Almost nobody uses Barboach in battle. It exists to evolve into Whiscash, which is a completely different story. Get it there and you won't regret it. Known as the Whiskers Pokemon. Been around since Gen 3.
Barboach's stats barely vary. 0 sit in respectable range with no real gaps. It's a blank slate for EV investment. Worth 1 HP EV, medium-fast 1M XP curve to max.
Makes its home in swamps with murky water. The poor visibility hides this Pokémon from predators, and the slime on its body makes grasping it difficult.
Barboach Weakness
GoodBarboach's Water/Ground typing leaves it vulnerable to Grass moves. Grass hits land at 4x, so they're the biggest threat. It shrugs off Electric-type attacks completely. It resists 4 types, giving it decent defensive coverage.
Barboach evolves into Whiscash. It's a two-stage chain with the method shown below. A small partner pool for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are average hatch time. The evolved forms gain up to 180 total stats over Barboach.
How to Evolve
Breed Barboach easily with 10 breeding partners from the Water2 egg group.
Best Build
Legends: Arceus uses different battle mechanics.
Competitive build content is not applicable for this game. Select a main series game for builds.
Barboach's options are limited here. You've got Aqua Tail and Earth Power for STAB damage, but there isn't much beyond Water and Ground hitting power. TMs help fill gaps, though the kit stays tight.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
decent spawn rates across 3 locations for Barboach in mid-game routes. Scroll the sorted list below and pick whichever spot sits closest to your current route. The rate differences between locations are worth comparing.
Best Locations
3 walking spots from walking for Barboach. Sorted by game progression with rates on each row, so you can compare without scrolling through everything.
Barboach isn't fully evolved, so it's not built for competitive play. You'll want to evolve it into Whiscash to unlock its full potential. At 288 BST, it's a stepping stone rather than a team anchor.
Barboach evolves into Whiscash at level 30. Barboach is the base form of this evolutionary line.
Oblivious prevents infatuation and protects against captivate — that's the one you want on Barboach. Hydration is the hidden ability. Niche, but it has its uses. Anticipation works too if your team needs something different.
Barboach fills the balanced role. It's leaning toward the physical side (base 48 Attack). At base 60 Speed, it won't be moving first often. And it's fragile — can't afford to take many hits.
Barboach appears in 16 games, including Ruby & Sapphire, FireRed & LeafGreen, and Emerald.
Barboach first appeared in Ruby & Sapphire and has been available in 16 games across 7 generations. Obtainable through catching or hatching as a base form in most titles where it appears.
- Gen IY
Yellow - Gen IRB
Red & Blue - Gen IIGS
Gold & Silver - Gen IIC
Crystal - Gen IIIRSDebut
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen IIIFRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen IIIE
Emerald - Gen IVPt
Platinum - Gen IVHGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen IVDP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen VBW
Black & White - Gen VB2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen VIXY
X & Y - Gen VIORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen VIIUSUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen VIISM
Sun & Moon - Gen VIILGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen VIIISwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen VIIIPLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen VIIIBDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen IXSV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen IXLZA
Legends: Z-A