Gastly sits at the start of its evolution line — not yet at full power, but that changes fast. Most trainers push through to Gengar as fast as possible. Normal and Fighting moves can't touch it, which offsets the 4 weaknesses somewhat. Known as the Gas Pokemon.
Nothing fancy in Gastly's spread. It leans special with Sp. Atk out front. And you'll get 1 Sp. Atk EV per KO for it. Follows a 1.06M XP medium-slow curve.
It wraps its opponent in its gas-like body, slowly weakening its prey by poisoning it through the skin.
Its body is made of gas. Despite lacking substance, it can envelop an opponent of any size and cause suffocation.
Gastly Weakness
GoodGastly is weak to Ground, Psychic, Ghost, and Dark-type moves. On the flip side, it's immune to Normal and Fighting-type moves entirely. The Ghost/Poison typing picks up 4 resistances to work with. Levitate grants an additional Ground immunity, reshaping the matchup chart. Gastly leans toward special offense (base 100 Sp.Atk) instead of trying to wall anything.
Gastly kicks off a three-stage evolution line through Haunter all the way to Gengar. For breeding, average hatch time with plenty of partners via one egg group. Evolving adds up to 190 stat points total.
How to Evolve
Breed Gastly easily with 63 breeding partners from the Indeterminate egg group.
Focus Sash guarantees Gastly survives one hit from full HP. That's enough to deal early damage and fire off Destinybond before going down. Levitate and max Attack and Speed EVs maximize first-turn impact.
Best Build
Best Gastly Moveset
- Destiny Bond
- Clear Smog
- Unknown
- Dark Pulse
Recommended Teammates
Most of Gastly's flexibility comes from TMs. Same-type output runs through Gunk Shot and Poltergeist, but Dark and Psychic and the rest of the TM pool push it from predictable to genuinely threatening.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Most of Gastly's flexibility comes from TMs. Same-type output runs through Gunk Shot and Sludge Bomb, but Psychic and Ice and the rest of the TM pool push it from predictable to genuinely threatening.
The offense anchors on Sludge Bomb and Shadow Ball, with coverage across 7 types adding reach. It's a workable movepool for Gastly that handles most situations. Energy Ball and Psychic give it enough punch where it matters.
Egg moves make a real difference. Gastly gets Astonish and Clear Smog exclusively through breeding, filling gaps that TMs and level-up can't touch. Coverage across 8 types rounds out the picture alongside Sludge Bomb and Shadow Ball.
Easy grab on Gastly with decent spawn rates across 52 locations in early-game routes. The sorted list below shows the full spread so you can pick the most convenient spot.
Best Locations
Which version you're playing matters for Gastly. 52 walking spots at Lv. 2-54 spread across Violet and Scarlet, and some routes only appear in one cartridge. Check the version badges below.
Gastly doesn't appear in Legends: Z-A. Transfer it from Red, Yellow, or FireRed to add it to your collection. Check the source games below for encounter details.
A handful of locations for Gastly with decent spawn rates across mid-game routes. The sort toggle below swaps between best odds and earliest access, so you can approach it based on where you are in the game.
Best Locations
You can find Gastly through 7 walking encounters at walking. The list is sorted by game progression, so the earliest accessible spots show up first.
Gastly is available from early-game routes onward at high spawn rates. 32 encounter spots give you plenty of options. Grab one early and it'll be ready to evolve or train by mid-game.
Best Locations
32 walking encounters at Lv. 12-22 for Gastly across Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. A few locations are version-exclusive, so your copy of the game affects what's available.
At 310 BST, Gastly is firmly in pre-evolution territory. Evolve it into Haunter before bringing it to any serious fight.
Gastly evolves into Haunter at level 25. Gastly is the base form in a 3-stage evolutionary line.
Gastly gets Levitate. But Levitate is the one that matters — it's the centerpiece of every viable set. Build around that.
Gastly is leaning toward the special side (base 100 Sp. Atk). Fragile — can't afford to take many hits, too. But the speed tells the real story — base 80 Speed is workable — faster than some, slower than many. Fits the attacker role.
Gastly appears in 22 games, including Yellow, Red & Blue, and Gold & Silver.
Present since Red & Blue, Gastly appears in 22 games spanning 9 generations. Gen 1 originals like Gastly have the longest track record of availability in the series.
- Gen IY
Yellow - Gen IRBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen IIGS
Gold & Silver - Gen IIC
Crystal - Gen IIIRS
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