Beginner's Tips and Tricks for Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen (FRLG)
★ Best Pokemon Tier List
☆ Best Teams to Beat the Story
★ Celadon Game Corner Guide
☆ Farm EXP, Money, and Duplicate Items!
★ Shiny Hunting Guide and Shiny Odds
☆ How to Get Lugia, Ho-Oh, and Deoxys
This is a beginner's guide for Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen. Learn how to become the best trainer by learning the basic mechanics, tips, tricks and differences from later Pokemon games here!
Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen Beginner's Guide
| List of To-Dos |
|---|
|
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Setup Your Settings and Preferences
| Settings | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Text Speed | Fast Affects text speed during dialogue options. |
| Battle Scene | On Affects whether Battle Animations will play or not. |
| Battle Style | Shift Affects whether you can switch Pokemon around during battle. Shift allows for switching mid-battle, Set mode does not. |
| Sound | Stereo Affects sound output in the game. |
| Button Mode | LR Affects how handheld buttons function. Set to LR to allow menu switching with your shoulder buttons for the GBA version. |
| Frame | User Preference Allows you to change the dialogue box frame depending on the theme chosen. |
Go to the Options Menu of your game after the introduction section then modify the settings above to customize your Pokemon experience!
Unlike newer titles, this game is set in the Third Generation of Pokemon games and as such, it has less but more straightforward options that you can use to optimize the gameplay feel.
Remember to Interact with In-Game Objects
The moment you start in Kanto, we immediately advise checking every interactable object you can see as they might give materials like Potions or Held Items that you can use for Pokemon or during fights.
One of the first things to check is your room's PC at the start of the game, you can withdraw one potion here that allows you to heal your Pokemon. Remember this exploration habit always when playing!
All Hidden Item Locations and How to Find
Get Your Starter Pokemon
| Your Choice | Rival's Choice |
|---|---|
 Charmander
|
 Squirtle
|
|
Squirtle
|
 Bulbasaur
|
|
Bulbasaur
|
Charmander
|
Explore the world outside after leaving your house and pick your first Pokemon in Professor Oak's lab. Pick one Pokemon from the three starters of the Kanto region and learn how to duel with it!
Remember that your Rival will choose the Starter that has an elemental advantage against your Pokemon, which means you have to adapt to your Rival to defeat them.
Best Starter Pokemon to Choose in Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen (FRLG)
Catch Pokemon in Tall Grass With Pokeballs
You must then catch Wild Pokemon by looking in Tall Grass, then battling and capturing them using your Pokeballs. Remember to lower the Pokemon's health first enough so your capture chances increase.
The type of Pokeball and moves you use can affect your capture chance as well! Some Pokemon however, such as those owned by Trainers, cannot be captured and you will waste Pokeballs if you attempt this.
Collect Pokemon to Fill Up the Pokedex
One of your main goals will be to fill up the Pokedex by collecting unique Pokemon entries as you capture them. There are a total of 150 total Pokemon in the Kanto Pokedex for you to collect.
Note that not all Pokemon can be caught on Tall Grass, and some might require you to trade them, use Evolutionary Stones to get their evolved versions, require some special gameplay to get or by other means!
Full Pokedex: All Pokemon in FireRed and LeafGreen (FRLG)
Level Up Your Pokemon to Make Battles Easier
Make sure to level up your Pokemon to allow it to become competitive against other Trainers! Higher levels will allow your Pokemon to evolve and gain higher base stats which makes them stronger against increasingly difficult enemies in the later parts of the game.
While battling Pokemon is the main way to get EXP, you can also get them by using Rare Candies or other Held items like the Lucky Egg.
EXP Farming Guide: How to Level Up Fast
Remember Your Pokemon's Elemental Type and Attack
| Pokemon Type Matchup Chart |
|---|
 View Full Image |
Combat in Pokemon is turn-based and you wil be relying on checking your Pokemon's Element and their attacks to see which are effective and ineffective against your opposition.
Remember the Kanto's starters initial trio, that Fire is effective against Grass, Water is effective to Fire, and Grass is Effective against Water and you will be able to picture the basic elemental system of Pokemon.
Return to Areas Explored Initially
Remember to backtrack certain areas you initially explored as there might be more to it than meets the eye! When you unlock clearance to use certain HMs such as Cut and Strength, it usually signals you to also return to places you remember were initially inaccessible due to certain obstacles.
