak to the man to the left of the door immediately in front of you.

He will invite you to join the Bug-Catching Contest.

The player speaking to the Bug-Catching Contest attendant / Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
The player speaking to the Bug-Catching Contest attendant

You’ll only be able to take the first Pokémon in your party with you into the Bug-Catching Contest, so make sure they’re strong enough to survive a good few battles. Having a Pokémon with Status inflicting moves (Sleep, Paralysis, etc.) will also be helpful.

Once you’ve accepted the invitation to compete, you’ll have 20 minutes to catch the second-most impressive Bug-Type Pokémon.

Unfortunately, coming second place in the Bug-Catching Contest is harder to guarantee than coming in first.

You’ll be allotted points for:

  • The rarity of the Pokémon you catch
  • The Pokémon’s level
  • How much of the caught Pokémon’s health remains (the more remains, the more points you’ll receive)
  • The Pokémon’s hidden IV stats

That means you should try to aim for a medium-rarity Pokémon that you’ve weakened a medium amount. However, depending on how useless your NPC opponents are, you may still accidentally win.

Medium-rarity Pokémon are any that don’t fit into the following two categories:

  • Common Pokémon: Weedle, Kakuna, Caterpie, Metapod, Wurmple, Silcoon, Cascoon, and Kricketot
  • Rare Pokémon: Scyther and Pinsir
An acceptable medium-rarity wild Pokémon appearing in the Bug-Catching Contest / Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
An acceptable medium-rarity wild Pokémon appearing in the Bug-Catching Contest

Once you’ve caught your deliberately mediocre bug, speak to the attendant again to begin the judging.

If you’re lucky and you’ve managed to land second place, you’ll be rewarded with an Everstone.

The competitors assembled for the final judging of the Bug-Catching Contest / Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
The competitors assembled for the final judging of the Bug-Catching Contest

Method 4: Showing Bill’s Grandfather a Lickitung/Jigglypuff

This method is quite involved, and it’s pretty late into the game.

It requires you to show different Pokémon to Bill’s Grandfather.

Bill’s Grandfather lives in Sea Cottage to the northeast of Cerulean City. That means you’ll need to beat the Elite Four and gain access to Kanto before you can do it.

Before you make your way to Cerulean City, make sure you have the following three Pokémon in your party

  • Oddish
  • Vulpix (SoulSilver) or Growlithe (HeartGold)
  • Lickitung (SoulSilver) or Jigglypuff (HeartGold)

Finding an Oddish couldn’t be easier:

Just head to Ilex Forest during the night time. They make up 60% of the wild encounters here when the sun goes down.

Ilex Forest during the night time, where you can catch a wild Oddish / Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
Ilex Forest during the night time, where you can catch a wild Oddish

Next, you’ll need either a Vulpix or a Growlithe. Luckily, they appear in exactly the same areas, depending on which game you’re playing.

We’d advise heading to the patch of grass on Route 48, just south of the Safari Zone gates. You can catch either Pokémon during any time of the day here, but they’re both twice as common during the night.

The patch of grass on Route 48 where you can catch either Vulpix or Growlithe, depending on your version of the game / Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
The patch of grass on Route 48 where you can catch either Vulpix or Growlithe, depending on your version of the game

Finally, you’ll need a Lickitung if you’re playing SoulSilver, or a Jigglypuff if you’re playing HeartGold.

Getting a Lickitung (SoulSilver)

For Lickitung, Fly to Mahogany Town and take the east exit onto Route 44. Bring a Pokémon with Surf along with you. Head to the part of the boardwalk pictured below and use Surf.

The correct Surf point on Route 44 / Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
The correct Surf point on Route 44

From here, Surf directly north and you’ll see a patch of grass.

Disembark here and run through the long grass. Lickitung make up 15% of the wild encounters here.

The patch of grass on Route 44 where wild Lickitung can be found / Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
The patch of grass on Route 44 where wild Lickitung can be found

Getting a Jigglypuff (HeartGold)

For HeartGold players, you can pick up a Jigglypuff close to Cerulean City.

Leave the city through its west exit onto Route 4. Jigglypuff make up 10% of the wild encounters in the long grass here.

The grass on Route 4 where wild Jigglypuff can be found / Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
The grass on Route 4 where wild Jigglypuff can be found

Getting to Bill’s Grandfather for your Everstone

Once you’ve got all the Pokémon you need, head to Cerulean City.

Make sure all of the Pokémon are in your party, then leave the city through the north exit onto Route 24 and the golden bridge.

Note: If you’ve never been this way before, there are quite a few tough trainers. Make sure the other three Pokémon in your team are strong enough to handle some consecutive battles.

The north exit of Cerulean City leading to Route 24 / Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
The north exit of Cerulean City leading to Route 24

After you’ve crossed the bridge onto Route 25, take a right turn at the T-junction.

The correct turn at the T-junction on Route 25 / Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
The correct turn at the T-junction on Route 25

Now carry on east, winding your way through the trees and battling trainer as you go.

At the other end of the trees, you’ll see a small house. This is Sea Cottage, where Bill’s Grandfather lives.

Sea Cottage on Route 25, home of Bill's Grandfather / Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
Sea Cottage on Route 25, home of Bill’s Grandfather

Head inside the house and talk to the old man. He will describe a Pokémon in a slightly vague way.

Show him:

  1. Oddish first, in exchange for a Leaf Stone
  2. Then Vulpix or Growlithe, in exchange for a Fire Stone
  3. And third in line, he’ll ask to see a Jigglypuff or a Lickitung. Show yours and you’ll be rewarded with an Everstone.
Bill's Grandfather in Sea Cottage describing Jigglypuff in HeartGold / Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
Bill’s Grandfather in Sea Cottage describing Jigglypuff in HeartGold

Louie Neale

38 articles

Full-time freelance copywriter and long-time Pokémon trainer, currently rediscovering my childhood love for the classic games by bringing you all the info you need.

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