What does Shellder evolve into?

Shellder evolves into Cloyster using a Water Stone. One evolution, no branching. Solid jump from 305 BST.

Should I use Shellder?

In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Shellder does the job early-game if you need a Water type on your team. Evolve it into Cloyster before the later gyms and it holds up fine through the story.

Where can you catch Shellder?

Shellder is catchable in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl. Check the Locations section above for specific routes, encounter rates, and methods. It also appears in 19 other games across the series.

What games is Shellder in?

Shellder is available in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl. Across the full series, it appears in 20 games total.

Shellder - Weakness, Evolution, Moveset, EVs & Stats

Physical

Balanced

DTier

40Speed · Very Slow

Stats & Training

Shellder's spread isn't flashy. Defense leads, Sp. Def trails, 1 stats clear the bar. Common in the wild and worth 1 Defense EV, on a slow 1.25M XP grind.

Base Stats

Avg

HP30

Attack65

Defense100

Sp. Atk45

Sp. Def25

Speed40

Total305

Details

Catch Rate

Easy190 / 255

Growth Rate

Slow1.25M XP

Height0.3 m

Weight4.0 kg

Base XP61

Abilities

Shell Armor

Protects against critical hits.

Skill Link

Extends two-to-five-hit moves and triple kick to their full length every time.

OvercoatHA

Protects against damage from weather.

EV Yield

HPAtkDef+1SpASpDSpe

Defense training source

Pokedex Entries

It swims backward by opening and closing its two shells. Its large tongue is always kept hanging out.

Shellder Weakness

Type-wise, Shellder takes extra damage from Electric and Grass. It resists 4 types, giving it decent defensive coverage. Shellder's physical bulk (base 100 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.

Shellder Weakness and Resistance Chart
Damage	Types
2x (Weak)	Electric, Grass
0.5x (Resist)	Fire, Water, Ice, Steel

Type ChartGood

2Weak

4Resist

0Immune

Score0

4xCritical

None

2xWeak

Electric Grass

½xResist

Fire Water Ice Steel

¼xResist

None

0xImmune

None

STAB (3)

Fire Ground Rock

How to Beat Shellder in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl (Best Counters)

Abomasnow GrassIce	C
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM22 Energy BallTM53 Giga DrainTM19 Razor LeafLv. 20 Damage vs Shellder Solar Beam 2x 302-357%KO Energy Ball 2x 227-267%KO Giga Drain 2x 189-223%KO Razor Leaf 2x 57-67% View Abomasnow builds →
Pachirisu Electric	C
Available Moves Moves ThunderTM25 ThunderboltTM24 DischargeLv. 41 Volt SwitchTM43 Damage vs Shellder Thunder 2x 161-190%KO Thunderbolt 2x 132-157%KO Discharge 2x 119-140%KO Volt Switch 2x 104-123%KO View Pachirisu builds →
Roselia GrassPoison	D
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM22 Energy BallTM53 Giga DrainTM19 Magical LeafLv. 15 Damage vs Shellder Solar Beam 2x 322-380%KO Energy Ball 2x 243-287%KO Giga Drain 2x 203-240%KO Magical Leaf 2x 163-193%KO View Roselia builds →
Luxio Electric	D
Available Moves Moves ThunderTM25 ThunderboltTM24 Volt SwitchTM43 SparkLv. 18 Damage vs Shellder Thunder 2x 201-237%KO Thunderbolt 2x 163-193%KO Volt Switch 2x 127-150%KO Spark 2x 62-73% View Luxio builds →
Voltorb Electric	D
Available Moves Moves ThunderTM25 ThunderboltTM24 DischargeLv. 37 Volt SwitchTM43 Damage vs Shellder Thunder 2x 187-220%KO Thunderbolt 2x 156-183%KO Discharge 2x 138-163%KO Volt Switch 2x 121-143%KO View Voltorb builds →

Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Evolution

Evolving Shellder into Cloyster takes an evolution item. It's not a simple level-up, so check the chain details below. Evolving adds up to 220 stat points total. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

2 Forms

#090Shellder

Water Stone

#091Cloyster

Stat Comparison 2 Stages

Shellder

Water

Cloyster

WaterIce

50+20

ATK

95+30

DEF

100

180+80

SP.ATK

85+40

SP.DEF

45+20

SPE

70+30

BST

305B-Tier

525B-Tier+220

ROLE

Balanced

TYPE

Physical

Mixed

Breeding

Very Easy

Breed Shellder easily with 21 breeding partners from the Water3 egg group. Pass egg moves like Aqua Ring, Bubble Beam, Icicle Spear and 6 more to offspring.

