New Bark Town HGSS · Johto Town
New Bark Town is the quiet coastal town in the far east of Johto where your adventure begins, with Route 29 to the west and the sea route east to Route 27. Professor Elm’s lab is here, and he lets you choose Chikorita, Cyndaquil or Totodile at Lv5 before sending you on an errand to Mr. Pokémon. A red-haired boy, Rival Silver, can be seen spying through the lab window, and the town has no Gym, Pokémon Center or Poké Mart, though Elm’s lab has a healing machine.
- Region
- Johto
- Wild Pokémon
- 11
- Items
- 3
- Trainers
- 0
- HMs
- Surf
Connects to: Route 29 · Route 27
New Bark Town on the Johto Pokégear map
Gift, legendary and roaming Pokémon
Wild Pokémon
| Pokémon | Type | Lv. | Chance |
|---|---|---|---|
 Tentacool | WaterPoison | 10–25 | 90% |
 Tentacruel | WaterPoison | 15–25 | 10% |
| Rod | Pokémon | Lv. | Chance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old Rod |  Magikarp | 10 | 85% |
| Tentacool | 10 | 15% | |
| Good Rod | Magikarp | 20 | 40% |
| Tentacool | 20 | 30% | |
 Chinchou | 20 | 20% | |
 Shellder | 20 | 10% | |
| Super Rod | Chinchou | 40 | 40% |
| Shellder | 40 | 30% | |
| Tentacruel | 40 | 20% | |
 Lanturn | 40 | 10% |
| Pokémon | Type | Lv. | Chance |
|---|---|---|---|
 Hoothoot | Normal | 2–3 | 50% |
 Pineco | Bug | 2–3 | 30% |
 Exeggcute | GrassPsychic | 2–3 | 20% |
| Pokémon | Type | Lv. | Chance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hoothoot | Normal | 4–5 | 50% |
 SpinarakHG | BugPoison | 4–5 | 30% |
| Exeggcute | GrassPsychic | 4–5 | 20% |
 LedybaSS | Bug | 4–5 | 30% |
Use Headbutt on a tree (taught by the tutor in Ilex Forest). Which trees are “common”, “rare” or empty depends on the last digit of your Trainer ID.
Chances are the game’s encounter slots: grass and caves 20/20/10/10/10/10/5/5/4/4/1/1, with every slot changing by time of day (morning 4:00–9:59, day 10:00–19:59, night 20:00–3:59); surfing 60/30/5/4/1; all three rods 40/30/15/10/5; Rock Smash 80/20; Headbutt 50/15/15/10/5/5. HG and SS mark Pokémon found in only one version. Where to find every Pokémon.
Items
Hidden items can be found with the Dowsing MCHN Pokégear app.
Tips
- Mom gives you the Pokégear right after you get your starter, and she can save part of your prize money for you.
- Elm’s aide hands you five Potions as you leave the lab, and another Potion is hidden where Silver was standing.
- Show Elm the Togepi that hatches from the Mystery Egg and he gives you an Everstone.
- Elm gives you the Master Ball once you have all eight Johto Badges, and the S.S. Ticket after you enter the Hall of Fame.
- With Surf you can head east across the water to Route 27, the road toward Tohjo Falls and the Pokémon League.
- The Super Rod pulls up Chinchou 40%, Shellder 30%, Tentacruel 20% and Lanturn 10%, all at Lv40.
Walkthrough: Part 1: New Bark Town and Professor Elm · Part 2: Cherrygrove City and Mr. Pokémon · Part 13: The Kimono Girls and Ho-Oh or Lugia · Part 15: The S.S. Aqua and the Vermilion Gym
More pictures
FAQ
Which starter should I pick in HeartGold and SoulSilver?
Professor Elm offers Chikorita, Cyndaquil and Totodile at Lv5; Cyndaquil and Totodile have the easier early Gyms, while Chikorita struggles against the first two Gyms.
Where do you get the Master Ball in HeartGold?
Professor Elm gives it to you in his New Bark Town lab after you have earned all eight Johto Badges.
How do you get to Route 27 from New Bark Town?
Surf east from the town’s shoreline; Route 27 leads on to Tohjo Falls and eventually Route 26 and Victory Road.
What does Elm give you for the Togepi egg?
Bring the hatched Togepi to Elm’s lab and he rewards you with an Everstone.
What Pokémon can you catch in New Bark Town in HeartGold and SoulSilver?
11 species: Tentacool, Tentacruel, Magikarp, Chinchou, Shellder, Lanturn, Hoothoot, Pineco, Exeggcute, Spinarak, Ledyba.
Sources & picture credits
- New Bark Town (Bulbapedia)
- pret/pokeheartgold (decompiled game data)
- Picture: New_Bark_Town_HGSS.png
- Picture: HGSS_-_New_Bark_Town_1.png
- Picture: HGSS_-_New_Bark_Town_2.png
- Picture: HGSS_-_New_Bark_Town_3.png
Guide text is original retrogameindex writing, checked against Bulbapedia and the game data. Wild Pokémon and encounter chances, items, trainers, rematch teams, gifts and shops come from the pret/pokeheartgold decompilation, and the Pokémon sprites and dungeon entrance pictures are drawn from the game’s own graphics in it. The position maps are the Gold/Silver wiki’s Pokégear map renders. Location pictures and trainer sprites © Nintendo / Creatures / GAME FREAK, archived from the Pokémon Wiki on Fandom (listed on the image gallery).