Is Barraskewda Good in Sword & Shield Playthrough?
Barraskewda at 136 Speed is the fastest Water-type in the game. 123 Attack makes it a physical nuke. AbilitySwift Swim in rain pushes the speed to absurd levels. Handles Kabu and Gordie. Can't take a hit (61 HP, 60 Defense), but nothing outspeeds it. The glass torpedo of Galar.
Barraskewda trades roughly evenly with Milo's team.
Barraskewda has the type edge here and should clean up Nessa's team.
Barraskewda resists most of Kabu's coverage and hits back hard.
Barraskewda has the type edge here and should clean up Bea's team.
Barraskewda has the type edge here and should clean up Opal's team.
Barraskewda has the type edge here and should clean up Gordie's team.
Barraskewda trades roughly evenly with Piers's team.
Barraskewda trades roughly evenly with Raihan's team.
Barraskewda has the type edge here and should clean up Bede's team.
Barraskewda trades roughly evenly with Leon's team.
Catch Barraskewda on Route 2 (Surf, Lv 38-40). All Weather.
Catch Arrokuda on Route 2 (Surf, Lv 38-40). All Weather.
How to Get Barraskewda in Sword & Shield
high spawn rates for Barraskewda across 26 locations in mid-game water routes. Nothing complicated. Check the sorted list below, compare the top few options, and head to whichever is closest.
Where To Catch Barraskewda in SwSh
The path to Barraskewda starts with Arrokuda at Lv. 4-52 via surfing and fishing encounters. 2 catchable stages total, with locations listed for each one below.
Step 1Catch ArrokudaForest of FocusLv.13-18Super RodRate 20%Route 2Lv.4-6Super RodRate 5%HulburyLv.20-24Super RodRate 50%Motostoke RiverbankLv.26-28Super RodRate 50%Route 2Lv.38-40Surfing on waterRate 70%All WeatherMotostoke RiverbankLv.40-43Surfing on waterRate 65%ThunderstormMotostoke RiverbankLv.40-43Surfing on waterRate 60%SandstormChallenge Beach - RiverLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 45%All WeatherForest of FocusLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 45%All WeatherMotostoke RiverbankLv.40-43Surfing on waterRate 45%OvercastMotostoke RiverbankLv.40-43Surfing on waterRate 45%Heavy FogTraining LowlandsLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 45%All WeatherMotostoke RiverbankLv.40-43Surfing on waterRate 40%RainingMotostoke RiverbankLv.40-43Surfing on waterRate 30%Normal WeatherMotostoke RiverbankLv.40-43Surfing on waterRate 25%Intense SunMotostoke RiverbankLv.40-43Surfing on waterRate 20%SnowstormMotostoke RiverbankLv.40-43Surfing on waterRate 15%Snowing
Step 2Barraskewda ✓Motostoke RiverbankLv.26-28Super RodRate 10%Dusty BowlLv.40-45Super RodRate 50%Route 2Lv.38-40Surfing on waterRate 28%All WeatherLake of OutrageLv.40-43Surfing on waterRate 5%OvercastLake of OutrageLv.40-43Surfing on waterRate 5%SandstormLake of OutrageLv.40-43Surfing on waterRate 5%ThunderstormLake of OutrageLv.40-43Surfing on waterRate 5%Normal WeatherLake of OutrageLv.40-43Surfing on waterRate 5%RainingLake of OutrageLv.40-43Surfing on waterRate 5%Intense SunLake of OutrageLv.40-43Surfing on waterRate 5%SnowstormLake of OutrageLv.40-43Surfing on waterRate 5%Heavy FogLake of OutrageLv.40-43Surfing on waterRate 5%SnowingLake of OutrageLv.50-52Super RodRate 50%or evolve from Arrokuda (Step 1)
Barraskewda Weakness
Barraskewda's Water typing leaves it vulnerable to Electric and Grass. 4 resistances help offset the weaknesses. At base 136 Speed, Barraskewda outspeeds most threats and doesn't need to tank what it can outrun.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Electric, Grass |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Fire, Water, Ice, Steel |
What is Barraskewda Weak Against
GoodBest Pokemon Against Barraskewda
 Maractus Grass | C | |
 Heliolisk ElectricNormal | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Barraskewda View Heliolisk builds →Thunderbolt 2x138-163%KO Solar Beam 2x123-145%KO | ||
 Roserade GrassPoison | B | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Barraskewda View Roserade builds →Petal Dance 2x206-243%KO | ||
 Bellossom Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Barraskewda View Bellossom builds →Petal Dance 2x157-185%KO | ||
 Pikachu Electric | C | |
Maractus Grass | C | |
 Exeggutor GrassPsychic | C | |
 Leafeon Grass | B | |
 Lilligant Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Barraskewda View Lilligant builds →Petal Dance 2x187-220%KO | ||
Heliolisk ElectricNormal | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Barraskewda View Heliolisk builds →Thunderbolt 2x139-164%KO Solar Beam 2x124-145%KO | ||
Maractus Grass | C | |
Exeggutor GrassPsychic | C | |
Leafeon Grass | B | |
Lilligant Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Barraskewda View Lilligant builds →Petal Dance 2x187-220%KO | ||
Heliolisk ElectricNormal | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Barraskewda View Heliolisk builds →Thunderbolt 2x139-164%KO Solar Beam 2x124-145%KO | ||
Maractus Grass | C | |
Exeggutor GrassPsychic | C | |
Leafeon Grass | B | |
Lilligant Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Barraskewda View Lilligant builds →Petal Dance 2x187-220%KO | ||
Heliolisk ElectricNormal | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Barraskewda View Heliolisk builds →Thunderbolt 2x139-164%KO Solar Beam 2x124-145%KO | ||
In Sword & Shield, Tyranitar threatens a KO with Stone Edge (105-124%). Blacephalon deals 64-75% with Shadow Ball.
