Is Dustox Good in HeartGold & SoulSilver Playthrough?
Bug/Poison at level 10 with AbilityShield Dust preventing secondary move effects. Better Defense than Beautifly but worse offenses. Neither Wurmple branch matters past early routes in HGSS.
Falkner's team hits Wurmple's weaknesses hard.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Falkner:
Bugsy's typing presses Wurmple's defenses.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Bugsy:
Wurmple trades roughly evenly with Whitney's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Whitney:
Morty's typing presses Beautifly's defenses.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Morty:
Chuck's team hits Beautifly's weaknesses hard.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Chuck:
Jasmine's team hits Beautifly's weaknesses hard.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Jasmine:
Beautifly has the type edge here and should clean up Pryce's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Pryce:
Clair's team hits Beautifly's weaknesses hard.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Clair:
Beautifly has the type edge here and should clean up Brock's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Brock:
Beautifly has the type edge here and should clean up Misty's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Misty:
Lt. Surge's team hits Beautifly's weaknesses hard.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Lt. Surge:
Beautifly resists most of Erika's coverage and hits back hard.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Erika:
Beautifly trades roughly evenly with Janine's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Janine:
Beautifly has the type edge here and should clean up Sabrina's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Sabrina:
Blaine's team hits Beautifly's weaknesses hard.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Blaine:
Beautifly trades roughly evenly with Blue's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Blue:
Beautifly has the type edge here and should clean up Will's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Will:
Beautifly trades roughly evenly with Koga's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Koga:
Beautifly has the type edge here and should clean up Bruno's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Bruno:
Beautifly has the type edge here and should clean up Karen's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Karen:
Lance's team hits Beautifly's weaknesses hard.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Lance:
Catch Cascoon
Catch Cascoon in the National Park (walking, Lv 25-32, uncommon). Post-National Dex - Saturday.
Recommended Moves
- After Pryce
- REMINDERNormalTacklePower 35Accuracy 95%PP 35
Evolve Cascoon to Dustox
Cascoon evolves into Dustox at Level 10. You get it at Level 25 or higher, past Level 10, so it evolves into Dustox the next time it levels up. A lower-level Cascoon evolves when it reaches Level 10.
Recommended Moves
- After Bugsy
- TM89BugU-turnPower 105Accuracy 100%PP 20Prize for defeating Bugsy
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM22GrassSolar BeamPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod Department Store
- After Morty
- TM30GhostShadow BallPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15Prize for defeating Morty
- LV 34BugSilver WindPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 5
- After Jasmine
- TM36PoisonSludge BombPower 135Accuracy 100%PP 10Route 43
- TM43NormalSecret PowerPower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Lake of Rage
- LV 41BugBug BuzzPower 135Accuracy 100%PP 10
Evolve Cascoon to Beautifly
Silcoon evolves into Beautifly at Level 10. Your Cascoon should hit Level 10 before you reach Chuck, at typical leveling pace.
Recommended Moves
- After Bugsy
- TM89BugU-turnPower 105Accuracy 100%PP 20Prize for defeating Bugsy
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM22GrassSolar BeamPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod Department Store
- After Morty
- TM30GhostShadow BallPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15Prize for defeating Morty
- LV 34BugSilver WindPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 5
- After Jasmine
- TM43NormalSecret PowerPower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Lake of Rage
- LV 41BugBug BuzzPower 135Accuracy 100%PP 10
- After Clair
- TM40FlyingAerial AcePower 90Accuracy 100%PP 20Mt. Mortar
How to Get Dustox in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Dustox holds the Thursday slot in the National Park, rare and National-Dex-gated like its bug cousins. The day you walk in decides whether you meet it or Beautifly instead.
Wild Dustox may be holding when caught:
Shed Shell (5% chance) A tough, discarded carapace to be held by a Pokemon. It enables the holder to switch with a waiting Pokemon in battle.1 location to catch Dustox1 location to catch Cascoon
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Badge 3Catch Cascoon at any of the 1 location below, then level it up to 10 — it evolves into Dustox.
Badge 3Where To Catch Dustox in HGSS
Wurmple is your first catch on the way to Dustox. You'll find headbutt and walking encounters from Lv. 2-36 across 36 total spots in the chain.
