Stats & Training
Defense and Sp. Def carry most of Duskull's stat budget. HP's the obvious dump stat. Common in the wild and yields 1 Sp. Def EV. Follows a fast 800K XP curve.
DUSKULL can pass through any wall no matter how thick it may be. Once this POKéMON chooses a target, it will doggedly pursue the intended victim until the break of dawn.
DUSKULL wanders lost among the deep darkness of midnight. There is an oft-told admonishment given to misbehaving children that this POKéMON will spirit away bad children who earn scoldings from their mothers.
Duskull Weakness
Duskull's Ghost typing leaves it vulnerable to Ghost and Dark. It shrugs off Normal and Fighting-type attacks completely. Levitate grants an additional Ground immunity, reshaping the matchup chart.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Ghost, Dark |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Poison, Bug |
| 0x (Immune) | Normal, Fighting |
- Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
- Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
 Poochyena Dark | D | |
Poochyena Dark | D | |
Poochyena Dark | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Poochyena builds →Bite 2x41-49% Thief 2x41-49% | ||
 Nuzleaf GrassDark | D | |
Poochyena Dark | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Poochyena builds →Bite 2x37-46% Thief 2x37-46% | ||
Nuzleaf GrassDark | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Nuzleaf builds →Feint Attack 2x56-67% Thief 2x56-67% | ||
Poochyena Dark | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Poochyena builds →Bite 2x35-43% Thief 2x35-43% | ||
Nuzleaf GrassDark | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Nuzleaf builds →Feint Attack 2x58-68% Thief 2x58-68% | ||
Poochyena Dark | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Poochyena builds →Bite 2x38-45% Thief 2x38-45% | ||
 Absol Dark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Absol builds →Shadow Ball 2x88-105%KO Bite 2x65-77% Thief 2x65-77% | ||
Nuzleaf GrassDark | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Nuzleaf builds →Shadow Ball 2x54-64% Feint Attack 2x55-65% Thief 2x55-65% | ||
 Shuppet Ghost | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Shuppet builds →Shadow Ball 2x85-100%KO Knock Off 2x41-49% Feint Attack 2x38-46% Thief 2x38-46% | ||
Poochyena Dark | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Poochyena builds →Shadow Ball 2x45-54% Bite 2x36-42% Thief 2x36-42% | ||
Absol Dark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Absol builds →Shadow Ball 2x88-104%KO Bite 2x64-76% Thief 2x64-76% | ||
Poochyena Dark | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Poochyena builds →Crunch 2x48-58% Shadow Ball 2x45-53% Bite 2x36-43% Thief 2x36-43% | ||
Nuzleaf GrassDark | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Nuzleaf builds →Shadow Ball 2x53-63% Feint Attack 2x54-65% Thief 2x54-65% | ||
Shuppet Ghost | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Shuppet builds →Shadow Ball 2x86-101%KO Knock Off 2x41-48% Feint Attack 2x39-46% Thief 2x39-46% | ||
In Ruby & Sapphire, Houndoom can KO Duskull with Crunch (109-129%). Dusclops's Shadow Ball hits Duskull for 50-60%.
 Houndoom DarkFire | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityFlashfire ItemLeftovers NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Houndoom builds →Pursuit 2x56-66% Fire Blast75-88% Crunch 2x109-129%KO | ||
 Dusclops Ghost | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityPressure ItemLeftovers NatureCalm Moves
Damage vs Duskull View Dusclops builds →Shadow Ball 2x50-60% | ||
Ruby & Sapphire Evolution
Three stages ahead. Duskull grows into Dusclops, then pushes on to Dusknoir. Check the evolution methods below. For breeding, average hatch time with a decent partner pool via one egg group. The evolved forms gain up to 230 total stats over Duskull. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed Duskull easily with 22 breeding partners from the Indeterminate egg group. Pass egg moves like Destiny Bond, Feint Attack, Grudge and 3 more to offspring.
Ruby & Sapphire Duskull Best Moveset
Duskull's built to absorb hits. Impish nature leans into physical wall duty, Quickclaw gives it extra utility, and the moveset handles sustain. Levitate and Defense and Sp. Def investment EVs tie the defensive profile together.
Best Build
Duskull best EVs are Defense and Sp. Def
Bulky Support Moveset
- Pain Split
- Curse
- Substitute
- Grudge
Recommended Teammates
Moves
You'll want to breed for Destiny Bond and Feint Attack on Duskull. These egg moves aren't just nice to have. Combined with STAB from Shadow Ball and Astonish, they expand what Duskull can actually threaten in practice.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Ruby & Sapphire Duskull Locations
Duskull starts showing up in mid-game routes at high spawn rates across 14 encounter spots. The list below is sorted so you can pick what fits your current progress without scrolling through everything.
Best Locations to Catch Duskull in Ruby & Sapphire
Which version you're playing matters for Duskull. 14 walking spots at Lv. 22-30 spread across Ruby and Sapphire, and some routes only appear in one cartridge. Check the version badges below.
Duskull Guide
Level 37 gets you Dusclops. Not the fastest evolution, so consider Exp. Share or route grinding to speed it up.
For Ruby & Sapphire, you can run Duskull through the first few routes without issues. 295 BST won't carry you far though. Get it to Dusclops as fast as you can.
You can find Duskull in Ruby & Sapphire. The Locations section has the full breakdown of routes and encounter details. It also appears in 16 other games across the series.
Game Availability
Available in 17 titles since its debut in Ruby & Sapphire, Duskull spans 8 generations of Pokemon games. It's accessible through catching or hatching as a base form in most mainline games.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RSDebut
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves