Is Dusclops Good in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Playthrough?
Trade with Reaper Cloth for Dusknoir. Dusclops is a defensive Ghost that doesn't deal damage. Handles Fantina's mirror but can't contribute offensively against other gyms.
Duskull has the type edge here and should clean up Roark's team.
Duskull has the type edge here and should clean up Gardenia's team.
Duskull has the type edge here and should clean up Maylene's team.
Duskull trades roughly evenly with Crasher Wake's team.
Duskull has the type edge here and should clean up Fantina's team.
Duskull has the type edge here and should clean up Byron's team.
Duskull trades roughly evenly with Candice's team.
Duskull trades roughly evenly with Volkner's team.
Dusknoir has the type edge here and should clean up Aaron's team.
Dusknoir trades roughly evenly with Bertha's team.
Dusknoir trades roughly evenly with Flint's team.
Dusknoir has the type edge here and should clean up Lucian's team.
Dusknoir has the type edge here and should clean up Cynthia's team.
Catch Dusclops on Route 224 (Poké Radar, Lv 52-54, common).
Most players are ready to trade before reaching Aaron.
How to Get Dusclops in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
The chain to Dusclops requires a trade evolution through a trade. Catch Duskull at moderate rates and level through the stages, but line up the trade first. The rest of the chain runs on levels alone.
Where To Catch Dusclops in BDSP
To get Dusclops, start by catching Duskull through walking and special encounters at Lv. 23-63. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.
Step 1Catch DuskullRoute 224Lv.23Using PokeRadarRate 2%Dazzling CaveLv.58-63CavePost-gameStargleam CavernLv.58-63CavePost-game
Step 2Dusclops ✓Route 224Lv.52-54Using PokeRadarRate 20%Dazzling CaveLv.58-63CavePost-gameStargleam CavernLv.58-63CavePost-gameor evolve from Duskull (Step 1)
Step 3Evolve into Dusknoir
Dusclops Weakness
Dusclops is weak to Ghost and Dark. On the flip side, it's immune to Normal and Fighting-type moves entirely. Dusclops's overall bulk (40/130/130) lets it take a hit or two from most weaknesses before going down.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Ghost, Dark |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Poison, Bug |
| 0x (Immune) | Normal, Fighting |
What is Dusclops Weak Against
ExcellentBest Pokemon Against Dusclops
 Haunter GhostPoison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Dusclops View Haunter builds →Shadow Ball 2x77-90% Dark Pulse 2x51-60% | ||
 Absol Dark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Dusclops View Absol builds →Night Slash 2x73-86% Shadow Claw 2x48-58% | ||
Haunter GhostPoison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Dusclops View Haunter builds →Shadow Ball 2x77-90% Dark Pulse 2x51-60% | ||
Absol Dark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Dusclops View Absol builds →Night Slash 2x72-85% Shadow Claw 2x47-56% | ||
Haunter GhostPoison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Dusclops View Haunter builds →Shadow Ball 2x74-88% Dark Pulse 2x49-59% | ||
Absol Dark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Dusclops View Absol builds →Night Slash 2x68-82% Shadow Claw 2x46-54% | ||
 Skuntank PoisonDark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Dusclops View Skuntank builds →Sucker Punch 2x52-62% Shadow Claw 2x35-41% | ||
Haunter GhostPoison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Dusclops View Haunter builds →Shadow Ball 2x72-85% Dark Pulse 2x48-57% | ||
Absol Dark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Dusclops View Absol builds →Night Slash 2x69-83% Shadow Claw 2x46-55% | ||
Skuntank PoisonDark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Dusclops View Skuntank builds →Sucker Punch 2x54-64% Shadow Claw 2x36-43% | ||
 Weavile DarkIce | A | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Dusclops View Weavile builds →Assurance 2x57-67% Shadow Claw 2x43-51% | ||
Haunter GhostPoison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Dusclops View Haunter builds →Shadow Ball 2x69-83% Dark Pulse 2x46-55% | ||
Absol Dark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Dusclops View Absol builds →Night Slash 2x69-83% Shadow Claw 2x46-55% | ||
Skuntank PoisonDark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Dusclops View Skuntank builds →Sucker Punch 2x54-64% Shadow Claw 2x36-43% | ||
Weavile DarkIce | A | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Dusclops View Weavile builds →Assurance 2x57-67% Shadow Claw 2x43-51% | ||
Haunter GhostPoison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Dusclops View Haunter builds →Shadow Ball 2x69-83% Dark Pulse 2x46-55% | ||
Absol Dark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Dusclops View Absol builds →Night Slash 2x70-83% Shadow Claw 2x46-55% | ||
 Cacturne GrassDark | C | |
Skuntank PoisonDark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Dusclops View Skuntank builds →Sucker Punch 2x53-62% Shadow Claw 2x35-42% | ||
Weavile DarkIce | A | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Dusclops View Weavile builds →Night Slash 2x64-77% Shadow Claw 2x43-51% | ||
 Banette Ghost | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Dusclops View Banette builds →Phantom Force 2x80-95% Sucker Punch 2x42-50% | ||
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Dragapult's Shadow Ball hits Dusclops for 46-55%. Hydreigon's Dark Pulse hits Dusclops for 55-64%.
