Does Running Increase Encounter Rate in Pokémon Games

For years, there has been a persistent belief among Pokémon players that running in certain games increases the rate at which wild Pokémon appear. This rumor has been particularly common in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, where a small hint in the game’s text implies that running does indeed affect encounter rates. But is this myth true, or is it simply a misunderstanding that’s been passed around the community? Let’s break it down and find out once and for all!

The Myth: Running Increases Encounter Rate

The idea behind this myth is simple: when you run in the game, Pokémon should appear more frequently in the wild grass. In HeartGold and SoulSilver, this concept is even supported by a piece of text on the Japanese Pokémon Wiki, and a sign in Blackthorn City hints at this potential interaction.

As a result, many players believed that running would cause more encounters, while walking would slow them down. But is this actually the case? Let’s dive into the details of this rumor, and see if the running shoes really do change anything.

Testing the Myth: Running vs. Walking

To test the encounter rate difference between walking and running, one player conducted a rigorous experiment in HeartGold and SoulSilver. They ran 100 tests, 50 while using the running shoes and 50 while walking, to measure how many tiles they needed to cover before encountering a Pokémon. After tracking these encounters, the results were quite surprising.

The Results:

1. Running Shoes Test: On average, it took 12.8 tiles to trigger a wild encounter while using the running shoes.
2. Walking Test: On average, it took 15.99 tiles to trigger a wild encounter while walking.

This resulted in a 24.9% faster encounter rate when using the running shoes. The data also showed that while running, Pokémon encounters happened more frequently within 10 tiles, occurring 48 times compared to just 28 times while walking.

Conclusion: Running Does Increase Encounter Rate… But Not Significantly

After testing 100 encounters in both walking and running scenarios, the conclusion is clear: running does indeed increase the encounter rate, but only slightly. On average, players experienced encounters more quickly while running, covering fewer tiles before encountering wild Pokémon.

It turns out that the sign in Blackthorn City and the mention in the Japanese Pokémon Wiki were more accurate than we thought. Running does speed up the encounter rate by about 24.9% in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver. However, this change is subtle and may not be as dramatic as some might expect.

What About Other Pokémon Games?

Now that we’ve debunked the myth in HeartGold and SoulSilver, what about other generations? In Generation 3 (Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald), many players thought that running would reduce encounter rates. However, this myth is also false. Running in these games doesn’t change the encounter rate, though the bike actually does the opposite: it lowers the encounter rate by multiplying it by a factor of 0.8. So, biking slows down the encounters, not increases them.

In summary, running does increase encounter rates slightly in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, but this effect is not present in other generations. If you want to encounter Pokémon faster in these two games, running is the way to go, but the difference isn’t huge. So, if you’ve ever wondered about the myth of running and its effects on Pokémon encounters, now you know: there’s a small but noticeable difference, and it’s backed by solid evidence!