Pokemon Sacred Gold -v1.05- Instant
If you go into this game expecting the standard "spam Water Gun" strategy of the original HeartGold, you will wipe.
Q: Do I need to patch a clean HeartGold ROM?
A: Yes. Download a vanilla HeartGold (U) ROM (preferably Version 0 - the original release) and use the xDelta patcher with the Sacred Gold v1.05 patch file.
Q: Is this playable on a real Nintendo DS / 3DS? A: Yes, if you have a flashcart (R4, Ace3DS Plus) or custom firmware on a 3DS, you can run the patched ROM natively.
Q: Will this work on an emulator like DeSmuME or MelonDS? A: Perfectly. MelonDS is recommended for its high accuracy, but DeSmuME works fine. Pokemon Sacred Gold -v1.05-
Q: Does it have the Battle Frontier enhancements from Renegade Platinum? A: No. The Battle Frontier in Johto is untouched. The difficulty is only in the story mode and the Saffron Dojo rematches.
Q: Can I transfer my vanilla HeartGold save to Sacred Gold? A: No. That will corrupt your game. You must start a new save file.
Earlier versions of Sacred Gold (v1.0, v1.1, etc.) were excellent but contained minor bugs—visual glitches with following Pokémon, a few movepool errors, or text inconsistencies. Version 1.05 is the bug-fix masterpiece. If you go into this game expecting the
Key improvements in v1.05 include:
If you are going to invest 60+ hours into a Johto playthrough, v1.05 is the version to choose. It is stable enough to play from start to finish without a single crash.
The original HeartGold restricted you to Johto and Kanto Pokémon until you beat the Elite Four. Sacred Gold v1.05 scatters all 493 Pokémon (Gen 1-4) across the Johto region. If you are going to invest 60+ hours
To play Pokémon Sacred Gold v1.05, you need:
Note: Patching is legal if you own the original game. Distributing ROMs is not. Support the official releases where possible.
Note: This guide is written for Version 1.05, which fixes several bugs present in earlier versions (like the Ruins of Alph crash) and adjusts the level curve and Pokémon rosters.
If you played older versions of Sacred Gold (like 1.0 or 1.1), v1.05 includes:
