Is Duskull Good in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Playthrough?
Underground Ghost-type. Dusknoir via Reaper Cloth trade is a bulky Ghost. Without the trade, Dusclops with Eviolite is actually better defensively. Either way, the offense is low.
Duskull trades roughly evenly with Roark's team.
Duskull trades roughly evenly with Gardenia's team.
Duskull trades roughly evenly with Maylene's team.
Crasher Wake's team hits Duskull's weaknesses hard.
Duskull has the type edge here and should clean up Fantina's team.
Duskull trades roughly evenly with Byron's team.
Duskull trades roughly evenly with Candice's team.
Volkner's team hits Duskull's weaknesses hard.
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 Duskull on Route 224 (Poké Radar, Lv 23, rare).
Most players are ready to trade before reaching Aaron.
How to Get Duskull in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
A trade step sits in Duskull's 3-stage chain from Duskull. The step cards below map each stage with catch locations and evolution methods. Duskull shows up in the wild, so the starting catch is the easy part.
Where To Catch Duskull in BDSP
The path to Duskull starts with Duskull at Lv. 23-63 via walking and special encounters. 2 catchable stages total, with locations listed for each one below.
Step 1Duskull ✓Route 224Lv.23Using PokeRadarRate 2%Dazzling CaveLv.58-63CavePost-gameStargleam CavernLv.58-63CavePost-game
Step 2Catch or Evolve into DusclopsRoute 224Lv.52-54Using PokeRadarRate 20%Dazzling CaveLv.58-63CavePost-gameStargleam CavernLv.58-63CavePost-gameor evolve from Duskull (Step 1)
Step 3Evolve into Dusknoir
Duskull Weakness
Duskull's Ghost typing leaves it vulnerable to Ghost and Dark. It shrugs off Normal and Fighting-type attacks completely. Levitate grants an additional Ground immunity, reshaping the matchup chart.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Ghost, Dark |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Poison, Bug |
| 0x (Immune) | Normal, Fighting |
What is Duskull Weak Against
ExcellentBest Pokemon Against Duskull
 Haunter GhostPoison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Haunter builds →Shadow Ball 2x120-143%KO Dark Pulse 2x80-95% | ||
 Absol Dark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Absol builds →Night Slash 2x116-138%KO Shadow Claw 2x77-92% | ||
Haunter GhostPoison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Haunter builds →Shadow Ball 2x120-143%KO Dark Pulse 2x80-95% | ||
Absol Dark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Absol builds →Night Slash 2x114-135%KO Shadow Claw 2x76-90% | ||
Haunter GhostPoison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Haunter builds →Shadow Ball 2x118-139%KO Dark Pulse 2x79-93% | ||
Absol Dark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Absol builds →Night Slash 2x113-134%KO Shadow Claw 2x75-89% | ||
 Skuntank PoisonDark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Skuntank builds →Sucker Punch 2x87-103%KO Shadow Claw 2x58-68% | ||
Haunter GhostPoison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Haunter builds →Shadow Ball 2x117-138%KO Dark Pulse 2x78-92% | ||
Absol Dark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Absol builds →Night Slash 2x112-133%KO Shadow Claw 2x75-89% | ||
Skuntank PoisonDark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Skuntank builds →Sucker Punch 2x88-104%KO Shadow Claw 2x58-69% | ||
 Weavile DarkIce | A | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Weavile builds →Assurance 2x90-107%KO Shadow Claw 2x69-81% | ||
Haunter GhostPoison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Haunter builds →Shadow Ball 2x116-137%KO Dark Pulse 2x77-91% | ||
Absol Dark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Absol builds →Night Slash 2x112-133%KO Shadow Claw 2x75-89% | ||
Skuntank PoisonDark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Skuntank builds →Sucker Punch 2x88-104%KO Shadow Claw 2x58-69% | ||
Weavile DarkIce | A | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Weavile builds →Assurance 2x90-107%KO Shadow Claw 2x69-81% | ||
Haunter GhostPoison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Haunter builds →Shadow Ball 2x116-137%KO Dark Pulse 2x77-91% | ||
Absol Dark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Absol builds →Night Slash 2x115-135%KO Shadow Claw 2x76-90% | ||
 Cacturne GrassDark | C | |
Skuntank PoisonDark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Skuntank builds →Sucker Punch 2x88-103%KO Shadow Claw 2x58-69% | ||
Weavile DarkIce | A | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Weavile builds →Night Slash 2x107-125%KO Shadow Claw 2x70-84% | ||
 Banette Ghost | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Banette builds →Phantom Force 2x131-155%KO Sucker Punch 2x70-82% | ||
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Weavile can KO Duskull with Knock Off (122-144%). Chandelure threatens a KO with Shadow Ball (173-204%).
Weavile DarkIce | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityPressure ItemHeavy-Duty Boots NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Weavile builds →Knock Off 2x122-144%KO Ice Shard38-45% | ||
 Chandelure GhostFire | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityFlashfire ItemChoice Scarf NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Chandelure builds →Shadow Ball 2x173-204%KO Energy Ball65-76% Flamethrower97-114%KO Psychic65-76% | ||
Duskull Evolutions
Three stages ahead. Duskull grows into Dusclops, then pushes on to Dusknoir. Check the evolution methods below. For breeding, average hatch time with a decent partner pool via one egg group. The evolved forms gain up to 230 total stats over Duskull. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed Duskull easily with 31 breeding partners from the Indeterminate egg group. Pass egg moves like Destiny Bond, Grudge, Haze and 3 more to offspring.
BDSP Duskull Best Moveset
90/90 in both defenses at only 20 HP, and AbilityLevitate grants Ground immunity. Hidden AbilityFrisk reveals held items. The moveset can't do anything offensively. Two evolutions from Dusknoir where the defensive stats complete into a usable Ghost.
Best Build
Duskull best EVs are Sp. Atk
Utility Moveset
- Destiny Bond
- Endure
- Memento
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
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.
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
It doggedly pursues its prey wherever the prey goes. However, the chase is abandoned at sunrise.
Duskull Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Guide
For Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, you can run Duskull through the first few routes without issues. 295 BST won't carry you far though. Get it to Dusclops as fast as you can.
Game Availability
Available in 17 titles since its debut in Ruby & Sapphire, Duskull spans 8 generations of Pokemon games. It's accessible through catching or hatching as a base form in most mainline games.
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