Utility
Balanced
500High
85Moderate
CTier

What separates Golduck from the pack is Swift Swim — it doubles its Speed in rain. Combine that with Water typing and it sits at a decent but contested Speed tier. Can go either physical or special depending on the set.

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 EVs.

Base Stats
500High
HP80
C
Attack82
C
Defense78
C
Sp. Atk95
B
Sp. Def80
C
Speed85
C
Total500
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Golduck yields +2 SpA
HPAtkDefSpA+2SpDSpe
Details
Catch75Challenging•Medium Fast1M XP•1.7m / 5'07"•76.6kg / 168.9 lbs•175Base XP
Pokedex Entries

It appears by waterways at dusk. It may use telekinetic powers if its forehead glows mysteriously.

X

The forelegs are webbed, helping to make it an adept swimmer. It can be seen swimming elegantly in lakes, etc.

Y

Golduck Weakness

Good

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

4xCriticali
None
2xWeaki
ElectricGrass
½xResisti
FireWaterIceSteel
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
None
STAB (3)i
FireGroundRock
2Weak
4Resist
0Immune
Scorei0
SpikesGrounded — up to 25%
Toxic SpikesVulnerable
Abilities
DampPrevents self destruct, explosion, and aftermath from working while the Pokémon is in battle.
Cloud NineNegates all effects of weather, but does not prevent the weather itself.
Swift SwimHADoubles Speed during rain.

Evolved from Psyduck. Golduck is the final form in this two-stage line. No compatible 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.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Psyduck
#054Psyduck
33
Level 33
Golduck
#055Golduck
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 from the Ground and Water1 egg groups. Notable egg moves include Clear Smog, Confuse Ray, Cross Chop and 12 more.

Egg Groups
GroundWater1
Gender
♂50.0%♀50.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
15moves

Golduck's built to absorb hits. Bold nature leans into physical wall duty, Focus Sash gives it a guaranteed survive from full HP, and the moveset handles sustain. Damp and HP-heavy investment EVs tie the defensive profile together.

Best Build

Wall
Ability
Damp
Item
Focus SashSURVIVAL
Nature
Bold+DEF
EVs

Best Golduck Moveset

  • EncoreUtility
  • Simple Beam
  • Aqua JetSTAB
  • ToxicUtility

Recommended Teammates

Garchomp
GarchompGood
Talonflame
TalonflameGood

Breadth over depth defines this movepool. Golduck won't stack one type's damage ceiling, but coverage across 10 types means it always has an effective option. Hydro Pump and Aqua Tail anchor the STAB core.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Aqua Jet+1
4010020Water
Lv 1
Scratch
4010035Normal
Lv 1
Tail Whip
—10030Normal
Lv 1
Water Gun
4010025Water
Lv 1
Water Sport
——15Water
Lv 4
Tail Whip
—10030Normal
Lv 8
Water Gun
4010025Water
Lv 11
Disable
—10020Normal
Lv 15
Confusion
5010025Psychic
Lv 18
Water Pulse
6010020Water
Lv 22
Fury Swipes
188015Normal
Lv 25
Screech
—8540Normal
Lv 29
Zen Headbutt
809015Psychic
Lv 32
Aqua Tail
909010Water
Lv 38
Soak
—10020Water
Lv 43
Psych Up
——10Normal
Lv 49
Amnesia
——20Psychic
Lv 54
Hydro Pump
110805Water
Lv 60
Wonder Room
——10Psychic

TM Moves

Src
TM40
Aerial Ace
60—20Flying
TM45
Attract
—10015Normal
TM14
Blizzard
110705Ice
TM31
Brick Break
7510015Fighting
TM04
Calm Mind
——20Psychic
TM100
Confide
——20Normal
TM28
Dig
8010010Ground
TM32
Double Team
——15Normal
TM42
Facade
7010020Normal
TM70
Flash
—10020Normal
TM56
Fling
—10010Dark
TM52
Focus Blast
120705Fighting
TM21
Frustration
—10020Normal
TM68
Giga Impact
150905Normal
TM07
Hail
——10Ice
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM01
Hone Claws
——15Dark
TM15
Hyper Beam
150905Normal
TM13
Ice Beam
9010010Ice
TM16
Light Screen
——30Psychic
TM47
Low Sweep
6510020Fighting
TM98
Power-Up Punch
4010020Fighting
TM17
Protect+4
——10Normal
TM77
Psych Up
——10Normal
TM29
Psychic
9010010Psychic
TM03
Psyshock
8010010Psychic
TM18
Rain Dance
——5Water
TM44
Rest
——10Psychic
TM27
Return
—10020Normal
TM94
Rock Smash
4010015Fighting
TM48
Round
6010015Normal
TM55
Scald
8010015Water
TM65
Shadow Claw
7010015Ghost
TM88
Sleep Talk
——10Normal
HM04
Strength
8010015Normal
TM90
Substitute
——10Normal
HM03
Surf
9010015Water
TM87
Swagger
—9015Normal
TM06
Toxic
—9010Poison
HM05
Waterfall
8010015Water

