Special
Pivot
CTier
95Speed · Above Avg

Stats & Training

Haunter's built around special offense. Sp. Atk leads the charge, HP pays for it. Moderately hard to find, worth 2 Sp. Atk EVs. Follows a 1.06M XP medium-slow curve.

Base Stats
Above
HP45
D
Attack50
D
Defense45
D
Sp. Atk115
B
Sp. Def55
D
Speed95
B
Total405
Details
Catch Rate
Challenging90 / 255
Growth Rate
Medium Slow1.06M XP
Height1.6 m
5'03"Average
Weight0.1 kg
0.2 lbsFeather
Base XP142
Average
Abilities
LevitateTop Pick
Evades ground moves.
Levitate grants Ground immunity
EV Yield
HPAtkDefSpA+2SpDSpe
Special Attack training target
Pokedex Entries

It likes to lurk in the dark and tap shoulders with a gaseous hand. Its touch causes endless shuddering.

Haunter Weakness

Ground, Psychic, Ghost, and Dark moves hit Haunter for super-effective damage. The upside? Normal and Fighting-type moves can't touch it at all. Levitate grants an additional Ground immunity, reshaping the matchup chart. Haunter leans toward special offense (base 115 Sp.Atk) instead of trying to wall anything.

Haunter Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
2x (Weak)Ground, Psychic, Ghost, Dark
0.5x (Resist)Grass
0.25x (Resist)Poison, Bug
0x (Immune)Normal, Fighting
Type ChartGood
4Weak
3Resist
3Immune
Score+3
Gen V Type Chart
  • Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
  • Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
4xCritical
None
2xWeak
GroundPsychicGhostDark
½xResist
Grass
¼xResist
PoisonBug
0xImmune
NormalFightingGround
STAB (3)
PsychicGhostGrass
How to Beat Haunter in Black & White (Best Counters)

In Black & White, Garchomp can KO Haunter with Earthquake (264-310%). Excadrill threatens a KO with Earthquake (271-319%).

Garchomp
Garchomp
DragonGround
S
Recommended Build
AbilityRough Skin
ItemFocus Sash
NatureJolly
Moves
  • EarthquakeSTAB
  • OutrageSTAB
  • Swords Dance
  • Stealth Rock
Damage vs Haunter
Earthquake 2x
264-310%KO
Outrage
158-186%KO
View Garchomp builds →

Black & White Evolution

Haunter is partway through a three-stage line between Gastly and Gengar. The chain involves a trade, so it's not a straightforward grind. So far, Sp.Def got the biggest boost (+20 from Gastly). The final form adds another 95 stats on top. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

3 Forms
Gastly
#092Gastly
25
Level 25
Haunter
#093Haunter
Trade
Gengar
#094Gengar
Stat Comparison 3 Stages
Gastly
GhostPoison
Haunter
GhostPoison
Gengar
GhostPoison
HP
30
45+15
60+15
ATK
35
50+15
65+15
DEF
30
45+15
60+15
SP.ATK
100
115+15
130+15
SP.DEF
35
55+20
75+20
SPE
80
95+15
110+15
BST
310C-Tier
405C-Tier+95
500A-Tier+95
ROLE
Attacker
Cannon
Sweeper
TYPE
Special
Special
Special

Breeding

Very Easy

Breed with Haunter to get Gastly eggs easily using 45 partners from the Indeterminate egg group. Notable egg moves include Astonish, Clear Smog, Disable and 9 more.

Egg Groups
Indeterminate
Gender
♂50.0%♀50.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
12moves
Breed With (best first)
gardevoirgalladegastrodonstunfiskshelloscofagriguskirliacastformraltsyamaskmukgengar
12 of 45·

Black & White Haunter Best Moveset

Shadow Ball is the safe click most turns. Choice Scarf locks Haunter into it but rewards with speed patching through item lock. Timid nature and max Sp. Atk and Speed EVs maximize that first hit. Levitate helps on the margins.

Best Build

Experimental
Special Revenge Killer
Ability
Levitate
Item
Choice ScarfSPEED
Best Nature for Haunter
Timid+SPE

Haunter best EVs are Sp. Atk and Speed

EVs

Special Revenge Killer Moveset

  • Shadow BallSTAB
  • Sludge BombSTAB
  • Destiny BondSTAB
  • TrickUtility

Recommended Teammates

Ferroseed
FerroseedGood
Riolu
RioluGood
Kadabra
KadabraGood

Moves

Without breeding, Haunter misses out on Astonish and Clear Smog. That's 12 egg moves adding depth that the base kit lacks. STAB comes from Sludge Bomb and Shadow Ball, with coverage across 7 types rounding things out.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Hypnosis
——6020Psychic
Lv 1
Lick
—2010030Ghost
Lv 1
Spite
——10010Ghost
Lv 5
Spite
——10010Ghost
Lv 8
Mean Look
———5Normal
Lv 12
Curse
C——10Ghost
Lv 15
Night Shade
D—10015Ghost
Lv 19
Confuse Ray
D—10010Ghost
Lv 22
Sucker Punch+1
D801005Dark
Lv 25
Shadow Punch
D60—20Ghost
Lv 28
Payback
D5010010Dark
Lv 33
Shadow Ball
S8010015Ghost
Lv 39
Dream Eater
—10010015Psychic
Lv 44
Dark Pulse
C8010015Dark
Lv 50
Destiny Bond
S——5Ghost
Lv 55
Hex
—5010010Ghost
Lv 61
Nightmare
——10015Ghost

TM Moves

TM
TM45
Attract
C—10015Normal
TM32
Double Team
———15Normal
TM85
Dream Eater
—10010015Psychic
TM63
Embargo
D—10015Dark
TM53
Energy Ball
C8010010Grass
TM64
Explosion
B2501005Normal
TM42
Facade
D7010020Normal
TM56
Fling
——10010Dark
TM21
Frustration
——10020Normal
TM10
Hidden Power
—6010015Normal
TM66
Payback
D5010010Dark
TM84
Poison Jab
C8010020Poison
TM17
Protect+4
C——10Normal
TM77
Psych Up
———10Normal
TM29
Psychic
B9010010Psychic
TM18
Rain Dance
C——5Water
TM44
Rest
C——10Psychic
TM27
Return
D—10020Normal
TM48
Round
—6010015Normal
TM30
Shadow Ball
S8010015Ghost
TM65
Shadow Claw
D7010015Ghost
TM36
Sludge Bomb
S9010010Poison
TM90
Substitute
C——10Normal
TM11
Sunny Day
C——5Fire
TM87
Swagger
——9015Normal
TM12
Taunt
C—10020Dark
TM19
Telekinesis
———15Psychic
TM46
Thief
—6010010Dark
TM24
Thunderbolt
C9510015Electric
TM41
Torment
——10015Dark
TM06
Toxic
C—9010Poison
TM92
Trick Room-7
C——5Psychic
TM09
Venoshock
—6510010Poison
TM61
Will-O-Wisp
C—7515Fire

Egg Moves

Egg
Egg
Astonish
—3010015Ghost
Egg
Clear Smog
C50—15Poison
Egg
Disable
D—10020Normal
Egg
Fire Punch
D7510015Fire
Egg
Grudge
———5Ghost
Egg
Haze
C——30Ice
Egg
Ice Punch
D7510015Ice
Egg
Perish Song
D——5Normal
Egg
Psywave
——8015Psychic
Egg
Scary Face
——10010Normal
Egg
Smog
—207020Poison
Egg
Thunder Punch
D7510015Electric

Tutor Moves

Haunter can't learn any Tutor moves

Transfer Moves

Gen
Gen 4
Captivate
——10020Normal
Gen 4
Endure+4
D——10Normal
Gen 3
Mimic
———10Normal
Gen 4
Natural Gift
——10015Normal
Gen 4
Ominous Wind
—601005Ghost
Gen 4
Secret Power
—7010020Normal

How to Get Haunter in Black & White

You're catching Gastly first, not Haunter. Gastly appears at decent rates in the encounters below. The step cards map the full 2-stage line with evolution methods between each stage.

How to Obtain Haunter in Black & White

  1. Gastly
    Step 1Catch Gastly
    White Forest
    Grass Lv.5 Forest
    UncommonEarly
    Any
  2. Haunter
    Step 2Haunter ✓

Haunter Guide

  • In Black & White, Haunter isn't fully evolved, so it's not built for competitive play. You'll want to evolve it into Gengar to unlock its full potential. At 405 BST, it's a stepping stone rather than a team anchor.

  • In Black & White, watch for Rhydon (Ground), Alakazam (Psychic), and Misdreavus (Ghost) when using Haunter. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Dark-type attackers are also a problem.

  • In Black & White, Gastly evolves into Haunter at level 25. Haunter evolves into Gengar by trading. Haunter is a middle-stage evolution in the Gastly line.

  • In Black & White, Run Levitate on Haunter. It's the ability that defines how you build around it and the main reason it holds a competitive niche.

  • In Black & White, Haunter fills the pivot role. It's a special attacker with base 115 Sp. Atk. Base 95 Speed is workable. Faster than some, slower than many. And it's fragile, can't afford to take many hits.

Game Availability

Haunter has been part of the series since Red & Blue, appearing in 22 titles across all 10 generations. As a Gen 1 original, it's one of the most consistently available Pokemon in the franchise.

Click a game to view version-specific details

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