Star Dream
09-02-2017, 03:18 AM
Pokemon Glitches, Their Utility, and You!
Did you know that there are a ton of in-game glitches in the earlier Pokemon games?
In Red, Blue and Yellow, there are many oversights on the programmer's parts, including ways to duplicate items, catch any Pokemon you want, and even find Pokemon over level 100.. all very easily and completely safely!
You just have to know where to go and what to do, and it becomes really easy.
Surprisingly, none of these glitches were patched out for the 3DS Virtual Console releases of Pokemon Red, Blue, and Yellow.
It's possible to transfer your Pokemon from these games into Pokebank using the PokeTransfer application! So, with the help of this guide, you can easily get all the level 100s, hidden abilities, and Mewtwos you'll ever want.
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Disclaimer: All the glitches here, if followed correctly, should be completely safe for your Pokemon and your save file.
However, depending on what you mess with -- such as using more unusual symbols in your player name to spawn weird things on the Cinnabar coastline, or using extremely high Special stats for your Mew Glitch encounter -- you may encounter potentially-damaging factors ingame.
Most of the stranger things in the game, such as odd glitch Pokemon and glitched trainers, will cause the game to harmlessly crash at absolute worst. However, others such as the Pokemon .4 and the TMTRAINER effect, can corrupt saves. Please don't seek these particular glitches out unless you are 100% sure what you're doing!
Please do research and stay safe while glitching, and if you encounter something you're uncertain about, do not save after the encounter.
Additionally, Pokebank will not transfer "abnormal" Pokemon.
These include 1. Pokemon above level 100, 2. some Pokemon at very low levels (elaborated on later), 3. Pokemon with moves/traits they should not have, 4. Pokemon that just don't exist in later games, such as Missingno. and 'M, and 5. any Mew without the ID and OT matching the special event one.
You shouldn't get in trouble for trying to transfer any of these, but the application simply will not transfer these Pokemon to your Pokebank Transfer Box, and will instead leave them in your RBY save game.
You can "normalize" a Pokemon by teaching it new moves through levelup/TMs, or by leveling it up (or down with manual battle EXP if it's above 100) to a correct level.
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I. The Old Man Glitch, Glitch Pokemon & the Cinnabar Island Coastline
[Only registered and activated users can see links]
This is one of the more famous glitches out there due to its sheer utility and how safe it is. It allows effortless item duplication as well as, on occasion, access to rare and interesting Pokemon.
It can be done in Red, Blue and Green: it's still possible to find Missingnos in Yellow, but it tends to use the glitch after this.
Necessary for this glitch are:
1. Access to Fly and Surf.
And that's literally it.
[Only registered and activated users can see links]
Step 1. The Old Man
See this guy? Back in the beginning of the game, if you tried to go past him without delivering the Parcel to Prof. Oak, he wouldn't let you walk past him.
Once you're free to go, he'll settle into the background. If you talk to him and say "NO" to his question, he'll start up a mock battle and show you how to catch a Weedle. It's pretty easy.
Well, let's do that. Talk to him, say "NO", and let him show you how to catch a Weedle.
This encounter, for whatever reason, messes with the game's cached route and Pokemon species data-- it empties that out, leaving it a blank slate that ends up pulling information from other bytes. And, typically, that's what you want to do if you want to find odd-leveled Pokemon, Missingno., and 'M.
Step 2. Cinnabar Island Coast
Anyways, after doing that, fly to Cinnabar Island. You will want a Pokemon with Surf, so be sure to bring that.
Once you're there, go to this strip of shoreline right here, and surf up and down it. Stay on this vertical area and don't go off it, or you'll find wild Tentacool.
[Only registered and activated users can see links]
It may take awhile due to low encounter rates, so keep swimming.. eventually, you will find something.
That something includes the Pokemon 'M, the Pokemon Missingno., or a whole other host of Pokemon that are generated by your player name.
But for now, we'll look for what we came here for.
[Only registered and activated users can see links]
There it is! If you check your bag, you should have a peculiar number of items in your 6th item slot.
[Only registered and activated users can see links]
Neat, huh? That block is a value higher than 9, so it pulls random data to substitute the value.
If you had Potion x1 in that slot before, you now have Potion x129 total.
And you can duplicate all the things you want by shuffling around the item in that 6th slot-- it's quite easy!
Also because there's a few different sorts of Pokemon you can find here, here's a couple pointers:
[Only registered and activated users can see links]
If it's an 'M: These appear at lv0 or lv80, never anything else. Weird, huh? You can easily KO it due to very low defenses, and it shouldn't be dangerous to your team. You can also catch it if you wish: but be warned! If you try to withdraw a level 0 or level 1 Pokemon from your PC, your game will freeze up! So try and catch a lv0 'M with a space in your party, or just catch the less common lv80 ones.
Interestingly, if you level up an 'M, it'll evolve into a Kangaskhan... and when you catch an 'M, there will be a Ditto left behind in its place in the battle. Nobody knows why that happens, but you can catch that too.
[Only registered and activated users can see links]
If it's a Missingno.: These can appear at all sorts of levels, and may have high attack, speed and HP, making them very capable of KOing your whole team if you're not careful. They can be caught and leveled like normal Pokemon, but may cause harmless graphical glitches all the while as well as messing up your Hall of Fame information. (These effects go away if you reset the game.) And, like any other Pokemon, they're above lv. 100, upon gaining EXP they will go back down to level 100.
I tend to duplicate Poke Dolls and keep them in my inventory if I find a Missingno., because a Poke Doll will allow you to instantly flee from the fight. Pretty painless, especially if your team's underleveled.
[Only registered and activated users can see links]
If it's something else: Sometimes you'll find other Pokemon on the coastline, too-- often above level 100 and usually not a glitch species, although it's possible to find random stuff like lv7 Pidgeys and whatnot. These Pokemon are just like any other wild Pokemon besides their weird level; they can be caught and raised like normal, although they will go back down to level 100 if you give them any battle EXP. Just beware, higher-level Pokemon will have strong stats to match their level, and can easily wipe out your whole team!
