Physical
Tank
45Speed · Slow

Stats & Training

Defense leads and Speed gets almost nothing. That's Golem's stat line in a nutshell. 3 stats sit in respectable range, but the spread is brutal. Tough to catch and yields 3 Defense stat exp.

Base Stats
Above
HP80
C
Attack110
B
Defense130
A
Sp. Atk55
D
Sp. Def65
C
Speed45
D
Total485
Details
Catch Rate
Challenging45 / 255
Growth Rate
Medium Slow1.06M XP
Height1.4 m
Weight300.0 kg
Base XP223
Abilities
Abilities were introduced in Generation III. Shown below for reference.
Rock Head
Protects against recoil damage.
Sturdy
Prevents being KOed from full HP, leaving 1 HP instead. Protects against the one-hit KO moves regardless of HP.
Sand VeilHA
Increases evasion to 1.25× during a sandstorm. Protects against sandstorm damage.
EV Yield
HPAtkDef+3SpASpDSpe
Strong Defense training target
Pokedex Entries

Once it sheds its skin, its body turns tender and whitish. Its hide hardens when it’s exposed to air.

Yellow

Golem Weakness

Golem is weak to Water, Grass, Ice, Fighting, and Ground. Watch out for Water and Grass attacks, those deal 4x damage. On the flip side, it's immune to Electric-type moves entirely. 5 resistances help offset the weaknesses. Golem's physical bulk (base 130 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.

Golem Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
4x (Critical)Water, Grass
2x (Weak)Ice, Fighting, Ground
0.5x (Resist)Normal, Fire, Flying, Rock
0.25x (Resist)Poison
0x (Immune)Electric
Type ChartFragile
5Weak
5Resist
1Immune
Score-5
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
4xCritical
¼xResist
0xImmune
How to Beat Golem in Yellow (Best Counters)

In Yellow, Rhydon's Earthquake hits Golem for 73-86%. Gengar deals 44-51% with Psychic.

Zapdos
ZapdosImmune to Ground, sets up Agility, outspeeds
ElectricFlying
S
Recommended Build
Moves
  • Drill Peck
  • ThunderboltSTAB
  • Thunder Wave
  • AgilitySetup
Damage vs Golem
Drill Peck
11-13%
View Zapdos builds →

Yellow Evolution

Golem is the evolved form of Geodude, reached by trading. A Rock/Ground type at 485 stats that still can't breed. HP grew the most through evolution (+40 over Geodude), and Golem peaks at 485 total stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

3 Forms
Stat Comparison 3 Stages
Geodude
RockGround
Graveler
RockGround
Golem
RockGround
HP
40
55+15
80+25
ATK
80
95+15
120+25
DEF
100
115+15
130+15
SP.ATK
30
45+15
55+10
SP.DEF
30
45+15
65+20
SPE
20
35+15
45+10
BST
300C-Tier
390C-Tier+90
495C-Tier+105
ROLE
Trick Room
Trick Room
Wallbreaker
TYPE
Physical
Physical
Physical
Breeding not available · Introduced in Gen 2

Yellow Golem Best Moveset

Best Build

Solid pick
Utility
Ability
Not in Gen 1
Item
Not in Gen 1
Nature
Not in Gen 1

Utility Moveset

  • EarthquakeSTAB
  • ExplosionCoverage
  • Rock SlideSTAB
  • Body Slam

Moves

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

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Defense Curl
D40Normal
Lv 1
Tackle
D3510035Normal
Lv 11
Defense Curl
D40Normal
Lv 16
Rock Throw
506515Rock
Lv 21
Self-Destruct
B2001005Normal
Lv 29
Harden
D30Normal
Lv 36
Earthquake
S10010010Ground
Lv 43
Explosion
S2501005Normal

