Pokémon Platinum Heal Balls: How They Work + All Locations

Heal Ball Acquisition Methods
#	Method	Repeatable?
1	Purchased at the following Poké Marts for 1,000p each: Jubilife City, Oreburgh City, Floaroma Town, Eterna City, Hearthome City, and the Pokémon League	Yes
2	Solaceon Town—Received as a reward for bringing a requested Pokémon to the Pokémon News Press reporter	Yes
3	Oreburgh City—Received from a man on the second floor of an apartment building after showing him a Geodude	No
4	Route 205—Found inside a Poké Ball about halfway through the Route, under a bridge by the river	No

Heal Balls can be purchased from several Poké Marts, most of which you’ll have access to early in the game. If you’d rather save your money, you can instead earn Heal Balls by taking Pokémon requests from the Pokémon News Press reporter in Solaceon Town; just keep in mind that this is a much slower way of accumulating them.

There are also two free Heal Balls in the overworld: one you receive from a man in Oreburgh City after you show him a Geodude, and one that sits out in the open on Route 205.

How Do Heal Balls Work?

The in-game description of the Heal Ball.

Heal Balls are special Poké Balls that fully heal the HP and status of caught Pokémon at the time of capture.

But they have no increased ability to catch Pokémon, and they share the same 1x catch modifier as a standard Poké Ball.

Heal Balls are the most useful earlier in the game, when you’re always on the lookout for new Pokémon to add to an incomplete team and can’t always get to Pokémon Centers easily to heal new recruits.

Acquiring Heal Balls

Of the many different types of special Poké Balls in Pokémon Platinum, Heal Balls are some of the easiest to get your hands on. The following sections list all the ways you can add Heal Balls to your stock.

Method 1: Poké Marts (Repeatable)

There are six shops in Sinnoh that offer an unlimited stock of Heal Balls, purchasable for 1,000p each. In order of accessibility, these shops are:

The Jubilife City Poké Mart
The Oreburgh City Poké Mart
The Floaroma Town Poké Mart
The Eterna City Poké Mart
The Hearthome City Poké Mart
The Poké Mart inside the Pokémon League

Purchasing Heal Balls in the Oreburgh City Poké Mart.

Method 2: Pokémon News Press (Repeatable)

A cheaper (if less reliable) way to get Heal Balls is to bring specific types of Pokémon to the Pokémon News Press reporter in Solaceon Town as he requests them.

To take a Pokémon request, head to Solaceon Town and enter the Pokémon News Press building next door to the Pokémon Center.

Entering the Pokémon News Press building in Solaceon Town.

You’ll find two men inside; the one on the left is who you’ll be speaking to.

Note: Save your game before talking to this guy.

Identifying the Pokémon News Press reporter.

The man will introduce himself as a reporter for the Pokémon News Press. He needs help writing an article, and he will task you with showing him a certain species of Pokémon that he can report on.

The Pokémon he asks for will always be a random species of Pokémon that you have seen or owned at some point.

The Pokémon News Press reporter asking you to show him a Steelix.

The Pokémon that the reporter asks to see isn’t necessarily one that you currently own, but saving the game before speaking to him allows you to reset and try for an easier request if you need to.

When you get a request you can complete, go out and place that Pokémon in your party. Then return to the News Press building.

Note: Save your game again before speaking to the reporter a second time.

Taking a Steelix out of a PC Box.

When the reporter sees you have fulfilled his request, he will become exceedingly enthusiastic.

The reporter becoming excited at seeing the Steelix he requested.

As a reward for bringing him the Pokémon, the reporter will hand you a Heart Scale and three Poké Balls of a specific model.

The type of Poké Balls he gives you is random, but this is why saving your game beforehand is useful: it allows you to reset and try again until you receive the Poké Balls you want.

Do this until the reporter gives you the Heal Balls.

Receiving three Heal Balls from the Pokémon News Press reporter.

The Pokémon News Press request can be repeated once per day. While it is a gradual method of obtaining Heal Balls, it’s the only repeatable way of getting them in Pokémon Platinum without having to spend a ton of money on them.

Method 3: Oreburgh City (Step-by-Step)

You can receive a single Heal Ball by showing a Geodude to an NPC in one of Oreburgh City’s apartment complexes.

To reach this apartment building from the Oreburgh Pokémon Center, start by heading west down the street that passes in front of the Gym.

Heading west from Oreburgh City’s Pokémon Center.

Before you reach the Gym, turn north and then turn west to pass behind it.

Heading northwest to get behind the Oreburgh City Gym.

You’ll find two massive apartment buildings at the northwestern corner of town; enter the building on the right.

Entering the right-hand apartment building.

Inside the apartments, head upstairs to the second floor.

Climbing the staircase to reach the second-floor apartments.

Talk to the man in the overalls standing in the northeastern corner of the second floor.

Identifying the man in Oreburgh City who has a Heal Ball to offer.

This guy longs to go out and see the different Pokémon of the world, but he finds actually setting foot outside to be a hassle.

He asks you to show him a Geodude since he’s not going to go find one himself.

The Oreburgh Man asking to see a Geodude.

If you don’t have a Geodude, the Oreburgh Mine in the southeastern corner of Oreburgh City is crawling with them. It shouldn’t take you more than a couple of minutes to descend into the Mine and catch one for the lazy gentleman.

Showing a Geodude to the man and getting a joyous reaction.

Then the man will give you a Heal Ball in return.

Receiving a Heal Ball from the man in Oreburgh City.

As an added bonus, the guy will resolve to take the initiative in his own life and actually head out to see Pokémon himself. He doesn’t move from this spot for the entire game, though, so this may be a lie.

Method 4: Route 205 (Step-by-Step)

Lastly, there is a single Heal Ball about halfway up Route 205, northeast of Floaroma Town.

This Heal Ball will be accessible only after you open the way by defeating Commander Mars at the Valley Windworks.

This Heal Ball is very easy to find after you’ve unblocked the path. If you’re starting from Floaroma Town, head eastward from the Pokémon Center.

Heading northeast from the Floaroma Town Pokémon Center.

Exit Floaroma Town and enter Route 205 to the east.

Leaving Floaroma Town through the eastern entrance.

Head east until you reach the bridge that the two Galactic Grunts previously guarded. Cross the bridge and head north.

Crossing the bridge to the north on Route 205.

On the other side of the river, cut through the tall grass to your left and head up the stairs.

Heading northwest through the grassy field to reach the staircase.

Climb down the staircase to your right, directly next to Hiker Daniel.

Climbing down the stairs next to Hiker Daniel.

Head north towards a berry plot and turn west to pass under the bridge to where the Poké Ball is. Then pick it up to add a Heal Ball to your Bag.

Approaching the Poké Ball item under the bridge to the west.

Picking up a Heal Ball on Route 205.

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Chris Haygood

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Chris is an American freelance writer and lifelong gamer. RPGs have been his genre of choice ever since he got Pokémon Blue in 1867, but if he finds a good rhythm game, he will prioritize playing it over both eating and breathing.

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