Interestingly, these other Pokemon will spawn depending on your player name.
For instance, this save file's name is "Ash", which spawns a level 80 Charmeleon, a level 178 Nidorino, and a level 164 Missingno.
Overall, it's incredibly simple. This whole selection of weird Pokemon lasts until you leave the area.
You can start the glitch over and over again by going back and talking to the Old Man, and then directly flying to Cinnabar and going surfing on the coastline. If you want to find Safari Zone species there, then talk to the Old Man, go to the Safari Zone in Fuschia City, and then after you're done there, go straight to Cinnabar.
So, what's this glitch useful for, and how might it be relevant in Gen 7 and beyond?
1. Item duplication. You can transfer over all the level 100s you want, with all the fun TM moves you want. There's no limit. You can move items in your bag by moving the pointer over an item and pressing SELECT, and then pressing SELECT again when you find the item to switch it with.
Just try not to get an item stack of more than 255 items, because then the stack will turn into multiple stacks, which takes up more inventory space. It's a little annoying.
2. Rare Pokemon. Depending on your name, you might find starters and legendaries on the Cinnabar coast, and with patience, you can catch tons of them. These make fantastic tradebait on the GTS, and people will eagerly trade other legendaries, rare species, and Ultra Beasts for charismatic stuff.
Similarily, it's also great for completing your Pokedex... but the next glitch is even better for that.
3. Freaking out all your friends with the weird glitch Pokemon you caught. You can't move them to Pokebank, but they sure are neat.
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II. The Mew Glitch / Long-Range Trainer Glitch
[Only registered and activated users can see links]
And now for our second glitch, which is a real game-changer.
With this glitch, you can encounter any Pokemon in the game, including Mew with relative ease. It can be done in all four Gen 1 games.
Necessary for this glitch are:
1. A Pokemon that can use Fly
2. Specific trainers that have not yet been defeated
+ I would also recommend Pokeballs, preferably Master Balls, to catch whatever you spawn.
This glitch has a few steps, and takes a bit to get used to, but once you know how to do it, it's incredibly useful.
But before we begin, let's talk about long-range trainers, and the two most useful ones for this glitch.
These are trainer NPCs that have a line of sight long enough to see you from the other side of the screen-- meaning, if you walk into their vision at any time when they're at the very edge of the screen, they will approach and challenge you.
There are a handful of these trainers in the game, but for this guide, we'll focus on the two most popular ones for this glitch, as they are both easily accessible and fairly easy to avoid.
[Only registered and activated users can see links] [Only registered and activated users can see links]
This guy, north of Cerulean City-- and this dude, east of Saffron City / west of Lavender town.
You need to make sure that you have not defeated them, otherwise you can't use them for this glitch.
There's enough long-range trainers in the game that you can probably find others for this glitch, but I highly recommend you keep these two around because of how easy it is to use them for the glitch.
Step 1. The Long-Range Fly-away
Anyways, onto the glitch itself.
You want to get into one of these two spots, and have a Pokemon with Fly on your team.
Regardless of the spot you choose, I would recommend saving once in this position in case you mess this up.
[Only registered and activated users can see links]
This is right outside of the line of sight of these two trainers. Either location is perfectly fine; I prefer the one north of Cerulean City because it's easiest to get to.
Now that you're ready, you want to press Down + Start at the same time.
The timing is easy once you figure it out, but it will take a few tries, so be absolutely sure to save beforehand.
If you do this correctly, you will be within the range of the trainer, but you will have the pause menu open.
[Only registered and activated users can see links]
Now, normally this shouldn't happen.. but something about the range of a long-range trainer has a delay long enough for you to open the Start menu. In this case, you want to go into your Pokemon menu and use Fly.
You can Fly anywhere you like, but don't go back to this route until this guide says you can.
When you Fly away, the Trainer should have a "!" above their head, and their music for spotting you should play.
[Only registered and activated users can see links]
Fly to wherever you like. When you land, you will notice that you cannot open the Start Menu or use A+B. This is normal.
The game currently thinks you're in a Pokemon battle, so you can't use overworld controls.
Step 2. Fight it Out!
Once you've flown away from your long-range trainer, you need to fight another trainer.
This is necessary to conclude the first part of the glitch.
Any trainer for this will work besides all trainers on the route you flew away from.
However, you have to have them approach you from at least one tile away.
[Only registered and activated users can see links]
The game will freeze if you walk directly up in their face, because it thinks that you're still in the encounter with the trainer you flew away from.
(Any Rival encounters, such as the one outside Viridian City after the 8th gym, will work for this too + you can scroll through dialogue just fine.)
Either way, initiate this battle as normal.
You can win or lose and the game won't care either way-- what matters is getting into the fight and then leaving it.
If you don't have any other trainers to fight, there's an easy option.
After Flying away from the first trainer, go to a Pokemon Center and go to your PC. You can still access it for whatever reason.
Change your Pokemon box, forcing the game to save, and then reset the game + reload it.
When you reload the game, you can use A, B, Start and Select again.
After reloading, go to any Strength boulder in any area, and move it once. This will qualify as a trainer encounter, for some reason.
[Only registered and activated users can see links]
(This is a good one, it's in the Safari Warden's house in Fuchsia City.)
After doing this, you will want to fight a Pokemon or trainer to get your Special value for the next step.
Step 3. A Very Special Value
So, you've gotten your A, B, Start and Select back, and hopefully you've fought a trainer or at least used Strength to qualify as a trainer encounter. What next?
Well, if you haven't already fought a trainer or Pokemon, you need to do that now.
This glitch is very odd in a way, you see.
After you fly away and fight a trainer (or use Strength + fight a Pokemon), the Special stat of the last Pokemon you fight will be saved to the game's cache.
This will spawn a Pokemon encounter on the route where you flew away from a trainer.
So, in this case, it will be a Pokemon encounter on the route just north of Cerulean City, or on the route just west of Saffron/east of Lavender.
As soon as you enter the route, your Start Menu will open automatically, and upon closing it, you'll find a wild Pokemon.
This is what we'll call a "generated encounter Pokemon", or "GE Pokemon".
