Mid-stage Pokemon like Duskull rarely see competitive play outside of special formats. It's a waypoint on the road to Dusknoir, which is where the real potential kicks in. Introduced in Gen 3. Normal and Fighting moves can't touch it, and only 2 types hit it super-effectively.
Defense and Sp. Def carry most of Duskull's stat budget. HP's the obvious dump stat. Common in the wild and yields 1 Sp. Def EV. Follows a fast 800K XP curve.
I’ve heard that the children of Hisui all begin to behave once they’ve been told the story of how this Pokémon roams about before the witching hour to spirit away misbehaving children.
Duskull Weakness
ExcellentDuskull's Ghost typing leaves it vulnerable to Ghost and Dark moves. It shrugs off Normal and Fighting-type attacks completely. Levitate grants an additional Ground immunity, reshaping the matchup chart.
Three stages ahead. Duskull grows into Dusclops, then pushes on to Dusknoir. Check the evolution methods below. For breeding, average hatch time with plenty of partners via one egg group. The evolved forms gain up to 230 total stats over Duskull.
How to Evolve
Breed Duskull easily with 63 breeding partners from the Indeterminate egg group.
Eviolite makes Duskull bulkier than you'd expect from something that still evolves. A spread EV build EVs with Serious nature handle the stat profile. The remaining moves keeps it from being passive.
Best Build
Best Duskull Moveset
- Will O Wisp
- Pain Split
- Hex
- Trick Room
Recommended Teammates
Level-up moves are just the starting point for Duskull. TMs unlock Dark and Psychic coverage and more and turn a straightforward STAB kit around Poltergeist and Phantom Force into something with actual range.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Not a lot to pick from. Duskull gets Shadow Ball and Hex for same-type damage, and Grass and Bug coverage and more rounds things out. You're building around what's available rather than choosing from a deep bench.
You'll want to breed for Destiny Bond and Grudge on Duskull. These egg moves aren't just nice to have. Combined with STAB from Shadow Ball and Hex, they expand what Duskull can actually threaten in practice.
You'll want to breed for Grudge and Haze on Duskull. These egg moves aren't just nice to have. Combined with STAB from Poltergeist and Shadow Ball, they expand what Duskull can actually threaten in practice.
Duskull can't be caught in Scarlet & Violet. Bring it over from Ruby, Emerald, or Sword instead. The encounter info below covers the source games.
Duskull appears at decent spawn rates across 3 spots in mid-game routes. Sort by Best below if you want the highest rate, or Earliest if you want the quickest access point in your playthrough.
Best Locations
Walking encounters at walking across 3 spots for Duskull. Sorted by progression so you can see what's reachable at your current point in the game.
Duskull is available from mid-game routes onward at decent spawn rates. 10 encounter spots give you plenty of options. Grab one early and it'll be ready to evolve or train by mid-game.
Best Locations
Duskull's encounter pool splits between Shining Pearl and Brilliant Diamond. You've got 10 walking and special spots at Lv. 16-63 total, but your version determines which ones actually show up.
high spawn rates in early-game routes across 39 locations. Duskull's one of the easier catches on the list. Knock it out fast and save your time for harder targets.
Best Locations
You can catch Duskull through 39 walking encounters from Lv. 11-47, but availability differs between Shield and Sword. Some spots are exclusive to one version.
Duskull is meant to evolve into Dusclops. At 295 BST, the stats aren't there for competitive play yet. Pre-evolution Pokemon rarely hold up against fully evolved threats.
Watch for Misdreavus (Ghost) and Absol (Dark) when using Duskull. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Only 2 weaknesses means fewer dedicated counters to worry about. At base 25 Speed, Duskull won't outrun any of these threats so switching to a resist is usually the safer play.
Duskull evolves into Dusclops at level 37. Duskull is the base form in a 3-stage evolutionary line.
Levitate is what you want on Duskull. Every competitive set worth running is built with that ability in mind. The alternatives (Frisk) work on paper but Levitate is what makes Duskull worth using.
Base 25 Speed is low. Priority moves or Trick Room are the way to go. On offense, Duskull is leaning toward the physical side (base 40 Attack). Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two.
Duskull appears in 16 games, including Ruby & Sapphire, FireRed & LeafGreen, and Emerald.
Available in 16 titles since its debut in Ruby & Sapphire, Duskull spans 7 generations of Pokemon games. It's accessible through catching or hatching as a base form in most mainline games.
- 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