How To Get Hard Stones in Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen

by ReOcelot

Hard Stone
1	Held item (5% chance) on the following wild Pokémon: Onix Graveler	Yes

Hard Stone

Location

Repeatable?

Held item (5% chance) on the following wild Pokémon:

Onix
Graveler

Yes

Hard Stones can only be obtained as held items taken from a wild Onix or Graveler. Any wild Onix or Graveler has a 5% chance that they’ll be holding a Hard Stone, which you can then take from them via stealing or capturing & taking their held item.

The best locations to farm this held item would either be in Victory Road (for Onix), or in Cerulean Cave (for Graveler).

Prerequisites

Hard Stones are one of the few held items that you can actually find pretty early on in the game. If you’ve made it to Lavender Town, then you can get a Hard Stone.

The only real prerequisites are:

Have TM46 Thief (optional) or Poké Balls available to catch many Onix and/or Graveler
Be able to reach at least Rock Tunnel
Clear all but one of your Pokémon from your party (optional)

Basically, you’ll just need enough Poké Balls to catch Onix or Graveler over and over until you find one with a Hard Stone (alternatively you can use Thief over and over.)

Getting Hard Stones (Onix + Graveler Locations)

Getting a Hard Stone is easy, but it’s very time-consuming. I’m going to be going after Onix here because we can find Onix much earlier in the game.

You can go for Onix or Graveler – just choose whichever one you feel is luckier!

Onix – Best Location: Victory Road (1F, 2F, 3F)
Graveler – Best Location: Sevault Canyon or Cerulean Cave

SCROLL

All Onix Locations
Location	Level	Encounter Rate	Hard Stone Chance
Rock Tunnel (1F)	13 – 15	4%	5%
Rock Tunnel (B1)	13 – 17	5%	5%
Victory Road (1F)	40 – 46	10%	5%
Victory Road (3F)	40 – 46	10%	5%
Victory Road (2F)	45 – 48	10%	5%
Sevault Canyon	54	5%	5%

SCROLL

All Graveler Locations
Location	Level	Encounter Rate	Hard Stone Chance
Rock Tunnel (B1) with Rock Smash	25 – 40	4%	5%
Kindle Road (Rock Smash)	25 – 40	4%	5%
Mt. Ember (Base, 1F ,B1, B2) with Rock Smash	25 – 40	4%	5%
Sevault Canyon (with Rock Smash)	30 – 50	30%	5%
Cerulean Cave (1F, 2F, B1)	40 – 65	30%	5%

Note: To encounter a Graveler, you need to use Rock Smash on the Rocks in caves. Graveler will have a chance to appear out of the Rocks when you break them.

Method 1: Catching Onix/Graveler

I’m going to be heading into Rock Tunnel because it’s the most convenient for me, but feel free to choose any location from the charts above.

Before you head out, I recommend completely clearing your party (except for one Pokémon.)

Clearing my party to make room for the wild Onix I’m going to catch

This way when you catch the Onix / Graveler, it will go directly into your Party and you can immediately check whether or not it has the Hard Stone.

If you’re heartless, you can even clear a single space and release the Onix you catch if it doesn’t have the Hard Stone. Either way, you’re going to want an open space.

Once you’re ready, simply start looking for wild Onix or Graveler in the location of your choice. When you catch the Pokémon, they’ll be in your party and you can check whether or not they’re holding the Hard Stone.

If you see the item icon by the Pokémon, then they’re holding a Hard Stone.

Taking a Hard Stone from an Onix after catching it

You can select them in your menu, then select Item > Take in order to actually receive the Hard Stone and put it in your Bag. Afterward, you can equip it to any Pokémon you want.

Don’t be discouraged if you have to catch a ton of Onix or Graveler.

Hard Stones are very rare, and there’s only a 5% chance that the Pokémon will have it. I had to catch about 12 Onix before I was able to get mine. If your party fills up, just head back to the Pokémon Center, deposit your Pokémon, and keep trying.

Method 2: Stealing The Hard Stone (With Thief)

If you don’t feel like catching a bunch of Onix or Graveler, or if you just don’t want to spend the money on Poké Balls, you can also obtain Hard Stones by using TM46 Thief.

Note: Make sure the Pokémon you’re using Thief with isn’t already holding an item, otherwise they won’t be able to steal the Hard Stone.

The chance of finding a Hard Stone this way is still 5%, but it takes a little less time using Thief and running away than it does catching 10+ Pokémon.

When you encounter an Onix or Graveler, simply use the move Thief on them. If they have the item, an animation will play and you’ll be prompted that the item was stolen.

Stealing a Hard Stone from a wild Onix with TM46 Thief

Afterward, defeat the wild Pokémon (or flee) and check your party. You will see the item icon on top of the Pokémon that stole the Hard Stone.

Select the Pokémon, then select Item > Take to receive the Hard Stone and put it in your Bag.

Taking a Hard Stone from Pidgeotto after stealing it from a wild Onix

What Are Hard Stones Used For?

The Hard Stone’s description in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen

The Hard Stone is a held item that boosts the power of Rock-type moves by 10%.

Rock-type moves are great against Fire, and Flying-type Pokémon, which are very common, so a Hard Stone is usually a powerful item in certain situations.

Hard Stones work best when given to a Pokémon that knows a strong Rock-type move like Rock Slide or Rock Blast. It’s a great held item for late-game challenges like the Trainer Tower, and it can even make beating the Elite Four a little easier if you give it to the right Pokémon.

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ReOcelot

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A jack of all trades when it comes to gaming. I can sit down for hours in a casual playthrough of Pokémon, or I can spend months trying to hit Diamond in League of Legends. I love and appreciate everything about games, and love sharing that passion with my readers.

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