Special
Balanced
85Speed · Above Avg

Stats & Training

An unusually even spread gives Golduck flexibility. Sp. Atk barely edges ahead. But Defense isn't far off. Moderately hard to find and follows a medium-fast 1M XP curve. Yields 2 Sp. Atk stat exp.

Base Stats
High
HP80
C
Attack82
C
Defense78
C
Sp. Atk95
B
Sp. Def80
C
Speed85
C
Total500
Details
Catch Rate
Challenging75 / 255
Growth Rate
Medium Fast1M XP
Height1.7 m
Weight76.6 kg
Base XP175
Abilities
Abilities were introduced in Generation III. Shown below for reference.
Damp
Prevents self destruct, explosion, and aftermath from working while the Pokémon is in battle.
Cloud Nine
Negates all effects of weather, but does not prevent the weather itself.
Swift SwimHA
Doubles Speed during rain.
EV Yield
HPAtkDefSpA+2SpDSpe
Special Attack training target
Pokedex Entries

It swims gracefully along on the quiet, slow-moving rivers and lakes of which it is so fond.

Crystal

Golduck Weakness

Golduck's Water typing leaves it vulnerable to Electric and Grass. 4 resistances help offset the weaknesses. With 80 HP and balanced defenses, Golduck can afford to eat a neutral hit or two.

Golduck Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
2x (Weak)Electric, Grass
0.5x (Resist)Fire, Water, Ice, Steel
Type ChartGood
2Weak
4Resist
0Immune
Score0
Gen II Type Chart
  • Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
  • Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
  • Special stat split into Sp.Atk and Sp.Def
4xCritical
None
¼xResist
None
0xImmune
None
How to Beat Golduck in Crystal (Best Counters)
Tangela
Tangela
Grass
C
Available Moves
Moves
  • Vine WhipLv. 19
  • Mega DrainLv. 31
  • AbsorbLv. 10
Damage vs Golduck
Vine Whip 2x
39-47%
Mega Drain 2x
37-44%
Absorb 2x
19-23%
View Tangela builds →

Crystal Evolution

Evolved from Psyduck. Golduck is the final form in this two-stage line. Plenty of partners for breeding via two egg groups. Eggs are average hatch time. HP grew the most through evolution (+30 over Psyduck), and Golduck peaks at 500 total stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Stat Comparison 2 Stages
Psyduck
Water
Golduck
Water
HP
50
80+30
ATK
52
82+30
DEF
48
78+30
SP.ATK
65
95+30
SP.DEF
50
80+30
SPE
55
85+30
BST
320D-Tier
500C-Tier+180
ROLE
Balanced
Balanced
TYPE
Utility
Mixed

Breeding

Very Easy

Breed with Golduck to get Psyduck eggs easily using 66 partners from the Ground and Water1 egg groups. Notable egg moves include Cross Chop, Foresight, Future Sight and 5 more.

Egg Groups
GroundWater1
Gender
50.0%50.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
8moves
Breed With (best first)
raichuazumarillpikachunidokingampharosblastoiseferaligatrkingdrarhydonslowbroslowkingoctillery

Crystal Golduck Best Moveset

Best Build

Experimental
Utility
Ability
Not in Gen 2
Item
LeftoversSUSTAIN
Nature
Not in Gen 2

Utility Moveset

  • SurfSTAB
  • Cross Chop
  • Ice Beam
  • HypnosisUtility

Moves

The natural movepool does the job, but Cross Chop and Foresight from the egg pool give Golduck something extra. Pair those with Hydro Pump and Surf for STAB and coverage across 7 types for reach, and the kit fills out nicely.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Confusion
D5010025Psychic
Lv 1
Disable
D5520Normal
Lv 1
Scratch
4010035Normal
Lv 1
Tail Whip
10030Normal
Lv 5
Tail Whip
10030Normal
Lv 10
Disable
D5520Normal
Lv 16
Confusion
D5010025Psychic
Lv 23
Screech
D8540Normal
Lv 31
Psych Up
B10Normal
Lv 44
Fury Swipes
D188015Normal
Lv 58
Hydro Pump
B120805Water

