Ruins of Alph HGSS · Johto Area
The Ruins of Alph lie southwest of Violet City between Routes 32 and 36, a set of ancient chambers full of sliding stone puzzles and the home of Unown. Solving a puzzle drops you into the Underground Hall, where Unown begin to appear, and a researcher gives you the Unown Report after the first one. In HGSS the ruins are also the gateway to the Sinjoh Ruins event if you carry an event Arceus.
- Region
- Johto
- Wild Pokémon
- 8
- Items
- 24
- Trainers
- 1
- HMs
- Surf, Rock Smash
Connects to: Route 32 · Route 36 · Sinjoh Ruins
Ruins of Alph on the Johto Pokégear map
Wild Pokémon
Ruins of Alph
| Pokémon | Type | Lv. | Morning | Day | Night |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Natu | Psychic | 18–24 | 90% | 90% | 90% |
 Smeargle | Normal | 20–22 | 10% | 10% | 10% |
| Rod | Pokémon | Lv. | Chance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old Rod |  Magikarp | 10 | 85% |
 Poliwag | 10 | 15% | |
| Good Rod | Poliwag | 20 | 60% |
| Magikarp | 20 | 40% | |
| Super Rod | Poliwag | 40 | 80% |
| Magikarp | 40 | 20% |
| Pokémon | Type | Lv. | Chance |
|---|---|---|---|
 Geodude | RockGround | 3–14 | 100% |
Underground Hall, Underground Hall Sinjoh Event, Hall Entrance Sinjoh Event, Underground Hall Sinjoh Event 2
| Pokémon | Type | Lv. | Morning | Day | Night |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Unown | Psychic | 5 | 100% | 100% | 100% |
Unown 40%, Lv. 5Play the Hoenn Sound radio channel (after the National Pokédex): replaces four 10% grass slots.Unown 40%, Lv. 5Play the Sinnoh Sound radio channel (after the National Pokédex): replaces four 10% grass slots.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.
Trainers
| Trainer | Pokémon | Prize |
|---|---|---|
 PsychicNathan |  Girafarig 26 | ₽832 |
Prize money is four times the level of the trainer’s last Pokémon times the trainer class’s rate (doubled in double battles). Trainers who give you their Pokégear number call when they want a rematch, with stronger teams as you progress.
Items
| Item | How | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Potion | Item ball | Ruins of Alph |
| Hyper Potion | Item ball | Ruins of Alph |
| Great Ball | Hidden | Ruins of Alph |
| Rare Candy | Hidden | Ruins of Alph |
| TinyMushroom | Hidden | Ruins of Alph |
| Big Mushroom | Hidden | Ruins of Alph |
| Nugget | Hidden | Ruins of Alph |
| UNOWN Report | Gift | Underground Hall |
| Heal Powder | Item ball | Northeast Entrance Second Room |
| EnergyPowder | Item ball | Northeast Entrance Second Room |
| Oran Berry | Item ball | Northeast Entrance Second Room |
| Pecha Berry | Item ball | Northeast Entrance Second Room |
| Heal Powder | Item ball | Southeast Entrance Second Room |
| Energy Root | Item ball | Southeast Entrance Second Room |
| Sitrus Berry | Item ball | Southeast Entrance Second Room |
| Moon Stone | Item ball | Southeast Entrance Second Room |
| Revival Herb | Item ball | Northwest Entrance Second Room |
| Charcoal | Item ball | Northwest Entrance Second Room |
| Life Orb | Item ball | Northwest Entrance Second Room |
| Leppa Berry | Item ball | Northwest Entrance Second Room |
| Stardust | Item ball | Southwest Entrance Second Room |
| Star Piece | Item ball | Southwest Entrance Second Room |
| Leppa Berry | Item ball | Southwest Entrance Second Room |
| Mystic Water | Item ball | Southwest Entrance Second Room |
Hidden items can be found with the Dowsing MCHN Pokégear app.
Tips
- There are four slide puzzles (Kabuto, Omanyte, Aerodactyl and Ho-Oh), and each unlocks a different set of Unown letters.
- Each chamber has a secret room: use an Escape Rope (Kabuto), Flash (Aerodactyl) or a Water Stone (Omanyte) at the wall, or carry Ho-Oh anywhere in your party (Ho-Oh); the rope and stone are not used up in HGSS.
- The secret rooms hold items such as a Life Orb, Charcoal, Star Piece, Moon Stone and Mystic Water.
- The ! and ? Unown appear in the entrance chambers after you have caught all 26 letters and opened every puzzle and secret room.
- Outside, Natu (90%) and Smeargle (10%) live in the grass, and Surf gets you Wooper and Quagsire.
- Some chambers are reached only through Union Cave with Surf (and Strength for one of them), and smashing rocks with Rock Smash can turn up fossils and shards.
Walkthrough: Part 4: Route 32, Union Cave and Bugsy
More pictures
FAQ
How do you get the Unown Report in HeartGold and SoulSilver?
Solve any one of the slide puzzles in the Ruins of Alph; a man in the ruins gives you the Unown Report afterwards.
How do you open the secret rooms in the Ruins of Alph?
Use an Escape Rope in the Kabuto chamber, Flash in the Aerodactyl chamber and a Water Stone in the Omanyte chamber, and bring Ho-Oh in your party for the Ho-Oh chamber.
Where can you catch Smeargle in HGSS?
In the grass outside the Ruins of Alph, at a 10% rate.
How do you get the ! and ? Unown?
Catch all 26 letter forms and open all four puzzles and secret rooms; the ! and ? forms then appear in the ruins’ entrance chambers.
What Pokémon can you catch in Ruins of Alph in HeartGold and SoulSilver?
8 species: Natu, Smeargle, Wooper, Quagsire, Geodude, Magikarp, Poliwag, Unown.
Sources & picture credits
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).