Almost nobody uses Ledyba in battle. It exists to evolve into Ledian, which is a completely different story. Get it there and you won't regret it. Been around since Gen 2. Ground moves can't touch it, which offsets the 5 weaknesses somewhat.
Ledyba's spread isn't flashy. Sp. Def leads, Attack trails, 1 stats clear the bar. Easy to catch and worth 1 Sp. Def EV, on a fast 800K XP curve.
LEDYBA communicate using a fluid that they secrete from where the legs join the body. They are said to convey feelings to others by altering the fluid’s scent.
Ledyba Weakness
VulnerableRock, Fire, Electric, Ice, and Flying-type moves hit Ledyba for super-effective damage. Rock hits land at 4x, so they're the biggest threat. The upside? Ground-type moves can't touch it at all. Ledyba's special bulk (base 80 Sp.Def) helps absorb special-type weaknesses, though physical moves exploit the lower Defense.
- Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
- Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
Ledyba evolves into Ledian. It's a two-stage chain with the method shown below. A decent partner pool for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are quick to hatch. The evolved forms gain up to 125 total stats over Ledyba.
How to Evolve
Breed Ledyba easily with 37 breeding partners from the Bug egg group. Pass egg moves like Bide, Psybeam, Silver Wind to offspring.
Best Build
No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 3.
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Without breeding, Ledyba misses out on Bide and Psybeam. That's 3 egg moves adding depth that the base kit lacks. STAB comes from Aerial Ace and Silver Wind, with coverage across 9 types rounding things out.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
A few locations for Ledyba with decent spawn rates across late-game routes. The sort toggle below swaps between best odds and earliest access, so you can approach it based on where you are in the game.
Best Locations
Ledyba isn't fully evolved, so it's not built for competitive play. You'll want to evolve it into Ledian to unlock its full potential. At 265 BST, it's a stepping stone rather than a team anchor.
Watch for Golem (Rock), Arcanine (Fire), and Jolteon (Electric) when using Ledyba. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Golem is the most dangerous since Rock moves deal 4x damage. Ice and Flying-type attackers are also a problem. With 5 weakness types, most competitive teams carry at least one counter.
Ledyba evolves into Ledian at level 18. Ledyba is the base form of this evolutionary line.
Swarm strengthens bug moves to inflict 1.5× damage at 1/3 max HP or less — that's the one you want on Ledyba. Rattled is the hidden ability. Niche, but it has its uses. Early Bird works too if your team needs something different.
Ledyba fills the balanced role. It's a special attacker with base 40 Sp. Atk. At base 55 Speed, it won't be moving first often. And it's fragile — can't afford to take many hits.
Ledyba appears in 15 games, including Gold & Silver, Crystal, and Ruby & Sapphire.
Ledyba first appeared in Gold & Silver and has been available in 15 games across 8 generations. Obtainable through catching or hatching as a base form in most titles where it appears.
- Gen IY
Yellow - Gen IRB
Red & Blue - Gen IIGSDebut
Gold & Silver - Gen IIC
Crystal - Gen IIIRS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen IIIFRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen IIIE
Emerald - Gen IVPt
Platinum - Gen IVHGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen IVDP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen VBW
Black & White - Gen VB2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen VIXY
X & Y - Gen VIORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen VIIUSUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen VIISM
Sun & Moon - Gen VIILGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen VIIISwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen VIIIPLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen VIIIBDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen IXSV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen IXLZA
Legends: Z-A