TM Moves

TM
TM45
Attract
D10015Normal
TM14
Blizzard
C120705Ice
TM03
Curse
C10Ghost
TM28
Dig
C6010010Ground
TM32
Double Team
15Normal
TM01
Dynamic Punch
D100505Fighting
TM20
Endure+4
D10Normal
HM05
Flash
D7020Normal
TM21
Frustration
D10020Normal
TM49
Fury Cutter
109520Bug
TM02
Headbutt
D7010015Normal
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM15
Hyper Beam
B150905Normal
TM33
Ice Punch
C7510015Ice
TM16
Icy Wind
D559515Ice
TM23
Iron Tail
C1007515Steel
TM31
Mud-Slap
D2010010Ground
TM17
Protect+4
C10Normal
TM09
Psych Up
B10Normal
TM18
Rain Dance
B5Water
TM44
Rest
C10Psychic
TM27
Return
D10020Normal
TM08
Rock Smash
2010015Fighting
TM35
Sleep Talk
C10Normal
TM13
Snore
4010015Normal
HM04
Strength
C8010015Normal
HM03
Surf
S9510015Water
TM34
Swagger
C8515Normal
TM39
Swift
D6020Normal
TM06
Toxic
C8510Poison
HM07
Waterfall
8010015Water
HM06
Whirlpool
D358515Water

Egg Moves

Egg
Egg
Cross Chop
S100805Fighting
Egg
Foresight
10040Normal
Egg
Future Sight
12010010Psychic
Egg
Hypnosis
S6020Psychic
Egg
Ice Beam
S9510010Ice
Egg
Light Screen
C30Psychic
Egg
Psybeam
6510020Psychic
Egg
Psychic
B9010010Psychic

Tutor Moves

Tut
Tutor
Ice Beam
S9510010Ice

How to Get Golduck in Crystal

high spawn rates in early-game water routes across 7 locations. Golduck's one of the easier catches on the list. Two different catch methods are in play here. Knock it out fast and save your time for harder targets.

Where To Catch Golduck in Crystal

To get Golduck, start by catching Psyduck through surfing and walking encounters at Lv. 5-48. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.

  1. Psyduck
    Step 1Catch Psyduck
    Route 6
    Surfing on water Lv.5-14 Route
    90%Early
    Ilex Forest
    Surfing on water Lv.10-19 Forest
    90%Early
    Route 35
    Surfing on water Lv.15-24 Route
    90%Early
    National Park
    Grass Lv.12 Facility
    30%Early
    Night
    Route 35
    Grass Lv.13 Route
    20%Early
    Night
    Ilex Forest
    Grass Lv.7 Forest
    10%Early
    Night
    Route 6
    Grass Lv.15 Route
    10%Early
    Night
  2. Golduck
    Step 2Golduck
    Route 6
    Surfing on water Lv.10-14 Route
    10%Early
    Ilex Forest
    Surfing on water Lv.15-19 Forest
    10%Early
    Route 35
    Surfing on water Lv.20-24 Route
    10%Mid
    Mt. Silver - 2F
    Surfing on water Lv.35-39 Cave
    30%Late
    Mt. Silver - 1F
    Grass Lv.45 Cave
    5%Late
    Night
    Mt. Silver - Summit
    Grass Lv.45 Cave
    5%Late
    Night
    Mt. Silver - 2F
    Grass Lv.48 Cave
    30%Post
    Night
    or evolve from Psyduck (Step 1)

Golduck Guide

  • For Crystal, we rate Golduck C-Tier: a niche pick in Crystal's meta. At 500 BST, the stats are spread pretty evenly. Surf with Leftovers is the standard set.

  • In Crystal, watch for Raikou (Electric) and Venusaur (Grass) when using Golduck. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Only 2 weaknesses means fewer dedicated counters to worry about.

  • Base 85 Speed is workable. Faster than some, slower than many. On offense, Golduck is a special attacker with base 95 Sp. Atk. Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two.

  • In Crystal, run Surf, Crosschop, Ice Beam, and Hypnosis on Golduck. Surf is the most common pick at 20% usage. Surf provides reliable STAB damage.

  • For Crystal, Golduck has answers, but so do you. Super-effective STAB from faster Pokemon is the simplest answer. Electric and Grass-type attackers hit hardest.

Game Availability

One of the original 151, Golduck has appeared in 21 games — nearly every mainline game. From Red & Blue through the latest titles, it's rarely been left out of a regional Pokedex.

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