Trying to Headbutt yourself a Heracross? Use this handy tool

Pokemon Gold and Silver are out on the Virtual Console. Are you using Headbutt on trees to find Pokemon? This tool can help you find a Heracross, or anything!

The release of Pokemon Gold and Silver on the Virtual Console has reawakened plenty of memories for Pokemon trainers who fondly recall the second generation. Some people are struggling against Whitney and her Miltank. Others are tracking down the Legendary Dogs, beating the Elite Four, revisiting Kanto, or trying to win at the Lucky Number Show lottery. Still, others might have acquired Headbutt in Ilex Forest and are trying to get themselves an elusive Heracross or Pineco for their team. Those Pokemon are rare, and sometimes they seem impossible to find. But a handy tool may make it far easier!

This tool was created by /u/TShadowKnight on Reddit. This person has calculated that the Pokemon that appear for Headbutt are based not only on location, but also on random numbers generated when a trainer ID is chosen. By inputting your trainer ID into the tool, you can see the likelihood of finding a given Headbutt Pokemon on any tree in Johto. It’s an easy-to-use tool, and it even includes the calculations for Pokemon Crystal, even though that game (regrettably) is not out on Virtual Console.

Try it out for yourself and see if you can get ahold of a Heracross, Pineco, or other rare Headbutt Pokemon for your team! This tool will work both on the original versions of the games and on the Virtual Console versions, though (obviously) it’s useless for Pokemon HeartGold or SoulSilver.

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As the folks in the Reddit thread accurately point out, it’s rather amusing how something that seemed so rare and elusive when we were children can boil down to a simple, easy to calculate formula now that we’re adults. But it’s also helpful–adults replaying this game don’t have the kind of time and patience they did as children to Headbutt trees for hours looking for this. We can still enjoy the game thanks to our grown-up knowledge!