[Only registered and activated users can see links]
Here's a Gastly. The trainer I used was one just east of Vermilion City.
Now, you might be thinking.
"But Star Dream, how do I figure out what Pokemon this will be?
I can't see the opponent's Special stat, and I don't know what each Special stat does!"
The game will always generate your Pokemon encounter by matching the Special stat with the in-game index number of a Pokemon, which then causes an encounter with that Pokemon species.
[graphic showing a special stat; the corresponding index number; the Pokemon in question being found.]
This encounter will almost always be at Level 7, but it's possible to find ones at other levels.
With that said, you need to do two things:
1. Find a Special value that spawns what you want
2. Either find a trainer whose last Pokemon has that Special value or have a Pokemon with that Special value.
(We'll call this your Special Stat Value Pokemon, or "SSV Pokemon".)
Most of the time, this requires trial and error to figure out what you get...
So, typically, for SSV Pokemon, you want to use a Ditto, which will transform into one of your Pokemon, therefore copying its Special stat!
Then it can be defeated and have its Special stat cached to determine your GE Pokemon.
You can find Dittos in the grass east of Fucshia City (Red/Blue/Green),
or in the deepest basement of the Pokemon Mansion on Cinnabar Island (Yellow).
Here's a list of Gen1 Pokemon by their in-game Index Numbers ([Only registered and activated users can see links](Generation_I )).
(Note that a Special value above 190 will create glitch trainer encounters, which can be unpredictable. Do so at your own risk.
Additionally, the list only goes up to 255: if you use a Special value above that, it wraps back around.
So a Special value of 256 will spawn a Rhydon, which has an index no. of 1.)
Once you know how to use it, it's a very simple reference to use. For instance, KOing a Pokemon with a Special stat of 21 will create a wild Mew on the route where you flew away, because Mew's index number is 21.
A Special stat of 98 creates a wild Omanyte, which has an index number of 98. And so on and so forth!
With wild Dittos, you can feasibly fight a Pokemon with any index number as long as you own a Pokemon with the correct Special stat.
You can also use this glitch to very easily find Missingnos in Pokemon Yellow, where they are otherwise tricky to find wild in that game. And in Pokemon Yellow, they still have the same 6th-item-slot duplication effect, too!
Any Pokemon works to generate a wild encounter: a transformed Ditto works, a trainer's Pokemon works, any wild Pokemon works-- but if you want to find a specific Pokemon in the end, you want to use the Ditto method or do some research on trainers and wild Pokemon.
You can find all the wild Dittos you ever want with a bit of patience, so I highly recommend using them for this trick.
And if you want to find a guaranteed Mew, you can fight this kid. He has a Slowpoke with a Special stat of 21, and 21 is Mew's index number.
However, he's on the same route as the Long-Range Trainer in the grass-- so you want to use the other Long-Range trainer, the Gambler, if you want to fight this guy. Otherwise, he won't work.
[Only registered and activated users can see links]
Step 4: A Strange Appearance!
And now, all you do is return to the route with the Long-Range Trainer that you flew away from.
Enter the route, your Start Menu pops up, and you'll find a wild Pokemon with an Index Number that matches the Special stat of your last Pokemon encounter.
[Only registered and activated users can see links]
As I said before, this can be any species in the game!
So I would highly recommend bringing some Master Balls, because some Pokemon can be tricky to catch otherwise. ;)
This glitch is invaluable for finding any Pokemon you want at a low level, and allows fairly easy dupes of legendaries, starters, and rare species. And you can transfer almost all of them to Pokebank, too!
There's a few exceptions, however. The below Pokemon all require to be these levels, or higher, to pass through Pokebank.
Hilariously, it isn't true for all Pokemon.. I've gotten nearly everything through at level 7, even stuff like Gengar that can only be obtained after level 25 due to Gastly evolving at that level!
Here's a list of Pokemon with required levels to pass through Pokebank:
Ivysaur, Charmeleon, and Wartortle: Lv16+
Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise: Lv32+ for Venusaur, lv36+ for Charizard and Blastoise
Dratini: Lv15+
Dragonair: Lv30+
Dragonite: Lv55+
Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres: Lv50+
Mewtwo: Lv70+
Mew: Lv15+, must have the OT "GF" and an ID No. of 22796
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IV. Other Fun Stuff
Now, those two glitches are the two "big" glitches in Gen 1 games that you can exploit quite a bit. Being able to duplicate items and being able to catch any Pokemon in the game are both a lot of fun, and you can put them to a lot of use by transferring your spoils through Pokebank!
But there are some other interesting little errors here and there that you might be able to put to use...
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1. Experience Underflow
Up until Generation 4, it was impossible to get level 1 Pokemon. Or was it?
With the use of the Long-Range Trainer glitch above, it actually is possible to catch a level 1 Pokemon.. and do some fun stuff with that odd level.
This glitch works in all Gen 1 games.
When using the Long-Range Trainer glitch and fighting your SSV Pokemon, there's another variable in the fight that affects your generated encounter: the multiplier on the opposing Pokemon's Attack stat.
This multiplier, for whatever reason, changes the level of the GE Pokemon you find!
By default, your GE Pokemon's level is 7-- but if your SSV Pokemon's Attack goes up or down, then each stage of increase or decrease will either increase or decrease that level.
The easiest way to decrease enemy Pokemon Attack is to use Growl.
So, say you Growl 6 times at your SSV Pokemon.
Their Attack stage will be -6, therefore subtracting 6 levels from your GE Pokemon.
Alternately, if the Special-stat value Pokemon uses Growth (+1) or Swords Dance (+2), then they can add up to 6 levels to your GE Pokemon.
Still with me here? This all means you can easily find any Pokemon at level 1, or at up to level 13!
But level 1 Pokemon are particularly special: some of them will actually have negative experience points. -54, to be exact.
And, because of how the game operates with experience underflow, if that Pokemon goes into battle and gets less than 54 EXP... it will immediately jump up to level 100!
Now, it's easy enough to get level 1 Pokemon, as outlined above.
And it's pretty easy to get less than 54 EXP, too.