TM Moves

TM
TM34
Bide+1
10Normal
TM08
Body Slam
A8510015Normal
TM18
Counter-5
D10020Fighting
TM28
Dig
10010010Ground
TM32
Double Team
15Normal
TM10
Double-Edge
B12010015Normal
TM26
Earthquake
S10010010Ground
TM47
Explosion
S2501005Normal
TM38
Fire Blast
D120855Fire
TM27
Fissure
305Ground
TM15
Hyper Beam
C150905Normal
TM05
Mega Kick
C120755Normal
TM01
Mega Punch
C808520Normal
TM35
Metronome
D10Normal
TM31
Mimic
10Normal
TM20
Rage
2010020Normal
TM44
Rest
C10Psychic
TM48
Rock Slide
S759010Rock
TM19
Seismic Toss
D10020Fighting
TM36
Self-Destruct
B2001005Normal
HM04
Strength
8010015Normal
TM17
Submission
C808025Fighting
TM50
Substitute
A10Normal
TM09
Take Down
908520Normal
TM06
Toxic
C9010Poison

Egg Moves

Golem doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Golem can't learn any Tutor moves

How to Get Golem in Yellow

A trade step sits in Golem's 3-stage chain from Geodude. The step cards below map each stage with catch locations and evolution methods. Geodude shows up at solid rates, so the starting catch is the easy part.

Trade Evolution Required — Requires trading with another player

How to Obtain Golem in Yellow

The path to Golem starts with Geodude at Lv. 10-55 via walking encounters. 2 catchable stages total, with locations listed for each one below.

  1. Geodude
    Step 1Catch Geodude
    Mt. Moon - 1F
    Grass Lv.10 Cave
    20%Early
    Mt. Moon - B1F
    Grass Lv.10-11 Cave
    20%Early
    Mt. Moon - B2F
    Grass Lv.11 Cave
    15%Early
    Victory Road - 1F
    Grass Lv.26-41 Cave
    65%Mid
    Rock Tunnel - 1F
    Grass Lv.16-20 Cave
    35%Mid
    Rock Tunnel - B1F
    Grass Lv.17-21 Cave
    25%Mid
    Victory Road - 2F
    Grass Lv.31-41 Cave
    55%Late
    Victory Road - 3F
    Grass Lv.36-46 Cave
    45%Late
  2. Graveler
    Step 2Catch or Evolve Graveler
    Victory Road - 3F
    Grass Lv.41-47 Cave
    15%Late
    Cerulean Cave - 1F
    Grass Lv.45 Cave
    15%Late
    Victory Road - 2F
    Grass Lv.44 Cave
    10%Late
    Victory Road - 1F
    Grass Lv.41-47 Cave
    5%Late
    Cerulean Cave - 2F
    Grass Lv.50 Cave
    15%Post
    Cerulean Cave - B1F
    Grass Lv.55 Cave
    15%Post
    or evolve from Geodude (Step 1)
  3. Golem
    Step 3Golem

Golem Guide

  • For Yellow, we rate Golem B-Tier: a solid option in Yellow for the right team. At 485 BST, it fits the tank role. Earthquake anchors the moveset.

  • In Yellow, Golem's biggest threats include Gyarados (Water), Venusaur (Grass), and Lapras (Ice), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Gyarados is the most dangerous since Water moves deal 4x damage. Fighting and Ground-type attackers are also a problem. With 5 weakness types, most competitive teams carry at least one counter.

  • Base 45 Speed is low. Priority moves or Trick Room are the way to go. On offense, Golem is a physical attacker with base 110 Attack. Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two. Best used as a tank.

  • For Yellow, the core moveset is Earthquake, Explosion, Rock Slide, and Body Slam. Earthquake leads at 25% usage. Earthquake provides reliable STAB damage.

  • In Yellow, the best way to handle Golem: Status moves (Toxic, Will-O-Wisp) wear it down. Setup sweepers can use it as a boost opportunity. Special attackers bypass its physical bulk.

Game Availability

Since debuting in Red & Blue, Golem has appeared in 20 titles over 10 generations. Along the way, it received an Alolan form in Generation 7, keeping it relevant across different competitive metas.

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