Is Barboach Good in Sword & Shield Playthrough?
Barboach appears on Route 6 fishing. Water/Ground evolving into Whiscash at level 30. Only weak to Grass. AbilityOblivious prevents Attract and Intimidate. Whiscash is a budget Quagsire with slightly different stats. Does the job if you need Water/Ground and haven't found Quagsire yet.
Whiscash trades roughly evenly with Milo's team.
Whiscash has the type edge here and should clean up Nessa's team.
Whiscash resists most of Kabu's coverage and hits back hard.
Whiscash has the type edge here and should clean up Bea's team.
Whiscash has the type edge here and should clean up Opal's team.
Whiscash has the type edge here and should clean up Gordie's team.
Whiscash trades roughly evenly with Piers's team.
Whiscash trades roughly evenly with Raihan's team.
Whiscash has the type edge here and should clean up Bede's team.
Whiscash trades roughly evenly with Leon's team.
Catch Barboach on South Lake Miloch (Surf, Lv 41-44). Snowstorm.
How to Get Barboach in Sword & Shield
high spawn rates in early-game water routes across 84 locations. Barboach's one of the easier catches on the list. Multiple catch methods are available, so check which ones match your setup. Knock it out fast and save your time for harder targets.
Where To Catch Barboach in SwSh
To get Barboach, start by catching Barboach through surfing, fishing, and more encounters at Lv. 7-65. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.
Step 1Barboach ✓Soothing WetlandsLv.13-18Super RodRate 40%North Lake MilochLv.14-16Super RodRate 40%MotostokeLv.7-11Super RodRate 10%South Lake MilochLv.11-13Super RodRate 9%Galar Mine No. 2Lv.20-24Super RodRate 55%Stony WildernessLv.26-28GrassRate 40%RainingSouth Lake MilochLv.41-44Surfing on waterRate 60%Intense SunSouth Lake MilochLv.41-44Surfing on waterRate 60%SandstormSouth Lake MilochLv.41-44Surfing on waterRate 60%ThunderstormNorth Lake MilochLv.42-45Surfing on waterRate 60%SandstormNorth Lake MilochLv.42-45Surfing on waterRate 60%RainingNorth Lake MilochLv.42-45Surfing on waterRate 60%Intense SunBrawlers' CaveLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 50%All WeatherSouth Lake MilochLv.41-44Surfing on waterRate 25%Heavy FogSouth Lake MilochLv.41-44Surfing on waterRate 25%OvercastNorth Lake MilochLv.42-45Surfing on waterRate 25%Heavy FogSlumbering WealdLv.45-47Super RodRate 20%South Lake MilochLv.41-44Surfing on waterRate 10%RainingSouth Lake MilochLv.41-44Surfing on waterRate 10%SnowingNorth Lake MilochLv.42-45Surfing on waterRate 10%OvercastSouth Lake MilochLv.41-44Surfing on waterRate 5%Normal WeatherSouth Lake MilochLv.41-44Surfing on waterRate 5%SnowstormNorth Lake MilochLv.42-45Surfing on waterRate 5%Normal WeatherNorth Lake MilochLv.42-45Surfing on waterRate 5%ThunderstormNorth Lake MilochLv.42-45Surfing on waterRate 5%SnowstormRoaring-Sea CavesLv.60-65Surfing on waterRate 100%SandstormBallimere LakeLv.60-65Surfing on waterRate 27%Normal WeatherBallimere LakeLv.60-65Surfing on waterRate 27%RainingBallimere LakeLv.60-65Surfing on waterRate 27%ThunderstormBallimere LakeLv.60-65Surfing on waterRate 27%OvercastBallimere LakeLv.60-65Surfing on waterRate 27%Intense SunRoaring-Sea CavesLv.60-65Surfing on waterRate 25%OvercastRoaring-Sea CavesLv.60-65Surfing on waterRate 25%ThunderstormRoaring-Sea CavesLv.60-65Surfing on waterRate 25%Normal WeatherRoaring-Sea CavesLv.60-65Surfing on waterRate 25%RainingRoaring-Sea CavesLv.60-65Surfing on waterRate 25%Intense SunRoaring-Sea CavesLv.60-65Surfing on waterRate 25%Heavy FogBallimere LakeLv.60-65Surfing on waterRate 20%SnowingGiant's BedLv.60-65Super RodRate 20%Giant's FootLv.60-65Super RodRate 20%Roaring-Sea CavesLv.60-65Surfing on waterRate 20%SnowstormRoaring-Sea CavesLv.60-65Surfing on waterRate 20%Snowing
Step 2Catch or Evolve into WhiscashSoothing WetlandsLv.13-18Super RodRate 10%Slumbering WealdLv.45-47Super RodRate 60%Giant's BedLv.60-65Super RodRate 15%Giant's FootLv.60-65Super RodRate 15%or evolve from Barboach (Step 1)
Barboach Weakness
Barboach's Water/Ground typing leaves it vulnerable to Grass. Grass hits land at 4x, so they're the biggest threat. It shrugs off Electric-type attacks completely. It resists 4 types, giving it decent defensive coverage.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 4x (Critical) | Grass |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Fire, Poison, Rock, Steel |
| 0x (Immune) | Electric |
What is Barboach Weak Against
GoodBest Pokemon Against Barboach