Go somewhere like Route 1 or Route 2, make sure your lv1 Pokemon is out front, switch a few times to divide up EXP between your team, then KO the wild Pokemon. Bam, instant level 100.
What Pokemon have -54 EXP at Lv1?
Bulbasaur, Ivysaur, Venusaur, Charmander, Charmeleon, Charizard, Squirtle, Wartortle, Blastoise, Pidgey, Pidgeotto, Pidgeot, NidoranF, Nidorina, Nidoqueen, NidoranM, Nidorino, Nidoking, Oddish, Gloom, Vileplume, Poliwag, Poliwhirl, Poliwrath, Abra, Kadabra, Alakazam, Machop, Machoke, Machamp, Bellsprout, Weepinbell, Victreebel, Geodude, Graveler, Golem, Gastly, Haunter, Gengar, Mew
In other words, most Pokemon with multiple evolutions, besides the Dratini line. Other Pokemon won't work for this trick because they have different amounts of EXP at level 100 than the above species, and therefore aren't affected by the experience underflow.
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2. Evolutionary Stone Bypassing
Interestingly, it's possible to evolve a Stone-evolution Pokemon without using a Stone on it whatsoever. This can be a lifesaver if you don't have any Moon Stones to duplicate, because there's a limited amount of them in the game!
This glitch works in Red and Blue.
This glitch is quite simple.
All you need to do is this:
1. Get in a battle.
2. Level up the Pokemon that you want to evolve in that battle. Just once is fine.
3. Finish the battle with a specific other Pokemon active.
4. The Pokemon that leveled up + can evolve from a Stone should automatically evolve after the battle ends.
This is because this "specific other Pokemon", the one you end the battle with, shares an index number with an evolution stone.
Through some coding sorcery, the game thinks you used that stone on the Pokemon that leveled up.
So what Pokemon work as what Stone?
Moon Stone: Exeggutor
Leaf Stone: Psyduck
Water Stone: Onix
Thunder Stone: Growlithe
Fire Stone: Missingno. (index no. 32 species)
All of these Pokemon, besides possibly the Missingno., are fairly easy to get.
And you can get the Missingno. by using the Long-Range Trainer Glitch and using a Special stat of 32 for your generated encounter!
For reference, these Stones evolve these Pokemon:
Moon Stone: Nidorino, Nidorina, Jigglypuff, Clefairy
Leaf Stone: Gloom, Exeggcute
Fire Stone: Growlithe, Vulpix, Eevee
Thunder Stone: Pikachu, Eevee
Water Stone: Staryu, Eevee
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3. Pokemon Cloning
Cloning has always been at least somewhat present in earlier Pokemon games, usually brought about by resetting the game during a trade or while changing PC boxes after depositing Pokemon. Some methods are hazardous to your save file, and as such, will not be discussed here!
a. Storage System Cloning
This method is simple, and works in all Gen 1 and Gen 2 games.
You deposit up to 5 Pokemon in the PC box, and then go to the option to change your active PC Box.
Upon doing this, the game will prompt you to save-- do so, and then at a specific point, interrupt the "SAVING" dialogue by resetting the game.
The typical "best" time to do this is when the "SAVING" dialogue box appears, but before any text appears in it.
If you've done this correctly, then you should have the deposited Pokemon in both your party and your box.
It can be very tricky to figure out the exact timing for this method, so keep trying if you really want to make some clones.
It can be worth it, though, since it can allow you to clone 5 Pokemon at once!
b. Battle Tower Cloning
This method is very similar to the above, allowing you to clone up to 5 Pokemon at a time.
It works exclusively in Pokemon Emerald.
Because items can be held in generation 3, you can also use this glitch to clone items!
First, go to the Battle Tower in the Battle Frontier. Go to the PC, located on the far right, and deposit the 5 Pokemon you want duplicated.
Save afterwards, and then withdraw all of them back into your party.
Go down and around and talk to the last blue-haired lady to the right at the front desks: she'll introduce herself as the guide to the "LINK MULTI BATTLE ROOMS". Say yes to her propositions, select "Open Battle", and choose two Pokemon from your party.
She'll then ask you if you want to save-- agree to this. You'll notice a fairly big pause before the save screen comes up; this is normal.
Once the save prompt comes up, hit "Yes", then immediately reset the game.
(This can take some practice to get the timing right, but keep trying-- you'll get it.)
Upon loading your save, it'll give you the prompt "The save data has been corrupted. The previous save file will be loaded".
This is normal, so don't worry. Anyways, load up your game. You'll be back in front of the blue-haired lady.
Now go check your PC, and you should have all the Pokemon you initially deposited... but also, all those Pokemon will be in your team as well!
If they were holding any items, these items will have been duplicated along with them.
It's a pretty sweet way to get goodies like extra Master Balls, Rare Candies, rare berries and TMs!
~ ~ ~
4. Infinite Pokeballs in Pokemon Colosseum
This glitch is also incredibly easy, but it only works in Pokemon Colosseum.
This requires at least two different kinds of Pokeballs, and two Pokemon that aren't fainted.
When catching a Shadow Pokemon, use your first Pokemon's turn to select a Pokeball to use.
Choose your target to use the Pokeball on, and then go to choosing moves for your second Pokemon's turn.
During this turn, go back into your Bag, find the Pokeball that you picked to use on your first Pokemon's turn, and then use the Y button to move it to a different slot. Then conclude your turn as normal, either by picking an Attack, using an item that isn't a Pokeball, or Calling one of your Pokemon.
After the Pokeball is used, it will still exist in your Bag!
This glitch is super useful for legendary Pokemon, which might use up many of your Pokeballs, or if you're a weirdo like me who wants to catch literally all the Shadow Pokemon in the game with a single Premier Ball.
This works with any Pokeball in the game, including all the ones that can be transferred over from GBA games.
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And for right now, that's it!
I may add more glitch tutorials later if I find ones that are substantially worthwhile, useful, or interesting. Or, if you want me to cover a particular glitch, I would be happy to do so for you, so just ask!