S | ||
Recommended Build AbilityFlashfire ItemLeftovers NatureTimid Moves View Heatran builds →
| ||
A | ||
Recommended Build AbilitySand Stream ItemChoice Band NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Barraskewda View Tyranitar builds →Crunch84-100%KO Stone Edge105-124%KO Earthquake105-124%KO | ||
A | ||
Recommended Build AbilityBeastboost ItemChoice Scarf NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Barraskewda View Blacephalon builds →Shadow Ball64-75% Flamethrower36-42% Overheat52-61% | ||
A | ||
Recommended Build AbilityElectric Surge ItemHeavy-Duty Boots NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Barraskewda View Tapu Koko builds →Dazzling Gleam46-54% Thunderbolt 2x104-122%KO Volt Switch 2x81-96% | ||
B | ||
Recommended Build AbilityNatural Cure ItemHeavy-Duty Boots NatureBold Moves View Blissey builds →
| ||
Barraskewda Evolutions
Evolved from Arrokuda. Barraskewda is the final form in this two-stage line. A decent partner pool for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are average hatch time. Speed grew the most through evolution (+70 over Arrokuda), and Barraskewda peaks at 490 total stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Barraskewda to get Arrokuda eggs easily using 22 partners from the Water2 egg group. Notable egg moves include Acupressure, Night Slash, Slash and 1 more.
SwSh Barraskewda Best Moveset
136 Speed and 123 Attack create the fastest physical Water attacker in the format without any setup required. AbilitySwift Swim in rain doubles the already extreme Speed to 272 effective. Water TermStab at this pace hits before anything can react. S-tier because raw speed plus raw power without conditions is unmatched.
Best Build
Barraskewda best EVs are Attack and Speed
Physical Sweeper Moveset
- Close Combat
- Liquidation
- Flip Turn
- Crunch
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
The natural movepool does the job, but Acupressure and Night Slash from the egg pool give Barraskewda something extra. Pair those with Hydro Pump and Surf for STAB and coverage across 9 types for reach, and the kit fills out nicely.
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
This Pokémon has a jaw that’s as sharp as a spear and as strong as steel. Apparently Barraskewda’s flesh is surprisingly tasty, too.
It spins its tail fins to propel itself, surging forward at speeds of over 100 knots before ramming prey and spearing into them.
Barraskewda Sword & Shield Guide
In Sword & Shield, Swift Swim changes the entire equation for Barraskewda. The 490 BST doesn't tell the full story. Ranked B-Tier as a sweeper. Close Combat with Choice Band is the standard set.
In Sword & Shield, watch for Manectric (Electric) and Breloom (Grass) when using Barraskewda. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Only 2 weaknesses means fewer dedicated counters to worry about. Barraskewda's base 136 Speed lets it outpace many threats and strike first, which matters more than trying to tank hits.
Swift Swim is what you want on Barraskewda. Every competitive set worth running is built with that ability in mind. The alternatives (Propeller Tail) work on paper but Swift Swim is what makes Barraskewda worth using. With base 136 Speed, Swift Swim gives Barraskewda an edge before opponents can react.
Base 136 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. On offense, Barraskewda is a physical attacker with base 123 Attack. Best used as a sweeper.
In Sword & Shield, run Close Combat, Liquidation, Flip Turn, and Crunch on Barraskewda. Close Combat is the most common pick at 0% usage. Liquidation provides reliable STAB damage.
Game Availability
Barraskewda joined the series in Sword & Shield and has been available in 2 titles so far. With 3 generations of appearances, it's established itself despite the later start.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
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 8SwShDebut
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