 Dragapult DragonGhost | S | |
Recommended Build AbilityInfiltrator ItemChoice Specs NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Dusclops View Dragapult builds →Draco Meteor38-44% U Turn5-6% Shadow Ball 2x46-55% Flamethrower18-21% | ||
 Hydreigon DarkDragon | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityLevitate ItemChoice Specs NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Dusclops View Hydreigon builds →Dark Pulse 2x55-64% Draco Meteor44-52% Flamethrower20-24% | ||
Dusclops Evolutions
Dusclops connects Duskull to Dusknoir in this chain. At least one evolution here needs a trade. Defense has grown the most so far (+40), but there's still another 70 stats to gain in the final evolution. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Dusclops to get Duskull eggs easily using 31 partners from the Indeterminate egg group. Notable egg moves include Destiny Bond, Grudge, Haze and 3 more.
BDSP Dusclops Best Moveset
130/130 defenses with Held ItemEviolite boosting both by 50% while unevolved, creating defensive numbers that exceed most fully evolved Pokemon. The moveset runs Ghost TermStab support with minimal offensive output at 70/60 Attack and Sp. Atk. Held ItemEviolite transforms this middle evolution into one of the bulkiest Pokemon available.
Best Build
Dusclops best EVs are HP and Sp. Def
Wall Moveset
- Will O Wisp
- Pain Split
- Spite
- Confuse Ray
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Egg moves make a real difference. Dusclops gets Destiny Bond and Grudge exclusively through breeding, filling gaps that TMs and level-up can't touch. Coverage across 9 types rounds out the picture alongside Shadow Ball and Hex.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- Egg
- Inherited via breeding.
- Tutor
- NPC tutor (cost: items, BP, money).
- Reminder
- An NPC reteaches any move this Pokemon could have learned by leveling up.
- Transfer
- Carried over from an older game using Pokemon HOME.
- Event
- Given out through Mystery Gift events.
Visual Signals
CAT (Category)
How the move deals damage and which stats it uses.
A small dot on the icon's corner marks the move as contact. That triggers abilities like Static, Flame Body, Rough Skin, or Iron Barbs, plus items like Rocky Helmet and Sticky Barb.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM, Egg, and Tutor sort by tier by default (best first). On Level-Up, click the Tier header to do the same.
PWR (Power)
Base damage. Numbers shown in a type color include STAB (base × 1.5). Hover any colored number to see the math.
— means no power (status moves) or variable power.
Sorting & Filter
Click any column header to sort. Level-Up opens with Lv 1 at the top. TM, Egg, and Tutor open with the highest-tier moves at the top.
Search filters by move name or type. The Filter button limits the list to STAB, Physical, Special, or Status moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
Its body is hollow. It is said that those who look into its body are sucked into the void.
Dusclops Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Guide
At 455 BST, Dusclops is firmly in pre-evolution territory. Evolve it into Dusknoir before bringing it to any serious fight.
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Dusclops's biggest threats include Gengar (Ghost) and Tyranitar (Dark), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Only 2 weaknesses means fewer dedicated counters to worry about. At base 25 Speed, Dusclops won't outrun any of these threats so switching to a resist is usually the safer play.
Dusclops evolves into Dusknoir via trade. Trade needs a Game Boy Advance link cable and a second GBA running another Gen 3 game (FireRed, LeafGreen, Ruby, Sapphire, or Emerald). Trade Dusclops to a friend, then have them trade it back. The 2026 Switch re-release supports the same trade through local wireless on the Pokemon Center 2F Wireless Club, with no cables required. The Reaper Cloth must be held during the trade. Bring one over from a sibling Gen 3 game if needed.
Pressure is the go-to ability for Dusclops. It increases the PP cost of moves targetting the Pokémon by one. Its hidden ability Frisk can work in specific setups.
Dusclops is a special attacker with base 60 Sp. Atk. Tanky enough to absorb a few hits, too. Speed tells the real story. Base 25 Speed is low. Priority moves or Trick Room are the way to go.
Game Availability
Since Ruby & Sapphire, Dusclops has been in 17 games. Requiring a trade evolution to obtain means it's consistently available but requires more effort than simply catching it in the wild.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RSDebut
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves