Ghost and Psychic-type Tera Raids can be a pain, but this Gholdengo build will make life much easier for trainers hunting Herba Mystica in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet.
Gholdengo isn’t the strongest option when it comes to high-level Tera Raids, but it might be your only option in certain situations. Fighting moves from a Belly Drummed Iron Hands won’t prove very useful when dealing with Psychic or Ghost raids.
Luckily, the new Gen 9 Ghost-type is a fierce special attacker with excellent dual typing and a great moveset. Not to mention its ability – Good as Gold – that renders this Pokemon immune to status effects.
The only downside is actually acquiring a Gholdengo in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. While its pre-evolution Gimmighoul can be found all over that map in ruins, watchtowers, and cliffs, evolving one into a Gholdengo takes a lot of effort. Luckily, we have a guide that teaches you how to evolve a Gholdengo.
Best Gholdengo build for Tera Raids
So you’ve collected 999 Gimmighoul Coins and finally evolved the treasure chest into a humanoid, gold-plated Gholdengo. Now, it’s time to kit out this drippy Pokemon with the right moves, stats, and held items to ensure those coins don’t go to waste.
Gholdengo’s build focuses on its high Special Attack damage. Metal Sound is crucial in this build as it opens up the target to take more damage. And since Gholdengo only has two viable STAB moves, the rest of its moveset is pretty straightforward: Make it Rain & Shadow Ball.
However, players can choose between the Ability Shield and Wise Glasses as its held item. The Ability Shield will keep bosses from nullifying its Good as Gold ability protecting it from annoying status effects, but Wise Glasses increases the damage of Gholdengo’s Special Attacks.
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| Pokemon | Level | Moveset | Ability | Held Item | Nature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gholdengo | 100 | Metal SoundMake it RainShadow BallThunder Wave | Good as Gold | Ability ShieldWise Glasses | Modest |
Best Gholdengo Moveset
Below is a list of moves players can use with this Gholdengo build:
- Metal Sound – learned at level 28
- Shadow Ball – learned at level 35
- Make It Rain – learned at level 56
- Thunder Wave – learned via TM
- Thunderbolt – learned via TM
- Steel Beam – learned via TM
Best EVs and IVs for Gholdengo
Trainers will want to focus on Gholdengo Special Attack, HP, and Defense. These can be EV trained by purchasing Calcium, HP Up, and Iron from the Chansey Supply store.
These IVs, along with others if the player has enough Bottle Caps, can be Hyper Trained by the NPC near the Pokecenter in Montenerva. Bottle Caps can be purchased from Delibird Presents for $20,000 after beating the sixth gym in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet.
How to use Gholdengo in Tera Raids
Gholdengo is great in solo Tera Raids, as it can set up a few Metal Sounds before rolling out damage. Start the Raid using Metal Sound three times to lower the boss’s Special Defense by 6. Then choose one of the moves in your arsenal to take out a large portion of its health.
Shadow Ball is a great Ghost-type move with STAB that can be used against other Ghost-types or Psychic Pokemon. Fairy Raids are also a breeze as Gholdengo has a few Steel-type moves at its disposal. Make It Rain is a safe choice as it deals high damage with STAB, but players who want to end battles quickly may opt for a more powerful move like Steel Beam.
The fourth move in Gholdengo’s moveset is left up to the player, but we recommend choosing between Steel Beam, Thunder Wave, or Thunderbolt. This will extend Gholdengo’s type coverage, and offers a status effect move that will slow down Tera Raid bosses in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet.