Egg Groups

Water3

Gender

♂50.0%♀50.0%

Hatch Time

20 cycles·5,140 steps

Quick~5 min with Flame Body

Egg Moves

9moves

Breed With (best first)

Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Shellder Best Moveset

Best Build

No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 8.

Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.

Moves

The egg pool carries weight here. Aqua Ring and Bubble Beam aren't available any other way for Shellder, and they meaningfully change what it threatens. Stack those on top of Hydro Pump and Surf for solid options.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1

Tackle

D4010035Normal

Lv 1

Water Gun

—4010025Water

Lv 4

Withdraw

———40Water

Lv 8

Ice Shard+1

D4010030Ice

Lv 12

Leer

D—10030Normal

Lv 16

Whirlpool

D358515Water

Lv 20

Supersonic

D—5520Normal

Lv 24

Aurora Beam

D6510020Ice

Lv 28

Protect+4

C——10Normal

Lv 32

Razor Shell

C759510Water

Lv 36

Iron Defense

C——15Steel

Lv 40

Ice Beam

D9010010Ice

Lv 44

Shell Smash

C——15Normal

Lv 48

Hydro Pump

D110805Water

TM Moves

TM45

Attract

C—10015Normal

TM72

Avalanche-4

D6010010Ice

TM14

Blizzard

D110705Ice

TM55

Brine

D6510010Water

TM32

Double Team

———15Normal

TM58

Endure+4

C——10Normal

TM64

Explosion

B2501005Normal

TM42

Facade

D7010020Normal

TM07

Hail

C——10Ice

TM13

Ice Beam

D9010010Ice

TM66

Payback

D5010010Dark

TM17

Protect+4

C——10Normal

TM18

Rain Dance

C——5Water

TM44

Rest

C——10Psychic

TM82

Sleep Talk

C——10Normal

TM90

Substitute

C——10Normal

TM95

Surf

C9010015Water

TM87

Swagger

D—8515Normal

TM03

Water Pulse

D6010020Water

Egg Moves

Egg

Aqua Ring

D——20Water

Egg

Bubble Beam

D6510020Water

Egg

Icicle Spear

D2510030Ice

Egg

Life Dew

D——10Water

Egg

Mud Shot

D559515Ground

Egg

Rapid Spin

D5010040Normal

Egg

Rock Blast

D259010Rock

Egg

Screech

D—8540Normal

Egg

Take Down

D908520Normal

Tutor Moves

Shellder can't learn any Tutor moves

Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Shellder Locations

moderate rates across 12 locations for Shellder in mid-game routes. Scroll the sorted list below and pick whichever spot sits closest to your current route. The rate differences between locations are worth comparing.

Best Locations to Catch Shellder in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl

Shellder's encounter pool splits between Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. You've got 12 fishing and walking spots at Lv. 20-63 total, but your version determines which ones actually show up.

Fuego Ironworks

Brilliant DiamondSuper Rod Lv.20-40 Power-plant

5%Mid

Fuego Ironworks

Shining PearlSuper Rod Lv.20-40 Power-plant

5%Mid

Route 205 - South

Shining PearlSuper Rod Lv.20-40 Route

5%Mid

Route 205 - South

Brilliant DiamondSuper Rod Lv.20-40 Route

5%Mid

Valley Windworks

Shining PearlSuper Rod Lv.20-40 Power-plant

5%Mid

Valley Windworks

Brilliant DiamondSuper Rod Lv.20-40 Power-plant

5%Mid

Fountainspring Cave

Brilliant DiamondGrass Lv.58-63 Cave

Post

Post-game

Fountainspring Cave

Shining PearlGrass Lv.58-63 Cave

Post

Post-game

Riverbank Cave

Shining PearlGrass Lv.58-63 Cave

Post

Post-game

Riverbank Cave

Brilliant DiamondGrass Lv.58-63 Cave

Post

Post-game

Still-Water Cavern

Shining PearlGrass Lv.58-63 Cave

Post

Post-game

Still-Water Cavern

Brilliant DiamondGrass Lv.58-63 Cave

Post

Post-game

Shellder Guide

Shellder evolves into Cloyster using a Water Stone. One evolution, no branching. Solid jump from 305 BST.
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Shellder does the job early-game if you need a Water type on your team. Evolve it into Cloyster before the later gyms and it holds up fine through the story.
Shellder is catchable in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl. Check the Locations section above for specific routes, encounter rates, and methods. It also appears in 19 other games across the series.
Shellder is available in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl. Across the full series, it appears in 20 games total.