Figuring out how to break Pokemon games for fun and profit is one of my favorite pastimes. :')
Did you know that there are a ton of in-game glitches in the earlier Pokemon games?
In Red, Blue and Yellow, there are many oversights on the programmer's parts, including ways to duplicate items, catch any Pokemon you want, and even find Pokemon over level 100.. all very easily and completely safely!
You just have to know where to go and what to do, and it becomes really easy.
Surprisingly, none of these glitches were patched out for the 3DS Virtual Console releases of Pokemon Red, Blue, and Yellow.
It's possible to transfer your Pokemon from these games into Pokebank using the PokeTransfer application! So, with the help of this guide, you can easily get all the level 100s, hidden abilities, and Mewtwos you'll ever want.
-------------------------------------------------------
Disclaimer: All the glitches here, if followed correctly, should be completely safe for your Pokemon and your save file.
However, depending on what you mess with -- such as using more unusual symbols in your player name to spawn weird things on the Cinnabar coastline, or using extremely high Special stats for your Mew Glitch encounter -- you may encounter potentially-damaging factors ingame.
Most of the stranger things in the game, such as odd glitch Pokemon and glitched trainers, will cause the game to harmlessly crash at absolute worst. However, others such as the Pokemon .4 and the TMTRAINER effect, can corrupt saves. Please don't seek these particular glitches out unless you are 100% sure what you're doing!
Please do research and stay safe while glitching, and if you encounter something you're uncertain about, do not save after the encounter.
Additionally, Pokebank will not transfer "abnormal" Pokemon.
These include 1. Pokemon above level 100, 2. some Pokemon at very low levels (elaborated on later), 3. Pokemon with moves/traits they should not have, 4. Pokemon that just don't exist in later games, such as Missingno. and 'M, and 5. any Mew without the ID and OT matching the special event one.
You shouldn't get in trouble for trying to transfer any of these, but the application simply will not transfer these Pokemon to your Pokebank Transfer Box, and will instead leave them in your RBY save game.
You can "normalize" a Pokemon by teaching it new moves through levelup/TMs, or by leveling it up (or down with manual battle EXP if it's above 100) to a correct level.
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I. The Old Man Glitch, Glitch Pokemon & the Cinnabar Island Coastline
[Only registered and activated users can see links]
This is one of the more famous glitches out there due to its sheer utility and how safe it is. It allows effortless item duplication as well as, on occasion, access to rare and interesting Pokemon.
It can be done in Red, Blue and Green: it's still possible to find Missingnos in Yellow, but it tends to use the glitch after this.
Necessary for this glitch are:
1. Access to Fly and Surf.
And that's literally it.
[Only registered and activated users can see links]
Step 1. The Old Man
See this guy? Back in the beginning of the game, if you tried to go past him without delivering the Parcel to Prof. Oak, he wouldn't let you walk past him.
Once you're free to go, he'll settle into the background. If you talk to him and say "NO" to his question, he'll start up a mock battle and show you how to catch a Weedle. It's pretty easy.
Well, let's do that. Talk to him, say "NO", and let him show you how to catch a Weedle.
This encounter, for whatever reason, messes with the game's cached route and Pokemon species data-- it empties that out, leaving it a blank slate that ends up pulling information from other bytes. And, typically, that's what you want to do if you want to find odd-leveled Pokemon, Missingno., and 'M.
Step 2. Cinnabar Island Coast
Anyways, after doing that, fly to Cinnabar Island. You will want a Pokemon with Surf, so be sure to bring that.
Once you're there, go to this strip of shoreline right here, and surf up and down it. Stay on this vertical area and don't go off it, or you'll find wild Tentacool.
[Only registered and activated users can see links]
It may take awhile due to low encounter rates, so keep swimming.. eventually, you will find something.
That something includes the Pokemon 'M, the Pokemon Missingno., or a whole other host of Pokemon that are generated by your player name.
But for now, we'll look for what we came here for.
[Only registered and activated users can see links]
There it is! If you check your bag, you should have a peculiar number of items in your 6th item slot.
[Only registered and activated users can see links]
Neat, huh? That block is a value higher than 9, so it pulls random data to substitute the value.
If you had Potion x1 in that slot before, you now have Potion x129 total.
And you can duplicate all the things you want by shuffling around the item in that 6th slot-- it's quite easy!
Also because there's a few different sorts of Pokemon you can find here, here's a couple pointers:
[Only registered and activated users can see links]
If it's an 'M: These appear at lv0 or lv80, never anything else. Weird, huh? You can easily KO it due to very low defenses, and it shouldn't be dangerous to your team. You can also catch it if you wish: but be warned! If you try to withdraw a level 0 or level 1 Pokemon from your PC, your game will freeze up! So try and catch a lv0 'M with a space in your party, or just catch the less common lv80 ones.
Interestingly, if you level up an 'M, it'll evolve into a Kangaskhan... and when you catch an 'M, there will be a Ditto left behind in its place in the battle. Nobody knows why that happens, but you can catch that too.
[Only registered and activated users can see links]
If it's a Missingno.: These can appear at all sorts of levels, and may have high attack, speed and HP, making them very capable of KOing your whole team if you're not careful. They can be caught and leveled like normal Pokemon, but may cause harmless graphical glitches all the while as well as messing up your Hall of Fame information. (These effects go away if you reset the game.) And, like any other Pokemon, they're above lv. 100, upon gaining EXP they will go back down to level 100.
I tend to duplicate Poke Dolls and keep them in my inventory if I find a Missingno., because a Poke Doll will allow you to instantly flee from the fight. Pretty painless, especially if your team's underleveled.
[Only registered and activated users can see links]
If it's something else: Sometimes you'll find other Pokemon on the coastline, too-- often above level 100 and usually not a glitch species, although it's possible to find random stuff like lv7 Pidgeys and whatnot. These Pokemon are just like any other wild Pokemon besides their weird level; they can be caught and raised like normal, although they will go back down to level 100 if you give them any battle EXP. Just beware, higher-level Pokemon will have strong stats to match their level, and can easily wipe out your whole team!
Interestingly, these other Pokemon will spawn depending on your player name.
