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

What is Golduck weak to?

In Gold & Silver, 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.

What role does Golduck play in battle?

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.

What are the best moves for Golduck?

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

What counters Golduck?

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

Golduck - Weakness, Evolution, Moveset, EVs & Stats

Special

Balanced

CTier

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

Attack82

Defense78

Sp. Atk95

Sp. Def80

Speed85

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

When it swims at full speed using its long, webbed limbs, its forehead somehow begins to glow.

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
Damage	Types
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

2xWeak

Electric Grass

½xResist

Fire Water Ice Steel

¼xResist

None

0xImmune

None

STAB (3)

Fire Ground Rock

How to Beat Golduck in Gold & Silver (Best Counters)

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 →
Weepinbell GrassPoison	D
Available Move Moves Vine WhipLv. 1 Damage vs Golduck Vine Whip 2x 37-44% View Weepinbell builds →
Oddish GrassPoison	D
Available Move Moves AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Golduck Absorb 2x 17-20% View Oddish builds →
Chikorita Grass	D
Obtain MethodNew Bark Town Gift Available Move Moves Razor LeafLv. 8 Damage vs Golduck Razor Leaf 2x 29-35% View Chikorita builds →
Hoppip GrassFlying	D
Available Move Moves Mega DrainLv. 30 Damage vs Golduck Mega Drain 2x 19-23% View Hoppip builds →

Gold & Silver 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

#054Psyduck

Level 33

#055Golduck

Stat Comparison 2 Stages

Psyduck

Water

Golduck

Water

80+30

ATK

82+30

DEF

78+30

SP.ATK

95+30

SP.DEF

80+30

SPE

85+30

BST

320D-Tier

500C-Tier+180

ROLE

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 Foresight, Future Sight, Hypnosis and 4 more.

Egg Groups

GroundWater1

Gender

♂50.0%♀50.0%

Hatch Time

20 cycles·5,140 steps

Quick~5 min with Flame Body

Egg Moves

7moves

Breed With (best first)

Gold & Silver 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

Recommended Teammates

VenusaurDecent

GranbullDecent

GyaradosDecent

Moves

The natural movepool does the job, but Foresight and Future Sight 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

D—5520Normal

Lv 1

Scratch

—4010035Normal

Lv 1

Tail Whip

——10030Normal

Lv 5

Tail Whip

——10030Normal

Lv 10

Disable

D—5520Normal

Lv 16

Confusion

D5010025Psychic

Lv 23

Screech

D—8540Normal

Lv 31

Psych Up

B——10Normal

Lv 44

Fury Swipes

D188015Normal

Lv 58

Hydro Pump

B120805Water

TM Moves

TM45

Attract

D—10015Normal

TM14

Blizzard

C120705Ice

TM03

Curse

C——10Ghost

TM28

Dig

C6010010Ground

TM32

Double Team

———15Normal

TM01

Dynamic Punch

D100505Fighting

TM20

Endure+4

D——10Normal

HM05

Flash

D—7020Normal

TM21

Frustration

D—10020Normal

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

C——10Normal

TM09

Psych Up

B——10Normal

TM18

Rain Dance

B——5Water

TM44

Rest

C——10Psychic

TM27

Return

D—10020Normal

TM08

Rock Smash

—2010015Fighting

TM35

Sleep Talk

C——10Normal

TM13

Snore

—4010015Normal

HM04

Strength

C8010015Normal

HM03

Surf

S9510015Water

TM34

Swagger

C—8515Normal

TM39

Swift

D60—20Normal

TM06

Toxic

C—8510Poison

HM07

Waterfall

—8010015Water

HM06

Whirlpool

D358515Water

Egg Moves

Egg

Foresight

——10040Normal

Egg

Future Sight

—12010010Psychic

Egg

Hypnosis

S—6020Psychic

Egg

Ice Beam

S9510010Ice

Egg

Light Screen

C——30Psychic

Egg

Psybeam

—6510020Psychic

Egg

Psychic

B9010010Psychic

Tutor Moves

Golduck can't learn any Tutor moves

How to Get Golduck in Gold & Silver

Easy grab on Golduck with high spawn rates across 12 locations in early-game water routes. Two different catch methods are in play here. The sorted list below shows the full spread so you can pick the most convenient spot.

Where To Catch Golduck in Gold & Silver

To get Golduck, start by catching Psyduck through surfing and walking encounters at Lv. 5-51. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.

