Gholdengo
SteelGhost
Best attacking moveset: Hex and Shadow Ball, worth 13.7 damage per second against a neutral target.
Best moveset
Gholdengo can learn 8 combinations. Hex with Shadow Ball does the most damage per second of them, at level 40 with a perfect attack stat. Same-type moves get the 1.2× bonus, and the cycle assumes the charged attack fires the moment it has the energy.
Stats and moves come straight from the game's own data files. Every number on this page is a raid and gym number, not a PvP one.
Type matchups
| Fast attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Astonish | Ghost | 7 | 1.0s | +13 |
| Hex | Ghost | 8 | 1.0s | +13 |
| Charged attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dazzling Gleam | Fairy | 100 | 3.5s | -50 |
| Focus Blast | Fighting | 140 | 3.5s | -100 |
| Power Gem | Rock | 80 | 3.0s | -50 |
| Shadow Ball | Ghost | 100 | 3.0s | -50 |
Shiny
Yes. Shiny Gholdengo has been released. Players have found it from: wild, research, photobomb.
Evolution family
Numbers
| Max CP | 3,976 at level 50, 3,517 at level 40 |
|---|---|
| Raid catch | 2,009 CP at level 20, or 2,512 if weather boosted (perfect IVs) |
| Lowest possible raid catch | 1,925 CP. Raid encounters can't roll below 10/10/10 |
| Base stats | 252 attack · 190 defense · 202 stamina |
What it costs
| Second charged move | 10,000 Stardust and 25 Candy |
|---|---|
| Buddy distance | 5 km per Candy |
| Size | 1.2 m and 30 kg |
Best moveset against each type
Gholdengo does not have one best moveset, it has 5. Which one wins depends on what you are attacking, because a move only gets its bonus against something weak to it. Best against Ghost, Psychic, Fighting.
| Against | Best moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|
| Ghost | Hex + Shadow Ball | 22.1 |
| Psychic | Hex + Shadow Ball | 22.1 |
| Fighting | Hex + Dazzling Gleam | 15.9 |
| Dragon | Hex + Dazzling Gleam | 15.9 |
| Rock | Hex + Focus Blast | 15.9 |
| Steel | Hex + Focus Blast | 15.9 |
| Ice | Hex + Focus Blast | 15.9 |
| Dark | Astonish + Dazzling Gleam | 14.9 |
| Hex + Power Gem | 14.5 | |
| Bug | Hex + Power Gem | 14.5 |
| Fire | Hex + Power Gem | 14.5 |
| Normal | Hex + Focus Blast | 13.9 |
| Poison | Hex + Shadow Ball | 13.7 |
| Ground | Hex + Shadow Ball | 13.7 |
| Water | Hex + Shadow Ball | 13.7 |
| Grass | Hex + Shadow Ball | 13.7 |
| Electric | Hex + Shadow Ball | 13.7 |
| Fairy | Hex + Shadow Ball | 13.7 |
Same maths as the headline number, run once per defending type: level 40, perfect attack IV, and the target's own type taken into account. Sorted by damage, so the top of this table is what Gholdengo is actually for.
Counters: what beats Gholdengo
| Attacker | Type | Moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|---|
 Blacephalon | FireGhost | Incinerate + Mind Blown Legacy | 35.5 |
 Reshiram | DragonFire | Fire Fang + Fusion Flare Legacy | 29.5 |
 Chandelure | GhostFire | Fire Spin + Overheat | 27.0 |
 Cinderace | Fire | Fire Spin + Pyroball | 26.6 |
 Volcarona | BugFire | Fire Spin + Overheat | 26.3 |
 Darmanitan | Fire | Fire Fang + Overheat | 26.2 |
 Darkrai | Dark | Snarl + Shadow Ball | 25.8 |
 Gengar | GhostPoison | Lick + Shadow Ball Legacy | 25.6 |
 Blaziken | FireFighting | Fire Spin + Blast Burn Legacy | 25.4 |
 Groudon | Ground | Mud Shot + Precipice Blades Legacy | 25.3 |
Ranked by damage per second against Gholdengo's own defense, at level 40 with a 15 attack IV, one per evolution family.