Is Duskull Good in HeartGold & SoulSilver Playthrough?
Breed-only. Ghost with AbilityLevitate. Dusclops at level 37, then Dusknoir through Reaper Cloth trade in Gen 4. The Gen 4 evolution adds punch, but the breed-only sourcing limits access.
Duskull trades roughly evenly with Falkner's team.
Duskull trades roughly evenly with Bugsy's team.
Duskull trades roughly evenly with Whitney's team.
Duskull trades roughly evenly with Morty's team.
Duskull trades roughly evenly with Chuck's team.
Jasmine's typing presses Duskull's defenses.
Duskull trades roughly evenly with Pryce's team.
Duskull trades roughly evenly with Clair's team.
Duskull trades roughly evenly with Brock's team.
Duskull trades roughly evenly with Misty's team.
Lt. Surge's typing presses Duskull's defenses.
Duskull trades roughly evenly with Erika's team.
Duskull trades roughly evenly with Janine's team.
Duskull trades roughly evenly with Sabrina's team.
Blaine's typing presses Duskull's defenses.
Duskull trades roughly evenly with Blue's team.
Dusclops has the type edge here and should clean up Will's team.
Dusclops trades roughly evenly with Koga's team.
Dusclops trades roughly evenly with Bruno's team.
Dusclops trades roughly evenly with Karen's team.
Dusknoir has the type edge here and should clean up Lance's team.
Catchable
Catch Duskull in the Safari Zone (walking, Lv 38). Requires 28 Peak objects placed in Swamp.
Recommended Moves
- After Bugsy
- TM14IceBlizzardPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM13IceIce BeamPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod Game Corner
- TUTORNormalHeadbuttPower 70Accuracy 100%PP 15Ilex Forest
- After Morty
- TM30GhostShadow BallPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15Prize for defeating Morty
- After Jasmine
- TM43NormalSecret PowerPower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Lake of Rage
- TM10NormalHidden PowerPower 60Accuracy 100%PP 15Lake of Rage
- After Clair
- TM79DarkDark PulsePower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15Sold by the TM clerk on 3F of the Celadon Department Store
- LV 46PsychicFuture SightPower 80Accuracy 90%PP 15
Evolve Duskull to Dusclops
Duskull evolves into Dusclops at Level 37. You get it at Level 38, past Level 37, so it evolves into Dusclops the next time it levels up.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 37)
- LV 37GhostShadow PunchPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 20
- LV 37FireWill-O-WispPower —Accuracy 75%PP 15
- After Bugsy
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM14IceBlizzardPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM13IceIce BeamPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod Game Corner
- After Morty
- TM30GhostShadow BallPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15Prize for defeating Morty
- After Chuck
- TM01FightingFocus PunchPower 150Accuracy 100%PP 20Prize for defeating Chuck
- After Clair
- TM26GroundEarthquakePower 100Accuracy 100%PP 10Victory Road
Evolve Dusclops to Dusknoir
Dusclops evolves into Dusknoir when traded. Trade it in the post-game, after you beat Lance.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 47)
- LV 47GhostShadow PunchPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 20
- After Bugsy
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM14IceBlizzardPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM52FightingFocus BlastPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM13IceIce BeamPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod Game Corner
- After Morty
- TM30GhostShadow BallPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15Prize for defeating Morty
- After Chuck
- TM01FightingFocus PunchPower 150Accuracy 100%PP 20Prize for defeating Chuck
- After Clair
- TM26GroundEarthquakePower 100Accuracy 100%PP 10Victory Road
How to Get Duskull in HeartGold & SoulSilver
No trade evolution leads to Duskull, the first stage of its 3-stage chain. Trading only comes in further along the line, as the step cards below show.
Wild Duskull may be holding when caught:
Kasib Berry (5% chance) If held by a Pokemon, it weakens a foe's supereffective Ghost-type attack.1 location to catch Duskull
Encountered via Surfing, tall grass encounters
Badge 8Where To Catch Duskull in HGSS
Duskull is where the line starts, caught through walking and surfing encounters at Lv. 38-48. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.
Bring the right balls: check Duskull catch odds in the HeartGold & SoulSilver Catch Rate Calculator before you throw.
How to Get Shiny Duskull in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Duskull breeds up its shiny, so pair it with a foreign Ditto the Masuda way for a shiny of its own. Compare Shiny Duskull odds across every game
HeartGold & SoulSilver Shiny Duskull Calculator
2 MethodsThe best route is Masuda Method, about 1 in 1,639 on each try.
Masuda Method: Breed with a parent from a different-language game. Works on any breedable line.