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Clear Smog
50—15Poison
Egg
Confuse Ray
—10010Ghost
Egg
Cross Chop
100805Fighting
Egg
Encore
—1005Normal
Egg
Foresight
——40Normal
Egg
Future Sight
12010010Psychic
Egg
Hypnosis
—6020Psychic
Egg
Mud Bomb
658510Ground
Egg
Psybeam
6510020Psychic
Egg
Refresh
——20Normal
Egg
Secret Power
7010020Normal
Egg
Simple Beam
—10015Normal
Egg
Sleep Talk
——10Normal
Egg
Synchronoise
12010010Psychic
Egg
Yawn
——10Normal

Tutor Moves

Golduck can't learn any Tutor moves

Transfer Moves

Src
Gen 3
Body Slam
8510015Normal
Gen 4
Brine
6510010Water
Gen 4
Captivate
—10020Normal
Gen 3
Counter-5
—10020Fighting
Gen 3
Double-Edge
12010015Normal
Gen 3
Dynamic Punch
100505Fighting
Gen 4
Endure+4
——10Normal
Gen 4
Fury Cutter
409520Bug
Gen 4
Headbutt
7010015Normal
Gen 3
Mega Kick
120755Normal
Gen 3
Mega Punch
808520Normal
Gen 3
Mimic
——10Normal
Gen 4
Mud-Slap
2010010Ground
Gen 4
Natural Gift
—10015Normal
Gen 3
Seismic Toss
—10020Fighting
Gen 4
Swift
60—20Normal
Gen 5
Telekinesis
——15Psychic
Gen 4
Whirlpool
358515Water

No wild encounters for Golduck. The 2-stage line runs through Psyduck, which you can catch at solid rates from the locations below. Evolve at level 33 once you've got the levels.

How to Obtain Golduck in X & Y

The path to Golduck starts with Psyduck at Lv. 6-27 via walking and surfing encounters. 1 catchable stage total, with locations listed for each one below.

  1. Psyduck
    Step 1Catch Psyduck
    Route 22
    XGrassLv.6UncommonEarlyRoute
    EASY
    Route 22
    YGrassLv.6UncommonEarlyRoute
    EASY
    Route 7
    YGrassLv.8UncommonEarlyRouteHorde battle
    EASY
    Route 7
    XGrassLv.8UncommonEarlyRouteHorde battle
    EASY
    Route 22
    XGrassLv.25-27CommonMidRouteYellow Flower
    EFFORTLESS
    Route 22
    YSurfing on waterLv.25-27CommonMidRoute
    EASY
    Route 22
    YGrassLv.25-27CommonMidRouteYellow Flower
    EFFORTLESS
    Route 22
    XSurfing on waterLv.25-27CommonMidRoute
    EASY
  2. Golduck
    Step 2Golduck ✓

  • Swift Swim changes the entire equation for Golduck. The 500 BST doesn't tell the full story. Ranked C-Tier.

  • 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.

  • Psyduck evolves into Golduck at level 33. Golduck is the fully evolved form. At 500 BST, it's got solid stats to work with.

  • Swift Swim is what you want on Golduck. Every competitive set worth running is built with that ability in mind. The alternatives (Damp, Cloud Nine) work on paper but Swift Swim is what makes Golduck worth using.

  • Base 85 Speed is workable — faster than some, slower than many. On offense, Golduck is leaning toward the special side (base 95 Sp. Atk). Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two.

  • Golduck appears in 21 games, including Yellow, Red & Blue, and Gold & Silver.

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.