List of All HMs and How to Get Them
Do and Complete Side Activities
While the game never formally mentions objectives, you have several side activities especially later in the game that may net you with additional Pokemon or new items that can be used to your advantage!
Some areas in the game are completely optional and may only appear after several conditions have been met. Be sure to keep an eye on them as they may reward you with special collectibles or even Legendary Pokemon.
Collect Badges and Become the Champion of Indigo Plateau
You must then defeat the 8 Gyms in the different cities and towns around Kanto in order to challenge the Indigo Plateau's Elite Four and Champion.
Every badge you collect is indicated in your Trainer Card, and each provide you with the qualifications and upgrades required to progress through the region!
Feature Comparisons Beginners Should Know
| All Feature Comparisons | |
|---|---|
| Pokemon Roster | P/S Split |
| Game Corner | Safari Zone |
| Pokemon Gimmicks | TM Changes |
| HM Changes | EXP Share Changes |
| Shiny Hunting | Customizable Settings |
Pokemon Roster is Back to 150
Unlike the newer games, the total Pokemon Roster for this game has been reduced to 150 for its Kanto Pokedex like it was in the Generation I games, with only several Pokemon from Generaton II and III being added.
Due to how Generation III games work, some Pokemon will be unique to FireRed and LeafGreen themselves, which means trade is a necessity to get all Pokemon in the Kanto Pokedex.
Can You Complete the Kanto Dex?
Mew's Not Available in FireRed and LeafGreen
Mew, the Mythical 151st Pokemon, cannot be obtained in the Nintendo Switch version of FireRed and LeafGreen due to its special condition of only being available via events.
No Physical/Special Split Mechanics
| Physical |
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|---|---|
| Special |
|
Physical and Special Split or P/S Split was introduced in Generation IV to help split moves that are Physical and Special from their Element types, allowing more Pokemon to use more moves effectively regardless of element.
Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen does not feature these mechanics as P/S Split is yet to be introduced here, and moves will revert to using their Element type to identify whether they're Physical or Special moves.
Is There a Physical and Special Attack Split?
Game Corner is Back
The newer games removed the original Game Corner that was originally featured in the older games due to certain controversies surrounding its mini-games.
Due to the nature of FireRed and LeafGreen being a re-release of a Pokemon game from Generation III, the original Game Corner and its mini-games can be accessed again!
Celadon Game Corner Casino Guide
Return of the Safari Zone
Safari Zone is another feature removed or replaced in later Pokemon Games, but in FireRed and LeafGreen, the Safari Zone returns once again in Fucshia City, and this is the place where you can catch Pokemon from Generation II and III games.
No Mega Evolutions, Terrastallize or Dynamax
There are no Pokemon gimmicks in this game due to it being part of Generation III, which didn't feature new Pokemon gimmicks that were introduced in Generation VI onwards such as Mega Evolution or Dynamax.
Evolution Chart: How to Evolve All Pokemon
TM Changes
TMs can only be used once, unlike in later games which allow for unlimited use. You must buy them again at Celadon Department Store, Pokemon Stores or make sure to properly select the Pokemon who will use the specfiic TM.
TRs do not exist in this game as they wouldn't be introduced until Generation VIII.
List of All TMs and How to Get Them
HM Changes
HMs are also reverted in FireRed and LeafGreen, as they are once again, permanent moves taught to Pokemon that cannot be removed normally.
This means players will revert to using Pokemon that are considered HM Slaves to avoid bricking others' movesets, as several HMs, like Flash are generally not useful outside of being used in the overworld.
List of All HMs and How to Get Them
EXP Share Changes
EXP Share cannot be turned on or off normally like in the newer games, and instead is reverted to being a held item, which will take a Held Item slot on a Pokemon for a certain amount of time until you remove it.
Leveling in general will be slower as a result and new players should know this before hopping into the game and expecting active Pokemon to level up simultaneously.
EXP Share Location and How to Get
Shiny Hunting is Harder
Shiny Hunting chances are reverted back to its base ratio approximated at 1/8192 catches in FireRed and LeafGreen, and there are no special items or techniques introduced in-game that will improve the odds of getting a Shiny Pokemon.
Shiny Hunting Guide and Shiny Odds
Less Customizable Settings
Due to the nature of FireRed and LeafGreen being GBA games, they have fewer settings you can customize compared to the newer games, while your Switch can definitely play the game as is, there have been no announcements whatsoever of any new additions to the game's options.
All Tips and Tricks Guides
List of Tips and Guides
Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen (FRLG) Related Guides
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