- Step 1Catch WurmplePallet TownLv.2-6Headbutting treesRate 20%Post-gameRoute 1Lv.2-6Headbutting treesRate 20%Post-gamePewter CityLv.3-9Headbutting treesRate 20%Post-gameRoute 2 - NorthLv.3-7Headbutting treesRate 20%Post-gameRoute 2 - SouthLv.3-7Headbutting treesRate 20%Post-gameRoute 22Lv.3-7Headbutting treesRate 20%Post-gameViridian CityLv.3-7Headbutting treesRate 20%Post-gameRoute 3Lv.6-10Headbutting treesRate 20%Post-gameFuchsia CityLv.21-34Headbutting treesRate 20%Post-gameRoute 15Lv.21-26Headbutting treesRate 20%Post-gameRoute 12Lv.22-25Headbutting treesRate 20%Post-gameRoute 13Lv.22-25Headbutting treesRate 20%Post-gameNational Park - Bug Catching ContestLv.24-36FloorRate 20%Post-game (Thu, Sat)Route 21Lv.24-30Headbutting treesRate 20%Post-gameRoute 14Lv.26-30Headbutting treesRate 20%Post-gameRoute 18Lv.26-30Headbutting treesRate 20%Post-game
- Step 2Catch or Evolve Cascoonor evolve from Wurmple (Step 1)
- Step 3Dustox ✓or evolve from Cascoon (Step 2)
Bring the right balls: check Dustox catch odds in the HeartGold & SoulSilver Catch Rate Calculator before you throw.
How to Get Shiny Dustox in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Dustox flutters through the National Park, so breed it Masuda-style with a foreign parent at 1 in 1,638. Compare Shiny Dustox odds across every game
Shiny Dustox Evolution
Multi-Path
HeartGold & SoulSilver Shiny Dustox 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 Dustox in the HeartGold & SoulSilver Shiny Odds Calculator to compare every method side by side.
Dustox Weakness
Fire, Flying, Psychic, and Rock moves hit Dustox for super-effective damage. The Bug/Poison typing picks up 4 resistances to work with.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Fire, Flying, Psychic, Rock |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Poison, Bug |
| 0.25x (Resist) | Grass, Fighting |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Dustox Weak Against
AvgBest Pokemon Against Dustox
 Ninetales Fire | C | |
 Arcanine Fire | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Dustox View Arcanine builds →Fire Blast 2x110-131%KO Aerial Ace 2x48-57% | ||
 Golbat Poison | C | |
 Scyther Bug | C | |
 Magmar Fire | C | |
 Dodrio Normal | C | |
 Flareon Fire | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Goldenrod City Gift) | ||
 Farfetch'd Normal | C | |
 Fearow Normal | C | |
 Quilava Fire | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Cyndaquil (New Bark Town Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Dustox View Quilava builds →Fire Blast 2x93-110%KO Aerial Ace 2x32-39% | ||
 Gardevoir Psychic | B | |
 Ninjask Bug | C | |
 Slowbro WaterPsychic | C | |
Obtain MethodSlowpoke Well Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Dustox View Slowbro builds →Fire Blast 2x74-87% Confusion 2x49-59% | ||
 Noctowl Normal | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Dustox View Noctowl builds →Sky Attack 2x93-110%KO Confusion 2x29-34% | ||
Dustox Evolutions
You get Dustox from Wurmple at level 10. It's one of 2 possible evolutions in this branching family, each requiring its own method. Breed through Wurmple to get eggs. The evolution from Wurmple pushed Dustox to 385 total stats. Sp.Def saw the largest single gain at +60. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Dustox to get Wurmple eggs easily using 48 partners from the Bug egg group.
HGSS Dustox Best Moveset
Bug/Poison at 90 Sp. Def absorbing special attacks, but 50 Sp. Atk and 50 Attack leave the moveset without damage output. AbilityShield Dust blocks secondary effects. Defensive niche with no offensive return.
Best Build
Dustox best EVs are HP and Sp. Def
Wall Moveset
- Toxic
- Bug Buzz
- Roost
- Light Screen
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
The level-up pool is slim, so TMs matter here. Dustox's coverage across 7 types all comes from technical machines, built on top of Bug Buzz and Sludge Bomb for same-type damage. Bug Buzz and Hyper Beam are the payoff moves.
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 22 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Reminder Moves
Base Stats
It scatters its fine dust all over when it is attacked. It is a nocturnal Pokémon.
Dustox HeartGold & SoulSilver Guide
Yes. Wild Dustox in HeartGold & SoulSilver can hold Shed Shell (5%). Use Thief (TM46) or Covet to swipe the held item without affecting your catch chance. Quickest way to farm rare items like Shed Shell.
For HeartGold & SoulSilver, it depends on your team. Dustox rates C-Tier. Not a powerhouse, but the Bug/Poison coverage might be exactly what you're missing.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, use Dustox as a support. Special attacks are the main output. Not the fastest,
For HeartGold & SoulSilver, run Calm on Dustox. +Sp. Def is what matters, and the -Attack cut doesn't hurt this set. Fits the support role.
Game Availability
Debuting in Ruby & Sapphire, Dustox appears in 14 games across 7 generations. A reliable presence in a solid number of games, typically found through wild encounters.
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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