Kanto is home to many Pokémon, but Shellder’s evolution is one of the more sought-after ones in the water department, as, in a similar vein to Magikarp and Gyarados, Cloyster is a huge upgrade from the stage one ‘mon. Except, unlike its fellow sea dwellers, you need a certain item to evolve Shellder, but that’s okay. We can tell you all you need to know.
As a water and ice Pokémon, Cloyster can cause all sorts of problems for grass Pokémon, ground Pokémon, flying Pokémon, dragon Pokémon, fire Pokémon, and rock Pokémon. However, our water Pokémon weakness and ice Pokémon weakness guides can help you get the upper hand on Shellder and Cloyster. We say Shellder, but really we’re just throwing the dog a bone, or is it throwing a pearl to a clam?
Anyway, here’s everything you need to know about Shellder’s evolution.
Who is Shellder’s evolution?
Shellder evolves into fellow Kanto native Cloyster, and that’s the end of the evolution line. Honestly, we see no need to build on perfection, but we also thought Primeape was perfect, yet Paldea introduced usto a solid evolution for it – so, who knows it might happen for Cloyster one day, too.
Where can I catch Shellder?
Before you can evolve the water Pokémon, you need to catch one. Shellder is incredibly common in the games in which it appears. However, as a water-lover, the only places you can find a Shellder are lakes, rivers, and the ocean, and you can either surf the water to encounter one or use your fishing rod. On Nintendo Switch you can find Shellder in:
- Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee – Seafoam Islands
- Sword and Shield – West Lake Axewell, Giant’s Seat, East Lake Axewell, Dusty Bowl, North Lake Miloch, and South Lake Miloch
- Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl – Route 205, Valley Windworks, Fuego Ironworks (need the super rod), and the Grand Underground (Fountainspring Cave, Riverbank Cave, and Still-Water Cavern)
- Scarlet and Violet – South Province (South Paldean Sea), East Province (East Paldean Sea), West Province (West Paldean Sea), North Province (North Paldean Sea), and Terra Raid Battles
How do I evolve Shellder?
In a similar vein to Misdreavus’ evolution, Gloom’s evolution, Budew’s evolution, and Floette’s evolution, you need to give Shellder a stone to evolve it into Cloyster. In this case, it’s the water stone, and you can find them in:
- Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee – Route 12, Route 21, Celadon Department Store, and the Rock Tunnel (you need a rock-type to be walking with you)
- Sword and Shield – Route 2, Bridge Field, Lake of Outrage, and the Digging Duo
- Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl – Route 213 and the Grand Underground
- Scarlet and Violet – Cascarrafa, Area Zero, South Province (Area Four), catch 80 different types of Pokémon, Delibird Presents (after three gym badges), Terra Raid Battles, overworld items in East Province (Area One and Area Two) and North Province (Area One and Area Three)
Where can I catch Cloyster?
If catching and evolving Shellder sounds like a lot of effort, you can always go straight after Cloyster, though this creature doesn’t lurk in the wild in all games. You can find it in:
- Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee – Seafoam Islands
- Sword and Shield – West Lake Axewell, Giant’s Seat, East Lake Axewell, Dusty Bowl, North Lake Miloch, and South Lake Miloch
- Scarlet and Violet – South Province (South Paldean Sea), East Province (East Paldean Sea), West Province (West Paldean Sea), North Province (North Paldean Sea), and Terra Raid Battles
If you do want to catch Cloyster, make sure you have great balls or even ultra balls with you. It’s a powerful Pokémon that’s likely to put up a fight when you encounter it.
How do I evolve Shellder in Pokémon Go?
If you want to evolve the gen 1 Pokémon in Pokémon Go, you need to give it 50 candies. This makes it one of the easier ‘mon to evolve as, unlike Murkrow’s evolution and Ralts’ evolution, you don’t need to offer it another item such as a Sinnoh stone.
Now that you know all about Shellder’s evolution, allow us to help you with Scyther’s evolution, Minccino’s evolution, Happiny’s evolution, Salandit’s evolution, Bisharp’s evolution, and Rockruff’s evolution. We can even tell you how to evolve Inkay, how to evolve Charcadet, how to evolve Pawmo, and how to evolve Primeape to help you fill out your Pokédex.