For instance, this save file's name is "Ash", which spawns a level 80 Charmeleon, a level 178 Nidorino, and a level 164 Missingno.
Overall, it's incredibly simple. This whole selection of weird Pokemon lasts until you leave the area.
You can start the glitch over and over again by going back and talking to the Old Man, and then directly flying to Cinnabar and going surfing on the coastline. If you want to find Safari Zone species there, then talk to the Old Man, go to the Safari Zone in Fuschia City, and then after you're done there, go straight to Cinnabar.
So, what's this glitch useful for, and how might it be relevant in Gen 7 and beyond?
1. Item duplication. You can transfer over all the level 100s you want, with all the fun TM moves you want. There's no limit. You can move items in your bag by moving the pointer over an item and pressing SELECT, and then pressing SELECT again when you find the item to switch it with.
Just try not to get an item stack of more than 255 items, because then the stack will turn into multiple stacks, which takes up more inventory space. It's a little annoying.
2. Rare Pokemon. Depending on your name, you might find starters and legendaries on the Cinnabar coast, and with patience, you can catch tons of them. These make fantastic tradebait on the GTS, and people will eagerly trade other legendaries, rare species, and Ultra Beasts for charismatic stuff.
Similarily, it's also great for completing your Pokedex... but the next glitch is even better for that.
3. Freaking out all your friends with the weird glitch Pokemon you caught. You can't move them to Pokebank, but they sure are neat.
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II. The Mew Glitch / Long-Range Trainer Glitch
[Only registered and activated users can see links]
And now for our second glitch, which is a real game-changer.
With this glitch, you can encounter any Pokemon in the game, including Mew with relative ease. It can be done in all four Gen 1 games.
Necessary for this glitch are:
1. A Pokemon that can use Fly
2. Specific trainers that have not yet been defeated
+ I would also recommend Pokeballs, preferably Master Balls, to catch whatever you spawn.
This glitch has a few steps, and takes a bit to get used to, but once you know how to do it, it's incredibly useful.
But before we begin, let's talk about long-range trainers, and the two most useful ones for this glitch.
These are trainer NPCs that have a line of sight long enough to see you from the other side of the screen-- meaning, if you walk into their vision at any time when they're at the very edge of the screen, they will approach and challenge you.
There are a handful of these trainers in the game, but for this guide, we'll focus on the two most popular ones for this glitch, as they are both easily accessible and fairly easy to avoid.
[Only registered and activated users can see links] [Only registered and activated users can see links]
This guy, north of Cerulean City-- and this dude, east of Saffron City / west of Lavender town.
You need to make sure that you have not defeated them, otherwise you can't use them for this glitch.
There's enough long-range trainers in the game that you can probably find others for this glitch, but I highly recommend you keep these two around because of how easy it is to use them for the glitch.
Step 1. The Long-Range Fly-away
Anyways, onto the glitch itself.
You want to get into one of these two spots, and have a Pokemon with Fly on your team.
Regardless of the spot you choose, I would recommend saving once in this position in case you mess this up.
[Only registered and activated users can see links]
This is right outside of the line of sight of these two trainers. Either location is perfectly fine; I prefer the one north of Cerulean City because it's easiest to get to.
Now that you're ready, you want to press Down + Start at the same time.
The timing is easy once you figure it out, but it will take a few tries, so be absolutely sure to save beforehand.
If you do this correctly, you will be within the range of the trainer, but you will have the pause menu open.
[Only registered and activated users can see links]
Now, normally this shouldn't happen.. but something about the range of a long-range trainer has a delay long enough for you to open the Start menu. In this case, you want to go into your Pokemon menu and use Fly.
You can Fly anywhere you like, but don't go back to this route until this guide says you can.
When you Fly away, the Trainer should have a "!" above their head, and their music for spotting you should play.
[Only registered and activated users can see links]
Fly to wherever you like. When you land, you will notice that you cannot open the Start Menu or use A+B. This is normal.
The game currently thinks you're in a Pokemon battle, so you can't use overworld controls.
Step 2. Fight it Out!
Once you've flown away from your long-range trainer, you need to fight another trainer.
This is necessary to conclude the first part of the glitch.
Any trainer for this will work besides all trainers on the route you flew away from.
However, you have to have them approach you from at least one tile away.
[Only registered and activated users can see links]
The game will freeze if you walk directly up in their face, because it thinks that you're still in the encounter with the trainer you flew away from.
(Any Rival encounters, such as the one outside Viridian City after the 8th gym, will work for this too + you can scroll through dialogue just fine.)
Either way, initiate this battle as normal.
You can win or lose and the game won't care either way-- what matters is getting into the fight and then leaving it.
If you don't have any other trainers to fight, there's an easy option.
After Flying away from the first trainer, go to a Pokemon Center and go to your PC. You can still access it for whatever reason.
Change your Pokemon box, forcing the game to save, and then reset the game + reload it.
When you reload the game, you can use A, B, Start and Select again.
After reloading, go to any Strength boulder in any area, and move it once. This will qualify as a trainer encounter, for some reason.
[Only registered and activated users can see links]
(This is a good one, it's in the Safari Warden's house in Fuchsia City.)
After doing this, you will want to fight a Pokemon or trainer to get your Special value for the next step.
Step 3. A Very Special Value
So, you've gotten your A, B, Start and Select back, and hopefully you've fought a trainer or at least used Strength to qualify as a trainer encounter. What next?
Well, if you haven't already fought a trainer or Pokemon, you need to do that now.
This glitch is very odd in a way, you see.
After you fly away and fight a trainer (or use Strength + fight a Pokemon), the Special stat of the last Pokemon you fight will be saved to the game's cache.
This will spawn a Pokemon encounter on the route where you flew away from a trainer.
So, in this case, it will be a Pokemon encounter on the route just north of Cerulean City, or on the route just west of Saffron/east of Lavender.
As soon as you enter the route, your Start Menu will open automatically, and upon closing it, you'll find a wild Pokemon.
This is what we'll call a "generated encounter Pokemon", or "GE Pokemon".
[Only registered and activated users can see links]
Here's a Gastly. The trainer I used was one just east of Vermilion City.