Game Availability

Shellder has been part of the series since Red & Blue, appearing in 20 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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Budew GrassPoison	D
Available Moves Moves Energy BallTM53 Giga DrainTM19 Bullet SeedTM09 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Shellder Energy Ball 2x 138-166%KO Giga Drain 2x 121-145%KO Bullet Seed 2x 24-31% Absorb 2x 41-52% View Budew builds →
Shinx Electric	D
Available Moves Moves Volt SwitchTM43 Shock WaveTM34 Charge BeamTM57 Thunder ShockLv. 4 Damage vs Shellder Volt Switch 2x 103-124%KO Shock Wave 2x 86-103%KO Charge Beam 2x 76-93% Thunder Shock 2x 59-72% View Shinx builds →

Pachirisu Electric	C
Available Moves Moves ThunderboltTM24 Volt SwitchTM43 Shock WaveTM34 Charge BeamTM57 Damage vs Shellder Thunderbolt 2x 125-150%KO Volt Switch 2x 103-122%KO Shock Wave 2x 88-103%KO Charge Beam 2x 78-94% View Pachirisu builds →
Budew GrassPoison	D
Available Moves Moves Energy BallTM53 Giga DrainTM19 Bullet SeedTM09 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Shellder Energy Ball 2x 134-159%KO Giga Drain 2x 109-131%KO Bullet Seed 2x 22-28% Absorb 2x 38-47% View Budew builds →
Electrike Electric	D
Available Moves Moves ThunderboltTM24 Volt SwitchTM43 Shock WaveTM34 Charge BeamTM57 Damage vs Shellder Thunderbolt 2x 159-188%KO Volt Switch 2x 125-150%KO Shock Wave 2x 109-131%KO Charge Beam 2x 94-113%KO View Electrike builds →
Shinx Electric	D
Available Moves Moves ThunderboltTM24 Volt SwitchTM43 Shock WaveTM34 Charge BeamTM57 Damage vs Shellder Thunderbolt 2x 119-141%KO Volt Switch 2x 94-113%KO Shock Wave 2x 88-103%KO Charge Beam 2x 69-84% View Shinx builds →

Abomasnow GrassIce	C
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM22 Energy BallTM53 Giga DrainTM19 Razor LeafLv. 20 Damage vs Shellder Solar Beam 2x 307-363%KO Energy Ball 2x 231-273%KO Giga Drain 2x 194-228%KO Razor Leaf 2x 60-72% View Abomasnow builds →
Pachirisu Electric	C
Available Moves Moves ThunderTM25 ThunderboltTM24 Volt SwitchTM43 SparkLv. 13 Damage vs Shellder Thunder 2x 170-201%KO Thunderbolt 2x 140-166%KO Volt Switch 2x 109-130%KO Spark 2x 45-54% View Pachirisu builds →
Budew GrassPoison	D
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM22 Energy BallTM53 Giga DrainTM19 Bullet SeedTM09 Damage vs Shellder Solar Beam 2x 197-233%KO Energy Ball 2x 152-179%KO Giga Drain 2x 125-148%KO Bullet Seed 2x 18-22% View Budew builds →
Electrike Electric	D
Available Moves Moves ThunderTM25 ThunderboltTM24 Volt SwitchTM43 Thunder FangLv. 24 Damage vs Shellder Thunder 2x 219-260%KO Thunderbolt 2x 182-215%KO Volt Switch 2x 140-166%KO Thunder Fang 2x 45-54% View Electrike builds →
Shinx Electric	D
Available Moves Moves ThunderTM25 ThunderboltTM24 Volt SwitchTM43 SparkLv. 16 Damage vs Shellder Thunder 2x 160-188%KO Thunderbolt 2x 133-157%KO Volt Switch 2x 101-121%KO Spark 2x 57-67% View Shinx builds →

