Useful and Important Items

Useful Hold and Key Items

Pokémon Gold and Silver introduced Hold Items – items that have an effect when held by a Pokémon. The following items are particularly useful!

• Map – You can get the Map upgrade for your Poké Gear from the old man at the entrance of Cherrygrove City. Let him show you around.
• Bicycle – You will notice there are no running shoes in this game. However, you can get a Bicycle which doubles your movement speed when outside! You can get it from the Bike Store, south-east side of Goldenrod City. Initially it is only a loan, but you get to keep it after using it for a bit. 
• Radio – You can get the Radio upgrade for your PokéGear by doing the quiz in the Radio Tower, 1F. The correct answers are Yes, Yes, No, Yes and No, in that order.
• Quick Claw – This item allows your Pokémon a 23% chance to move first. Useful for any slow Pokémon in your party. A female NPC on the south side of National Park gives it to you (she’s by a bench).
• Itemfinder – Used to find hidden items on the ground all over the Johto and Kanto region. You get it from the man in a house west of the Pokémon Centre in Ecruteak Town. Answer yes to his question.
• Exp. Share –

  

  This item allows you to train up weaker Pokémon! Pokémon holding the EXP Share receive half the experience from battles, even when not used in battle. To get it, first obtain the Red Scale from the Red Gyarados in the Lake of Rage (after battling it). Then go to Route 30 and talk to Mr. Pokémon. He will trade the Exp Share for your Red Scale.

• Amulet Coin – This item if held by a participating Pokémon, doubles your prize money for winning. It is found in the basement of Goldenrod Department Store. You can only get it after beating the seventh gym (i.e. during the Radio Tower events).
• Rainbow Wing/Silver Wing – you need each item for Ho-Oh and Lugia respectively. You get one depending on your version during the game (following the Goldenrod Radio Tower events, after the 7th Gym badge). The other you can get from an old man walking around the middle of Pewter City.
• Leftovers – Leftovers heals a bit (1/16th) of health every turn. You can find this item in a bin in a restaurant in Celadon City. The wild Snorlax by Diglett’s Tunnel also holds this item when caught.
• Machine Part – At some stage in Kanto you will begin a quest to find a stolen Machine Part from the Power Plant. Go to Cerulean Gym and look in the water for the item (use the Itemfinder for help).
• Poké Flute – Not an item, but now a channel in Kanto’s radio station! After returning the Machine Part (see above), visit the Radio Tower in Lavender Town and talk to the Director (by the stairs). He’ll upgrade your Poké Gear.

Evolution items

• Metal Coat – Used for trade evolutions of Onix and Scyther. You get it from the S.S. Aqua (complete the sidequest when first catching it), or held by wild Magnemite if lucky.
• King’s Rock – Used for evolving Slowpoke and Poliwhirl when traded. In Slowpoke Well with Strength and Surf (second room), or on wild Slowpoke and Poliwhirl as a held item.
• Sun Stone – Used for evolving Gloom and Sunkern. It is the first prize in the Bug Catching Competition.
• Up-Grade – Used for evolving Porygon. Given to you by the guard by the stairs in Silph Co., Saffron City.
• Moon Stone – Used for evolving Nidorino, Nidorina, Clefairy and Jigglypuff. Found in Tohjo Falls through Surf, given to you by your Mum (if she saves your money!), and Mt. Moon on Monday evenings with Rock Smash.
• Fire Stone/Thunder Stone/Water Stone/Leaf Stone – talk to Bill’s grandfather on Route 25 (Bill’s house at the end). Requires showing him a Vulpix/Growlithe, Pichu, Staryu and Oddish respectively.
• Dragon Scale – Used to evolve Seadra when traded. Found in Mt Mortar and requires Surf and Waterfall (and ideally Flash too). It’s quite a maze too. Watch this video, or follow these instructions: from the middle entrance, Surf north and use Waterfall. Head north and go through to the next room. Head right, Surf right and then up twice, walk left, hope down one ledge, walk left and Surf north. Head right until you reach more water and Surf north, jump down right and surf up, then head left. Head left a bit and you’ll see the item; hop down a couple ledges and surf again

Type boosting Items

In addition to these, you can get type-boosting items (boost attacks of the matching type by 10%).

The following require talking to an NPC who only shows up on a specific day.

• Magnet (Electric) Sunday, Route 37.
• Sharp Beak (Flying) – Monday, Route 40.Pink Bow (Normal) – Tuesday, Route 29.
• Black Belt (Fighting) – Wednesday, Lake of Rage
• Hard Stone (Rock) – Thursday, Route 36
• Poison Barb (Poison) – Friday, Route 32
• Spell Tag (Ghost) – Saturday, Blackthorn City

Other type-boosting items are:

• Black Glasses (Dark) – found in Dark Cave from the Blackthorn City side (talk to the NPC).
• Charcoal (Fire) – found in Azalea Town (Charcoal apprentice ) after finding the Farfetch’d.
• Dragon Fang (Dragon) – found in Dragon’s Den through Surf and Whirlpool. NOTE: This item is bugged in the original versions! Dragon Scale instead gives the boost.
• Miracle Seed (Grass) – found on Route 32. Talk to the person originally blocking the path after beating the first Gym.
• Mystic Water (Water) – found in Cherrygrove City. Surf west and talk to the NPC.
• NeverMeltIce (Ice) –  found in Ice Path towards the end (small Ice Puzzle in the second-last room).
• Polkadot Bow (Normal) – held by Jigglypuff when traded from Gen I to Gen II.
• Silk Scarf (Normal) – from an NPC on Radio Tower after the events there (after 7th Gym is defeated).
• Silver Powder (Bug) – held by wild Butterfree (~8%).
• Soft Sand (Ground) – found on route 34 (Cooltrainer Kate; requires Surf).
• Twisted Spoon (Psychic) –  held by Kadabra traded from Pokemon Yellow.
• Metal Coat (Steel) – found on S.S. Aqua.

Useful TMs and miss-able HMs

Lastly, we’ll go through the best TMs to consider and the HMs that you could miss while you play. Check our our guide below for a full list of TMs and HMs, and where to find them.

Pokémon Gold and Silver TM and HM Location Guide

Useful HMs

Here we’ll cover the slightly miss-able HMs you need to proceed in areas.

• Strength is obtained from the restaurant west of the Pokémon Center in Olivine City. It is necessary to beat Chuck’s Gym.
• Surf is obtained from the dance house in Ecruteak City – defeat all the Kimono girls inside to be rewarded it by an NPC watching the show.
• Waterfall is found in the first floor in Ice Path, on the second and smaller ice/slide puzzle (after the first large one). You need this to reach Victory Road.

Useful TMs

Goldenrod stands out as a great place for TMs. You can get Return from a female NPC on the fifth floor of the Department Store ever Sunday, if you show her a Pokémon with high happiness. The same store also sells Thunderpunch, Ice Punch and Fire Punch (3000 dollars each)! Lastly, the Game Corner in Goldenrod sells Fire Blast, Blizzard and Thunder, if you like powerful but lower-accuracy attacks.

Headbutt can also be bought in the Goldenrod Department Store; you can first get it from an NPC in Ilex Forest. Headbutt allows you to bump Pokémon off trees, including rare ones!

Speak of useful overworld TMs, Flash is a reward for beating Sprout Tower and useful for a few caves. Rock Smash is received from the NPC close to the Sudowoodo you battle after obtaining your third Gym Badge east of National Park/west of Violet City.

Earthquake can only be found late in the game in Victory Road. Head from the north exit and go left, take the ladder and then south.

Psychic can be received for free from Mr Psychic, in a house east of the Pokémon Centre in Saffron City.

Shadow Ball is a reward for beating Morty – but remember, Ghost is a Physical-type attack in this generation! Sludge Bomb meanwhile is Physical too, and obtained from the guard in the Route 43 gate after defeating Team Rocket in Mahogany/dealing with the Red Gyarados. Thief is found inside Team Rocket’s Hideout in Mahogany Town and useful for getting Held Items from wild Pokémon.