 Bellossom Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Barboach View Bellossom builds →Petal Dance 4x391-460%KO | ||
 Leafeon Grass | B | |
 Roserade GrassPoison | B | |
 Maractus Grass | C | |
 Abomasnow GrassIce | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Barboach View Abomasnow builds →Wood Hammer 4x387-455%KO | ||
 Exeggutor GrassPsychic | C | |
Leafeon Grass | B | |
 Lilligant Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Barboach View Lilligant builds →Petal Dance 4x465-547%KO | ||
 Tangrowth Grass | B | |
Bellossom Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Barboach View Bellossom builds →Petal Dance 4x394-463%KO | ||
Exeggutor GrassPsychic | C | |
Leafeon Grass | B | |
Lilligant Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Barboach View Lilligant builds →Petal Dance 4x465-547%KO | ||
Tangrowth Grass | B | |
Bellossom Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Barboach View Bellossom builds →Petal Dance 4x394-463%KO | ||
Exeggutor GrassPsychic | C | |
Leafeon Grass | B | |
Lilligant Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Barboach View Lilligant builds →Petal Dance 4x465-547%KO | ||
Tangrowth Grass | B | |
Bellossom Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Barboach View Bellossom builds →Petal Dance 4x394-463%KO | ||
In Sword & Shield, Rillaboom can KO Barboach with U-turn (98-115%).
 Rillaboom Grass | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityGrassy Surge ItemChoice Band NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Barboach View Rillaboom builds →Knock Off91-107%KO U Turn98-115%KO | ||
Barboach Evolutions
Barboach evolves into Whiscash. It's a two-stage chain with the method shown below. A decent partner pool for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are average hatch time. The evolved forms gain up to 180 total stats over Barboach. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
SwSh Barboach Best Moveset
Only Grass hits super-effectively from Water/Ground, but 48 Attack and 46 Sp. Atk make the moveset completely useless offensively. AbilityAnticipation warns of super-effective moves on switch-in. Evolve into Whiscash for slightly better stats that still don't compete.
Best Build
Barboach best EVs are Speed
Utility Moveset
- Earthquake
- Mud Slap
- Rain Dance
- Waterfall
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
You'll want to breed for Flail and Spark on Barboach. These egg moves aren't just nice to have. Combined with STAB from Hydro Pump and Earthquake, they expand what Barboach can actually threaten in practice.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- Egg
- Inherited via breeding.
- Tutor
- NPC tutor (cost: items, BP, money).
- Reminder
- An NPC reteaches any move this Pokemon could have learned by leveling up.
- Transfer
- Carried over from an older game using Pokemon HOME.
- Event
- Given out through Mystery Gift events.
Visual Signals
CAT (Category)
How the move deals damage and which stats it uses.
A small dot on the icon's corner marks the move as contact. That triggers abilities like Static, Flame Body, Rough Skin, or Iron Barbs, plus items like Rocky Helmet and Sticky Barb.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM, Egg, and Tutor sort by tier by default (best first). On Level-Up, click the Tier header to do the same.
PWR (Power)
Base damage. Numbers shown in a type color include STAB (base × 1.5). Hover any colored number to see the math.
— means no power (status moves) or variable power.
Sorting & Filter
Click any column header to sort. Level-Up opens with Lv 1 at the top. TM, Egg, and Tutor open with the highest-tier moves at the top.
Search filters by move name or type. The Filter button limits the list to STAB, Physical, Special, or Status moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
Its slimy body is hard to grasp. In one region, it is said to have been born from hardened mud.
It probes muddy riverbeds with its two long whiskers. A slimy film protects its body.
Barboach Sword & Shield Guide
In Sword & Shield, Barboach does the job early-game if you need a Water/Ground type on your team. Evolve it into Whiscash before the later gyms and it holds up fine through the story.
Game Availability
Barboach first appeared in Ruby & Sapphire and has been available in 16 games across 8 generations. Obtainable through catching or hatching as a base form in most titles where it appears.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RSDebut
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves