Special
Pivot
330Low
100Fast
DTier

Voltorb sits at the start of its evolution line — not yet at full power, but that changes fast. Most trainers push through to Electrode as fast as possible. Flexible enough to run physical or special sets. An original Gen 1 pick.

Speed and Special carry most of Voltorb's stat budget. Attack's the obvious dump stat. Common in the wild and yields 1 Speed stat exp. Follows a medium-fast 1M XP curve.

Base Stats
330Avg
HP40
D
Attack30
F
Defense50
D
Sp. Atk55
D
Sp. Def55
D
Speed100
B
Total330
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Voltorb yields +1 Spe
HPAtkDefSpASpDSpe+1
Details
Catch190EasyMedium Fast1M XP0.5m / 1'08"10.4kg / 22.9 lbs66Base XP
Pokedex Entries

It is said to camouflage itself as a POKé BALL. It will self-destruct with very little stimulus.

Yellow

Voltorb Weakness

Avg

Voltorb is weak to Ground-type moves. Few weaknesses and 2 resistances make the typing clean. At base 100 Speed, Voltorb outspeeds most threats and doesn't need to tank what it can outrun.

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
½xResisti
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
None
STAB (2)i
1Weak
2Resist
0Immune
Scorei0
SpikesGrounded — up to 25%
Toxic SpikesVulnerable
Abilities
SoundproofProtects against sound-based moves.
StaticHas a 30% chance of paralyzing attacking Pokémon on contact.
AftermathHADamages the attacker for 1/4 its max HP when knocked out by a contact move.

Voltorb evolves into Electrode, but can't breed. At 330 stats as a Electric type, evolution is the only path. Evolving adds up to 160 stat points total.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Stat Comparison 2 Stages
Voltorb
Electric
Electrode
Electric
HP
40
60+20
ATK
30
50+20
DEF
50
70+20
SP.ATK
55
80+25
SP.DEF
55
80+25
SPE
100
150+50
BST
330C-Tier
490C-Tier+160
ROLE
Pivot
Pivot
TYPE
Special
Special
Breeding not available · Introduced in Gen 2

Best Build

Gen 1 build content has limited support (no abilities, held items, or natures).

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

TMs carry this one. Voltorb learns Thunder and Thunderbolt naturally for STAB, but the offensive range comes almost entirely from technical machines. Normal and beyond give it real matchup play.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Screech
8540Normal
Lv 1
Tackle
3510035Normal
Lv 17
Sonic Boom
9020Normal
Lv 22
Self-Destruct
2001005Normal
Lv 29
Light Screen
30Psychic
Lv 36
Swift
6020Normal
Lv 43
Explosion
2501005Normal

TM Moves

Src
TM34
Bide+1
10Normal
TM32
Double Team
15Normal
TM47
Explosion
2501005Normal
HM05
Flash
7020Normal
TM31
Mimic
10Normal
TM20
Rage
2010020Normal
TM33
Reflect
20Psychic
TM44
Rest
10Psychic
TM36
Self-Destruct
2001005Normal
TM50
Substitute
10Normal
TM39
Swift
6020Normal
TM09
Take Down
908520Normal
TM30
Teleport-6
20Psychic
TM25
Thunder
1107010Electric
TM45
Thunder Wave
10020Electric
TM24
Thunderbolt
9510015Electric
TM06
Toxic
9010Poison

Egg Moves

Voltorb doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Voltorb can't learn any Tutor moves

A few locations for Voltorb 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

Power Plant
GrassLv.33-37UncommonLatePower-plant
EASY
  • Voltorb is meant to evolve into Electrode. At 330 BST, the stats aren't there for competitive play yet. Pre-evolution Pokemon rarely hold up against fully evolved threats.

  • Voltorb's biggest threats include Golem (Ground), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Only 1 weakness means fewer dedicated counters to worry about. Voltorb's base 100 Speed lets it outpace many threats and strike first, which matters more than trying to tank hits.

  • Voltorb can evolve into Electrode and Hisuian Electrode depending on the method. Voltorb is the base form in a 3-stage evolutionary line.

  • Base 100 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. On offense, Voltorb is a special attacker with base 55 Special. Defensively? Fragile — can't afford to take many hits. Best used as a pivot.

  • Voltorb appears in 20 games, including Yellow, Red & Blue, and Gold & Silver.

Since debuting in Red & Blue, Voltorb has appeared in 20 titles over 9 generations. Along the way, it received a Hisuian form in Generation 8, keeping it relevant across different competitive metas.