Now, you might be thinking.
"But Star Dream, how do I figure out what Pokemon this will be?
I can't see the opponent's Special stat, and I don't know what each Special stat does!"
The game will always generate your Pokemon encounter by matching the Special stat with the in-game index number of a Pokemon, which then causes an encounter with that Pokemon species.
[graphic showing a special stat; the corresponding index number; the Pokemon in question being found.]
This encounter will almost always be at Level 7, but it's possible to find ones at other levels.
With that said, you need to do two things:
1. Find a Special value that spawns what you want
2. Either find a trainer whose last Pokemon has that Special value or have a Pokemon with that Special value.
(We'll call this your Special Stat Value Pokemon, or "SSV Pokemon".)
Most of the time, this requires trial and error to figure out what you get...
So, typically, for SSV Pokemon, you want to use a Ditto, which will transform into one of your Pokemon, therefore copying its Special stat!
Then it can be defeated and have its Special stat cached to determine your GE Pokemon.
You can find Dittos in the grass east of Fucshia City (Red/Blue/Green),
or in the deepest basement of the Pokemon Mansion on Cinnabar Island (Yellow).
Here's a list of Gen1 Pokemon by their in-game Index Numbers ([Only registered and activated users can see links](Generation_I )).
(Note that a Special value above 190 will create glitch trainer encounters, which can be unpredictable. Do so at your own risk.
Additionally, the list only goes up to 255: if you use a Special value above that, it wraps back around.
So a Special value of 256 will spawn a Rhydon, which has an index no. of 1.)
Once you know how to use it, it's a very simple reference to use. For instance, KOing a Pokemon with a Special stat of 21 will create a wild Mew on the route where you flew away, because Mew's index number is 21.
A Special stat of 98 creates a wild Omanyte, which has an index number of 98. And so on and so forth!
With wild Dittos, you can feasibly fight a Pokemon with any index number as long as you own a Pokemon with the correct Special stat.
You can also use this glitch to very easily find Missingnos in Pokemon Yellow, where they are otherwise tricky to find wild in that game. And in Pokemon Yellow, they still have the same 6th-item-slot duplication effect, too!
Any Pokemon works to generate a wild encounter: a transformed Ditto works, a trainer's Pokemon works, any wild Pokemon works-- but if you want to find a specific Pokemon in the end, you want to use the Ditto method or do some research on trainers and wild Pokemon.
You can find all the wild Dittos you ever want with a bit of patience, so I highly recommend using them for this trick.
And if you want to find a guaranteed Mew, you can fight this kid. He has a Slowpoke with a Special stat of 21, and 21 is Mew's index number.
However, he's on the same route as the Long-Range Trainer in the grass-- so you want to use the other Long-Range trainer, the Gambler, if you want to fight this guy. Otherwise, he won't work.
[Only registered and activated users can see links]
Step 4: A Strange Appearance!
And now, all you do is return to the route with the Long-Range Trainer that you flew away from.
Enter the route, your Start Menu pops up, and you'll find a wild Pokemon with an Index Number that matches the Special stat of your last Pokemon encounter.
[Only registered and activated users can see links]
As I said before, this can be any species in the game!
So I would highly recommend bringing some Master Balls, because some Pokemon can be tricky to catch otherwise. ;)
This glitch is invaluable for finding any Pokemon you want at a low level, and allows fairly easy dupes of legendaries, starters, and rare species. And you can transfer almost all of them to Pokebank, too!
There's a few exceptions, however. The below Pokemon all require to be these levels, or higher, to pass through Pokebank.
Hilariously, it isn't true for all Pokemon.. I've gotten nearly everything through at level 7, even stuff like Gengar that can only be obtained after level 25 due to Gastly evolving at that level!
Here's a list of Pokemon with required levels to pass through Pokebank:
Ivysaur, Charmeleon, and Wartortle: Lv16+
Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise: Lv32+ for Venusaur, lv36+ for Charizard and Blastoise
Dratini: Lv15+
Dragonair: Lv30+
Dragonite: Lv55+
Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres: Lv50+
Mewtwo: Lv70+
Mew: Lv15+, must have the OT "GF" and an ID No. of 22796
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IV. Other Fun Stuff
Now, those two glitches are the two "big" glitches in Gen 1 games that you can exploit quite a bit. Being able to duplicate items and being able to catch any Pokemon in the game are both a lot of fun, and you can put them to a lot of use by transferring your spoils through Pokebank!
But there are some other interesting little errors here and there that you might be able to put to use...
~ ~ ~
1. Experience Underflow
Up until Generation 4, it was impossible to get level 1 Pokemon. Or was it?
With the use of the Long-Range Trainer glitch above, it actually is possible to catch a level 1 Pokemon.. and do some fun stuff with that odd level.
This glitch works in all Gen 1 games.
When using the Long-Range Trainer glitch and fighting your SSV Pokemon, there's another variable in the fight that affects your generated encounter: the multiplier on the opposing Pokemon's Attack stat.
This multiplier, for whatever reason, changes the level of the GE Pokemon you find!
By default, your GE Pokemon's level is 7-- but if your SSV Pokemon's Attack goes up or down, then each stage of increase or decrease will either increase or decrease that level.
The easiest way to decrease enemy Pokemon Attack is to use Growl.
So, say you Growl 6 times at your SSV Pokemon.
Their Attack stage will be -6, therefore subtracting 6 levels from your GE Pokemon.
Alternately, if the Special-stat value Pokemon uses Growth (+1) or Swords Dance (+2), then they can add up to 6 levels to your GE Pokemon.
Still with me here? This all means you can easily find any Pokemon at level 1, or at up to level 13!
But level 1 Pokemon are particularly special: some of them will actually have negative experience points. -54, to be exact.
And, because of how the game operates with experience underflow, if that Pokemon goes into battle and gets less than 54 EXP... it will immediately jump up to level 100!
Now, it's easy enough to get level 1 Pokemon, as outlined above.
And it's pretty easy to get less than 54 EXP, too.
