“Pokemon Refined Gold Overhaul” is a Completed NDS Rom Hack made by RefinedPlat. Experience Pokemon HeartGold with a complete makeover! This version includes a new list of wild Pokemon to encounter, an improved Kanto region, and several quality of life improvements to make the game more enjoyable. It’s the classic HeartGold experience, but better!
Pokemon Refined Gold Overhaul Completed NDS ROM Hack
- Creator: RefinedPlat
- Base ROM: HeartGold
- Language: English
- Latest Version: v4.1.2
- Last Updated on: April 17, 2025
- Status: Completed
Also Check Out: Pokemon Platinum Redux
Description
If you love the world of HeartGold but find the level progression frustrating or wish you could spend more time with the characters, Refined Gold might be just what you’re looking for.
Pokemon Refined Gold improves the game by adding more wild Pokemon, including some that are hard to find or unavailable in the original, like Sneasel and Marill. It keeps the feel of the original HeartGold but makes overall progression smoother, especially when it comes to leveling up and handling gym battles. The level curve has been reworked so the game feels more balanced, eliminating the grind of weak Pokemon and gyms.
The game also gives Kanto a real purpose as a postgame area, rather than feeling empty or pointless. Whether you’re revisiting a classic or playing for the first time, this mod offers a better experience.
Enjoy your adventure and create new memories!
Features
The below features is common in both versions of the game.
- A bustling new encounter table that stays true to vanilla while incorporating Pokemon like Omanyte, Sneasel and Snubbull in a way enjoyable and accessible for the player.
- Access to EVERY POKEMON in the G4 National Dex in the postgame WHILE keeping the main game encounter table Regional Dex only.
- Pokedex location tables have been updated to match these!
- All trade evolutions are fixed of course.
- Improved access to evo items so Pokeathlon is less mandatory. Gliscor etc are still post-Lance.
- A postgame TM, berry and evo item shop as QoL no need to hoard main game!
- Access to Shard Tutors, written by myself! Now you’re cooking with coverage!
- Tutors are Ecruteak City, Lake of Rage, Saffron City respectively. Shards are more accessible now.
- Substantially improved trainer rematches for the Fighting Dojo and misc. postgame rematches.
- A mini-quest of Post-Blue Superbosses that has you face off against familiar faces to prevent a looming threat. This offers both thrilling challenges for your well-furnished team and a pantheon of challenging foes to Exp. Share grind on should you pursue the National Pokedex.
- Full restoration of the Celebi and Spiky-Eared Pichu events!
- All legendaries can be rebattled infinitely once they are captured so you can finish the dex and still shiny hunt.
- Misc Trainer additions to add more trainer class variety and give Lyra/Ethan a little more screentime
- A variety of script and flavor text additions to breathe life into Kanto and Johto! Enjoy the Pewter Museum, chitchat with Blue, hang out with Whitney, and more!
- To be clear: absolutely no type, stat or ability changes. As well as no Fairy-type. The hack is lavish within its bounds and minimalist outside of it; these go against the spirit of the hack.
Coarse
Exclusive features only for the Coarse version. Coarse version is a very purist approach for people just looking for a definitive edition to play and complete the Nat Dex.
- No trainer changes outside of rematches and other postgame content. ALL ADDED CONTENT IS STILL PRESENT.
- Postgame content is similar to Overhaul, but scaled down in levels and IVs to match vanilla’s curve.
- Negligible movepool changes as QoL instead of buffing anything.
- All of the above changes to provide an enjoyable experience while keeping the vanilla experience to a T.
Overhaul
Exclusive features only for the Overhaul version. Overhaul version is a fine meal of trainer buffs and careful movepool changes to further enhance your experience and add challenge to your journey.
- Overall difficulty is well above vanilla but below Renegade Platinum, even accounting for the player’s limited options.
- A thoroughly refined level curve to make progression more fluid and enjoyable. Wild Pokemon that aren’t 20 levels below you! Wow!
- My crown jewel of romhacking, nonlinear progression!
- After defeating Morty, the player may either go to Mahogany or Olivine first. Trainers and wild encouners will get stronger after completing one track.
- Kanto is also more cohesive, making you battle the first set of gyms in any order before moving on to the second set, Megaman 7 style.
- Complete revamp so Team Rocket teams are more engaging and interesting!
- Grunts use a core of Poison, Ground, and Normal, while the Executives are rebuilt from the ground up!
- A basic set of level up pool buffs on nearly every line, typically a token move or two as if there was a second round of the DP->Platinum buffs.
- Johto Starters have been comprehensively redone to make them more engaging and fun to use.
- These are all legal as of HGSS, there’s no Seed Flare Venusaur.
- All trainers have IVs scaling as you go along in the game.
Change Log
Version 1.4.2
- A ton of tiny changes that I was putting off with regards to superboss shenanigans, plus a bunch of small bugs and tweaks. Most of these would have been “Various minor fixes” etc but it felt important to call out some of them.
- Unknowable inconsistencies in the Pokedex habitat listing are now fixed, courtesy of RavenDS
Version 4.1
- Relocated certain variables and flags. Please visit the Oven in New Bark Town if you’re loading a pre-v4.1 save. Relevant content may need to be repeated.
- Brock will now be in Mt. Moon Square until you fetch him, making Route 3 and Mt. Moon mandatory.
- Added NPCs who give you Protector, Electirizer and Magmarizer to Kanto. Also one for Zoom Lens in Global Terminal.
- The NPC in Pal Park that gifts the Crown, Tiara, etc will now reward you for bringing a relevant starter as well.
- Added flavor text to Mt. Moon Square’s shop, and changed the music in it.
- Feraligatr now learns Avalanche via relearner instead of Aerial Ace so it’s at least a sidegrade to Ice Punch.
- Changed classes of a few trainers to better represent certain Battle Frontier exclusive classes.
- Rebalanced Chuck, Jasmine and Pryce.
- Rebalanced Silver’s teams.
- Adjusted the Silver Multi in Dragon’s Den.
- Removed a dummy NPC from Route 1.
- Fixed an oversight where you could just ignore Jasmine’s Gym Trainers altogether.
- Fixed Clair’s Pokemon levels.
- Fixed Eusine’s Ludicolo having Rain Dish.
Game Related Stuff
Download Pokemon Refined Gold Overhaul
Mirror Mega Links
Screenshots
Credits
Input on design, theorycrafting, and balancing/encounter distribution was provided by Frozen Metroid/Senate, Julian Kaffeebohnen, SpagoAsparago, PathologicalLurker, Quick, Worcestershirey, TitaniumTogekiss, PksLab, Gorapa, DarmaniDan, Tanning Bed, Dr. Fizz, SkarmTSK, and McGee. TwilightMenu++ compatibility courtesy of DeadSkullzJr.
Assistance in hacking and discovering absolutely ridiculous new ways to surmount obstacles was provided by AdAstra, Cannons, Drayano, turtleisaac, Nomura, Lhea, Saucettya, and BluRose.
And, of course, there are countless others who have provided small bits of insight or suggestions. Shoutout to Melki, PathoLurk, Vbeechu, Kobe, Rei, Viridian, Wobb, Nathaniel, Minkuru, Brandon, Lord of Baguettes, Yimpyomp, and Gelius.
Thank you as well to all of the beta testers who helped make sure this hack was a quality and enjoyable one.
