Special
Balanced
500High
85Moderate
CTier

Nothing about Golduck screams competitive powerhouse, and that's fine. Water means only weak to Electric and Grass. Can go either physical or special depending on the set. An original Gen 1 pick.

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

Its slim and long limbs end in broad flippers. They are used for swimming gracefully in lakes.

Yellow

Golduck Weakness

Avg

Golduck's Water typing leaves it vulnerable to Electric and Grass moves. Few weaknesses and 3 resistances make the typing clean. With 80 HP and balanced defenses, Golduck can afford to eat a neutral hit or two.

Gen I Type Chart
  • Only 15 types exist — Dark, Steel, and Fairy are absent
  • Ghost has no effect on Psychic (a known bug, fixed in Gen II)
  • Special stat governs both offense and defense — no Sp.Atk / Sp.Def split
4xCriticali
None
2xWeaki
ElectricGrass
½xResisti
FireWaterIce
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
None
STAB (3)i
FireGroundRock
2Weak
3Resist
0Immune
Scorei-1
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.

The Water-type Golduck caps Psyduck's chain at 500 stats. No daycare options for this one. 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 not available · Introduced in Gen 2

an ability isn't flashy, but it matters. Combined with an item for extra utility and flexible EVs EVs, Golduck fills the attacker slot reliably. A nature nature finishes the spread.

Best Build

Utility
Ability
Not in Gen 1
Item
Not in Gen 1
Nature
Not in Gen 1

Best Golduck Moveset

  • AmnesiaUtility
  • BlizzardCoverage
  • Hydro PumpSTAB
  • SurfSTAB

Recommended Teammates

Chansey
ChanseyDecent
Porygon
PorygonDecent

Level-up moves are just the starting point for Golduck. TMs unlock Normal and Psychic coverage and more and turn a straightforward STAB kit around Hydro Pump and Surf into something with actual range.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Disable
—5520Normal
Lv 1
Scratch
4010035Normal
Lv 1
Tail Whip
—10030Normal
Lv 28
Tail Whip
—10030Normal
Lv 31
Disable
—5520Normal
Lv 39
Confusion
5010025Psychic
Lv 48
Fury Swipes
188015Normal
Lv 59
Hydro Pump
120805Water

TM Moves

Src
TM34
Bide+1
——10Normal
TM14
Blizzard
110905Ice
TM08
Body Slam
8510015Normal
TM11
Bubble Beam
6510020Water
TM18
Counter-5
—10020Fighting
TM28
Dig
10010010Ground
TM32
Double Team
——15Normal
TM10
Double-Edge
12010015Normal
TM15
Hyper Beam
150905Normal
TM13
Ice Beam
9510010Ice
TM05
Mega Kick
120755Normal
TM01
Mega Punch
808520Normal
TM31
Mimic
——10Normal
TM16
Pay Day
4010020Normal
TM20
Rage
2010020Normal
TM44
Rest
——10Psychic
TM19
Seismic Toss
—10020Fighting
TM40
Skull Bash
10010010Normal
HM04
Strength
8010015Normal
TM17
Submission
808025Fighting
TM50
Substitute
——10Normal
HM03
Surf
9510015Water
TM39
Swift
60—20Normal
TM09
Take Down
908520Normal
TM06
Toxic
—9010Poison
TM12
Water Gun
4010025Water

Egg Moves

Golduck doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Golduck can't learn any Tutor moves

Golduck tops out at moderate rates across 1 locations in early-game water routes. The encounters below are sorted by rate so you can see exactly what you're working with.

Where To Catch Golduck in Yellow

  1. Psyduck
    Step 1Catch Psyduck
    Route 6
    Surfing on waterLv.15CommonEarlyRoute
    EASY
  2. Golduck
    Step 2Golduck ✓
    Route 6
    Surfing on waterLv.15-20RareEarlyRoute
    HARD
    or evolve from Psyduck (Step 1)

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.