Guides

Where To Get Hard Stones in Pokémon HGSS

by Louie Neale
Standing on Route 36 next to Arthur NPC (Pokémon HGSS)

There are only 2 ways to get Hard Stones in HeartGold/SoulSilver. You can either:

  1. Talk to Arthur, who appears on Route 36 on Thursdays only (one-time only)
  2. Steal Hard Stones from wild Corsola, Nosepass, Aron, or Lairon, who hold them 5% of the time (repeatable)

The Hard Stone is not a particularly glamorous or exciting item. However, it does boost the power of Rock-type attacks by 20%. That can provide quite the offensive boost for a powerful Rock-type Pokémon.

We’ll run through both methods for acquiring Hard Stones below.

Method 1: Talking To Arthur on Route 36 (Thursday)

Scattered across Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver are seven siblings who only appear on certain days of the week, known as the Week Siblings.

Each sibling will give you an item the first time you meet.

Thursday’s Week Sibling, Arthur, appears on Route 36 and rewards you with a Hard Stone.

To find Arthur, start at Violet City and leave the city via the west exit onto Route 36.

The west exit of Violet City onto Route 36 / Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
The west exit of Violet City onto Route 36

Once you’re on Route 36, continue along the path straight to the west.

At the top of the T-junction, you’ll find Arthur. Talk to him and receive your reward.

The player receiving a Hard Stone from Arthur on Route 36 on a Thursday / Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
The player receiving a Hard Stone from Arthur on Route 36 on a Thursday

Method 2: Stealing Hard Stones from Wild Pokémon

Wild Corsola, Nosepass, Aron, or Lairon all have a chance to be holding a Hard Stone 5% of the time.

You can steal their held Hard Stones 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.

Using Thief on a wild Corsola to attempt to steal her held item / Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
Using Thief on a wild Corsola to attempt to steal her held item

And the following table shows every location where you can find these Pokémon, in case you want to go farm some Hard Stones in the wild.

Pokémon Wild Location
Corsola Route 19
Route 34
Route 40
Cherrygrove City
Olivine City
Cianwood City
Union Cave (morning & day only while fishing with a Good Rod or Super Rod)
Nosepass The Safari Zone’s Meadow Area with 35 Peak points
Aron and Lairon The Safari Zone’s Rocky Beach Area with 24 Peak points

As you can see, the easiest approach by far is farming Corsola.

So head to your preferred location with a Good Rod or Super Rod in tow. Then be prepared for a lot of repetitive battles.

The sea on the west edge of Cherrygrove City, where wild Corsola can be caught / Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
The sea on the west edge of Cherrygrove City, where wild Corsola can be caught
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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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