Step 1Catch Psyduck
Route 6
GoldSurfing on water Lv.5-14 Route
90%Early
Route 6
SilverSurfing on water Lv.5-14 Route
90%Early
Ilex Forest
GoldSurfing on water Lv.10-19 Forest
90%Early
Ilex Forest
SilverSurfing on water Lv.10-19 Forest
90%Early
Route 35
SilverSurfing on water Lv.15-24 Route
90%Early
Route 35
GoldSurfing on water Lv.15-24 Route
90%Early
Train until Level 33
Step 2Golduck ✓
Route 6
GoldSurfing on water Lv.10-14 Route
10%Early
Route 6
SilverSurfing on water Lv.10-14 Route
10%Early
Ilex Forest
GoldSurfing on water Lv.15-19 Forest
10%Early
Ilex Forest
SilverSurfing on water Lv.15-19 Forest
10%Early
Route 35
SilverSurfing on water Lv.20-24 Route
10%Mid
Route 35
GoldSurfing on water Lv.20-24 Route
10%Mid
Mt. Silver - 2F
SilverGrass Lv.48 Cave
30%Post
Mt. Silver - 2F
GoldGrass Lv.48 Cave
30%Post
Mt. Silver - Side chambers
SilverGrass Lv.48 Cave
30%Post
Mt. Silver - Side chambers
GoldGrass Lv.48 Cave
30%Post
Mt. Silver - Summit
SilverGrass Lv.51 Cave
5%Post
Mt. Silver - Summit
GoldGrass Lv.51 Cave
5%Post
or evolve from Psyduck (Step 1)

Golduck Guide

For Gold & Silver, we rate Golduck C-Tier: a niche pick in Gold & Silver's meta. At 500 BST, the stats are spread pretty evenly. Surf with Leftovers is the standard set.
In Gold & Silver, 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 Gold & Silver, run Surf, Crosschop, Ice Beam, and Hypnosis on Golduck. Surf is the most common pick at 20% usage. Surf provides reliable STAB damage.
For Gold & Silver, 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.

Click a game to view version-specific details

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Bellsprout GrassPoison	D
Available Move Moves Vine WhipLv. 1 Damage vs Golduck Vine Whip 2x 44-56% View Bellsprout builds →
Chikorita Grass	D
Obtain MethodNew Bark Town Gift Upcoming Move Moves Razor LeafLv. 8 Learns Razor Leaf at Level 8 View Chikorita builds →

Oddish GrassPoison	D
Available Move Moves AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Golduck Absorb 2x 21-27% View Oddish builds →
Chikorita Grass	D
Obtain MethodNew Bark Town Gift Available Move Moves Razor LeafLv. 8 Damage vs Golduck Razor Leaf 2x 36-43% View Chikorita builds →
Bellsprout GrassPoison	D
Available Move Moves Vine WhipLv. 1 Damage vs Golduck Vine Whip 2x 36-43% View Bellsprout builds →
Mareep Electric	D
Available Move Moves Thunder ShockLv. 9 Damage vs Golduck Thunder Shock 2x 30-38% View Mareep builds →
Paras BugGrass	D
Upcoming Move Moves Giga DrainLv. 43 Learns Giga Drain at Level 43 View Paras builds →

Oddish GrassPoison	D
Available Move Moves AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Golduck Absorb 2x 18-22% View Oddish builds →
Chikorita Grass	D
Obtain MethodNew Bark Town Gift Available Move Moves Razor LeafLv. 8 Damage vs Golduck Razor Leaf 2x 32-40% View Chikorita builds →
Bellsprout GrassPoison	D
Available Move Moves Vine WhipLv. 1 Damage vs Golduck Vine Whip 2x 37-44% View Bellsprout builds →
Mareep Electric	D
Available Moves Moves ThunderTM25 Thunder ShockLv. 9 Damage vs Golduck Thunder 2x 75-88% Thunder Shock 2x 29-35% View Mareep builds →
Paras BugGrass	D
Upcoming Move Moves Giga DrainLv. 43 Learns Giga Drain at Level 43 View Paras builds →

Oddish GrassPoison	D
Available Move Moves AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Golduck Absorb 2x 19-23% View Oddish builds →
Chikorita Grass	D
Obtain MethodNew Bark Town Gift Available Move Moves Razor LeafLv. 8 Damage vs Golduck Razor Leaf 2x 32-38% View Chikorita builds →
Bellsprout GrassPoison	D
Available Move Moves Vine WhipLv. 1 Damage vs Golduck Vine Whip 2x 35-42% View Bellsprout builds →
Sunkern Grass	D
Available Moves Moves Mega DrainLv. 10 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Golduck Mega Drain 2x 19-23% Absorb 2x 13-15% View Sunkern builds →
Mareep Electric	D
Available Moves Moves ThunderTM25 Thunder ShockLv. 9 Damage vs Golduck Thunder 2x 71-84% Thunder Shock 2x 28-34% View Mareep builds →

Oddish GrassPoison	D
Available Move Moves AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Golduck Absorb 2x 17-21% View Oddish builds →
Chikorita Grass	D
Obtain MethodNew Bark Town Gift Available Move Moves Razor LeafLv. 8 Damage vs Golduck Razor Leaf 2x 30-36% View Chikorita builds →
Bellsprout GrassPoison	D
Available Move Moves Vine WhipLv. 1 Damage vs Golduck Vine Whip 2x 33-39% View Bellsprout builds →
Hoppip GrassFlying	D
Available Move Moves Mega DrainLv. 30 Damage vs Golduck Mega Drain 2x 20-24% View Hoppip builds →
Sunkern Grass	D
Available Moves Moves Mega DrainLv. 10 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Golduck Mega Drain 2x 17-21% Absorb 2x 10-12% View Sunkern builds →