Go somewhere like Route 1 or Route 2, make sure your lv1 Pokemon is out front, switch a few times to divide up EXP between your team, then KO the wild Pokemon. Bam, instant level 100.
What Pokemon have -54 EXP at Lv1?
Bulbasaur, Ivysaur, Venusaur, Charmander, Charmeleon, Charizard, Squirtle, Wartortle, Blastoise, Pidgey, Pidgeotto, Pidgeot, NidoranF, Nidorina, Nidoqueen, NidoranM, Nidorino, Nidoking, Oddish, Gloom, Vileplume, Poliwag, Poliwhirl, Poliwrath, Abra, Kadabra, Alakazam, Machop, Machoke, Machamp, Bellsprout, Weepinbell, Victreebel, Geodude, Graveler, Golem, Gastly, Haunter, Gengar, Mew
In other words, most Pokemon with multiple evolutions, besides the Dratini line. Other Pokemon won't work for this trick because they have different amounts of EXP at level 100 than the above species, and therefore aren't affected by the experience underflow.
~ ~ ~
2. Evolutionary Stone Bypassing
Interestingly, it's possible to evolve a Stone-evolution Pokemon without using a Stone on it whatsoever. This can be a lifesaver if you don't have any Moon Stones to duplicate, because there's a limited amount of them in the game!
This glitch works in Red and Blue.
This glitch is quite simple.
All you need to do is this:
1. Get in a battle.
2. Level up the Pokemon that you want to evolve in that battle. Just once is fine.
3. Finish the battle with a specific other Pokemon active.
4. The Pokemon that leveled up + can evolve from a Stone should automatically evolve after the battle ends.
This is because this "specific other Pokemon", the one you end the battle with, shares an index number with an evolution stone.
Through some coding sorcery, the game thinks you used that stone on the Pokemon that leveled up.
So what Pokemon work as what Stone?
Moon Stone: Exeggutor
Leaf Stone: Psyduck
Water Stone: Onix
Thunder Stone: Growlithe
Fire Stone: Missingno. (index no. 32 species)
All of these Pokemon, besides possibly the Missingno., are fairly easy to get.
And you can get the Missingno. by using the Long-Range Trainer Glitch and using a Special stat of 32 for your generated encounter!
For reference, these Stones evolve these Pokemon:
Moon Stone: Nidorino, Nidorina, Jigglypuff, Clefairy
Leaf Stone: Gloom, Exeggcute
Fire Stone: Growlithe, Vulpix, Eevee
Thunder Stone: Pikachu, Eevee
Water Stone: Staryu, Eevee
~ ~ ~
3. Pokemon Cloning
Cloning has always been at least somewhat present in earlier Pokemon games, usually brought about by resetting the game during a trade or while changing PC boxes after depositing Pokemon. Some methods are hazardous to your save file, and as such, will not be discussed here!
a. Storage System Cloning
This method is simple, and works in all Gen 1 and Gen 2 games.
You deposit up to 5 Pokemon in the PC box, and then go to the option to change your active PC Box.
Upon doing this, the game will prompt you to save-- do so, and then at a specific point, interrupt the "SAVING" dialogue by resetting the game.
The typical "best" time to do this is when the "SAVING" dialogue box appears, but before any text appears in it.
If you've done this correctly, then you should have the deposited Pokemon in both your party and your box.
It can be very tricky to figure out the exact timing for this method, so keep trying if you really want to make some clones.
It can be worth it, though, since it can allow you to clone 5 Pokemon at once!
b. Battle Tower Cloning
This method is very similar to the above, allowing you to clone up to 5 Pokemon at a time.
It works exclusively in Pokemon Emerald.
Because items can be held in generation 3, you can also use this glitch to clone items!
First, go to the Battle Tower in the Battle Frontier. Go to the PC, located on the far right, and deposit the 5 Pokemon you want duplicated.
Save afterwards, and then withdraw all of them back into your party.
Go down and around and talk to the last blue-haired lady to the right at the front desks: she'll introduce herself as the guide to the "LINK MULTI BATTLE ROOMS". Say yes to her propositions, select "Open Battle", and choose two Pokemon from your party.
She'll then ask you if you want to save-- agree to this. You'll notice a fairly big pause before the save screen comes up; this is normal.
Once the save prompt comes up, hit "Yes", then immediately reset the game.
(This can take some practice to get the timing right, but keep trying-- you'll get it.)
Upon loading your save, it'll give you the prompt "The save data has been corrupted. The previous save file will be loaded".
This is normal, so don't worry. Anyways, load up your game. You'll be back in front of the blue-haired lady.
Now go check your PC, and you should have all the Pokemon you initially deposited... but also, all those Pokemon will be in your team as well!
If they were holding any items, these items will have been duplicated along with them.
It's a pretty sweet way to get goodies like extra Master Balls, Rare Candies, rare berries and TMs!
~ ~ ~
4. Infinite Pokeballs in Pokemon Colosseum
This glitch is also incredibly easy, but it only works in Pokemon Colosseum.
This requires at least two different kinds of Pokeballs, and two Pokemon that aren't fainted.
When catching a Shadow Pokemon, use your first Pokemon's turn to select a Pokeball to use.
Choose your target to use the Pokeball on, and then go to choosing moves for your second Pokemon's turn.
During this turn, go back into your Bag, find the Pokeball that you picked to use on your first Pokemon's turn, and then use the Y button to move it to a different slot. Then conclude your turn as normal, either by picking an Attack, using an item that isn't a Pokeball, or Calling one of your Pokemon.
After the Pokeball is used, it will still exist in your Bag!
This glitch is super useful for legendary Pokemon, which might use up many of your Pokeballs, or if you're a weirdo like me who wants to catch literally all the Shadow Pokemon in the game with a single Premier Ball.
This works with any Pokeball in the game, including all the ones that can be transferred over from GBA games.
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And for right now, that's it!
I may add more glitch tutorials later if I find ones that are substantially worthwhile, useful, or interesting. Or, if you want me to cover a particular glitch, I would be happy to do so for you, so just ask!
Figuring out how to break Pokemon games for fun and profit is one of my favorite pastimes. :')