Abomasnow GrassIce	C
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM22 Energy BallTM53 Giga DrainTM19 Razor LeafLv. 20 Damage vs Shellder Solar Beam 2x 307-363%KO Energy Ball 2x 231-273%KO Giga Drain 2x 194-228%KO Razor Leaf 2x 60-72% View Abomasnow builds →
Pachirisu Electric	C
Available Moves Moves ThunderTM25 ThunderboltTM24 Volt SwitchTM43 SparkLv. 13 Damage vs Shellder Thunder 2x 170-201%KO Thunderbolt 2x 140-166%KO Volt Switch 2x 109-130%KO Spark 2x 45-54% View Pachirisu builds →
Budew GrassPoison	D
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM22 Energy BallTM53 Giga DrainTM19 Bullet SeedTM09 Damage vs Shellder Solar Beam 2x 197-233%KO Energy Ball 2x 152-179%KO Giga Drain 2x 125-148%KO Bullet Seed 2x 18-22% View Budew builds →
Electrike Electric	D
Available Moves Moves ThunderTM25 ThunderboltTM24 Volt SwitchTM43 Thunder FangLv. 24 Damage vs Shellder Thunder 2x 219-260%KO Thunderbolt 2x 182-215%KO Volt Switch 2x 140-166%KO Thunder Fang 2x 45-54% View Electrike builds →
Shinx Electric	D
Available Moves Moves ThunderTM25 ThunderboltTM24 Volt SwitchTM43 SparkLv. 16 Damage vs Shellder Thunder 2x 160-188%KO Thunderbolt 2x 133-157%KO Volt Switch 2x 101-121%KO Spark 2x 57-67% View Shinx builds →

Abomasnow GrassIce	C
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM22 Energy BallTM53 Giga DrainTM19 Razor LeafLv. 20 Damage vs Shellder Solar Beam 2x 306-362%KO Energy Ball 2x 232-273%KO Giga Drain 2x 192-227%KO Razor Leaf 2x 58-69% View Abomasnow builds →
Pachirisu Electric	C
Available Moves Moves ThunderTM25 ThunderboltTM24 Volt SwitchTM43 SparkLv. 13 Damage vs Shellder Thunder 2x 167-196%KO Thunderbolt 2x 137-162%KO Volt Switch 2x 108-127%KO Spark 2x 42-50% View Pachirisu builds →
Budew GrassPoison	D
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM22 Energy BallTM53 Giga DrainTM19 Bullet SeedTM09 Damage vs Shellder Solar Beam 2x 196-231%KO Energy Ball 2x 150-177%KO Giga Drain 2x 123-146%KO Bullet Seed 2x 15-19% View Budew builds →
Electrike Electric	D
Available Moves Moves ThunderTM25 ThunderboltTM24 DischargeLv. 32 Volt SwitchTM43 Damage vs Shellder Thunder 2x 215-254%KO Thunderbolt 2x 176-208%KO Discharge 2x 156-185%KO Volt Switch 2x 137-162%KO View Electrike builds →
Shinx Electric	D
Available Moves Moves ThunderTM25 ThunderboltTM24 Volt SwitchTM43 SparkLv. 16 Damage vs Shellder Thunder 2x 153-181%KO Thunderbolt 2x 127-150%KO Volt Switch 2x 97-115%KO Spark 2x 51-62% View Shinx builds →

Zarude DarkGrass	A
Recommended Build AbilityLeafguard ItemChoice Scarf NatureJolly Moves Darkest Lariat Power Whip U Turn Close Combat Damage vs Shellder U Turn 36-43% Close Combat 62-73% View Zarude builds →
Regieleki Electric	A
Recommended Build AbilityTransistor ItemMagnet NatureTimid Moves Volt Switch ProtectPriority ElectrowebSTAB ThunderboltSTAB Damage vs Shellder Volt Switch 2x 261-307%KO Electroweb 2x 205-242%KO Thunderbolt 2x 335-394%KO View Regieleki builds →
Kartana GrassSteel	A
Recommended Build AbilityBeastboost ItemChoice Scarf NatureJolly Moves Leaf Blade Sacred Sword Knock Off Smart Strike Damage vs Shellder Knock Off 45-54% View Kartana builds →
Rotom ElectricGhost	C
Recommended Build AbilityLevitate ItemAssault Vest NatureTimid Moves Dark Pulse DischargeSTAB HexSTAB Nasty Plot Damage vs Shellder Dark Pulse 96-113%KO Discharge 2x 288-339%KO Hex 117-138%KO View Rotom builds →