Full Odds: Walk through grass, surf, or fish. Every encounter is its own independent shiny roll.
How many you have done, or plan to do.
| Chance | Encounters | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 10%lucky few | 173-- | -- |
| 25%one in four | 472-- | -- |
| 50%coin flip | 1,136-- | -- |
| 90%very likely | 3,773-- | -- |
Time assumes -- at your pace and does not change your shiny odds.
How is this calculated?
Every encounter has the same shiny chance, the Shiny Odds Per Try shown above. Each one is a separate roll that does not care how many you have already done, so the more you hunt, the higher your overall chance of at least one shiny. The formula below turns your odds and your number of tries into that combined chance.
chance after N tries = 1 − (1 − p)^N, where p = 1 / odds per try
Example at 1 in 8,192 (classic full odds): about 864 encounters for a 10 percent chance, 5,678 for 50 percent, and 18,862 for 90 percent.
The table above flips that around: it shows how many encounters it takes to reach a 10, 25, 50, and 90 percent chance at your current odds. Turning on boosts like the Shiny Charm, sandwiches, or chains improves your odds, so the encounter numbers drop.
These are estimates, not promises. Most games have no pity counter, meaning no guaranteed shiny no matter how many you hunt, so even Very Likely is not guaranteed: some hunters find one early, others go well past that point.
Planning a longer hunt? Set up Duskull in the HeartGold & SoulSilver Shiny Odds Calculator to compare every method side by side.
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 |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Duskull Weak Against
ExcellentBest Pokemon Against Duskull
 Cacturne GrassDark | B | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Cacturne builds →Sucker Punch 2x118-139%KO | ||
 Absol Dark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Absol builds →Bite 2x99-116%KO Shadow Claw 2x76-90% | ||
 Shiftry GrassDark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Shiftry builds →Feint Attack 2x79-94% Shadow Ball 2x64-75% | ||
 Haunter GhostPoison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Haunter builds →Shadow Ball 2x118-139%KO Sucker Punch 2x43-50% | ||
 Murkrow Dark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Murkrow builds →Feint Attack 2x70-83% Shadow Ball 2x61-73% | ||
 Misdreavus Ghost | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Misdreavus builds →Shadow Ball 2x91-109%KO Payback 2x31-38% | ||
Dusclops Ghost | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Dusclops builds →Shadow Ball 2x70-83% Payback 2x34-40% | ||
 Shedinja BugGhost | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Shedinja builds →Shadow Claw 2x85-101%KO Thief 2x34-40% | ||
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 Amorphous egg group. Pass egg moves like Destiny Bond, Feint Attack, Grudge and 4 more to offspring.
HGSS Duskull Best Moveset
90 in both defenses with AbilityLevitate blocking Ground, but 20 HP undermines the stats entirely. Blocks individual hits but can't sustain. Dusclops, then Dusknoir.
Best Build
Duskull best EVs are Defense and Sp. Def
Wall Moveset
- Pain Split
- Night Shade
- Curse
- Will O Wisp
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
You'll want to breed for Destiny Bond and Feint Attack on Duskull. These egg moves aren't just nice to have. Combined with STAB from Shadow Ball and Ominous Wind, 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
All 24 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
If it finds bad children who won’t listen to their parents, it will spirit them away--or so it’s said.
Duskull HeartGold & SoulSilver Guide
- Where in the HeartGold & SoulSilver Safari Zone can I find Duskull?
See the Locations section above for where to find Duskull in HeartGold & SoulSilver.
Safari rules: You can only use Safari Balls. No battling. Two tactical items shift the catch/flee trade-off:
- Throw bait to keep Duskull from fleeing (flee rate cut to 1/4) but it becomes harder to catch (catch factor halved).
- Throw a rock to make Duskull easier to catch (catch factor doubled) but it flees twice as often.
- Each effect lasts 2-6 random turns; throwing one cancels the other.
Yes. Wild Duskull in HeartGold & SoulSilver can hold Kasib Berry (5%). Use Thief (TM46) or Covet to swipe the held item without affecting your catch chance. Quickest way to farm rare items like Kasib Berry.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Duskull has 295 BST and evolves into Dusclops. Compare the two forms before you give either one a team slot.
Game Availability
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.
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 7Let's Go
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
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