How to get Duraludon in Pokémon Go, including Dynamax Duraludon counters

How to get Duraludon in Pokémon Go

Duraludon made its first appearance in Pokémon Go during September 2025 as part of the Steel Skyline event.

Here's how to catch Duraludon during this event:

• Event-exclusive Field Research Task (Win 3 Dynamax Battles)
• Defeat Duraludon in a four-star Max Battle

When it comes to the best method for catching Duraludon, it depends on whether you want to face it in battle or not. Whichever method you use, however, I recommend catching at least one Duraludon before the Steel Skyline event ends to ensure you have one to evolve when Archaludon is released. It's also unclear what Duraludon's availability will be like once the event ends, so, if you miss this chance, you might end up waiting quite a while to get one!

The Field Research Task is actually quite easy to complete when you remember that 'Dynamax Battles' are Max Battles in Pokémon Go. Due to this, you can easily solo three One-Star Max Battles and get your Duraludon. The downside is that you have to find the task first! The tasks PokéStops give out change on a daily basis and the seasonal field research tasks are still live, so make sure you're spinning a lot of PokéStops.

When it comes to defeating Duraludon in a Four-Star Max Battle, remember that you can only use Dynamax and Gigantamax Pokémon. If you don't think you can solo this fight, I recommend using a Remote Raid Pass and an app like Poke Genie to ensure you can fight alongside other trainers.

It's also a good idea to take a look at the recommended Dynamax Duraludon counters…

Make sure you know the October event and raid schedule. You can now catch Dynamax Pokémon through Max Battles. First, however, you need to visit Power Spots to collect Max Particles and complete the To the Max! quest. Don't forget to try out Routes, Gift Exchange and Party Play while you're hunting down rare Pokémon, fighting in the Go Battle League or competing in PokéStop Showcases.

Dynamax Duraludon counters and weaknesses in Pokémon Go

Below you'll find the Dynamax Duraludon weaknesses and my recommended counters. Remember - since this is a Max Battle, you can only fight Dynamax Duraludon using Dynamax and Gigantamax Pokémon:

• Duraludon type - Steel and Dragon-type
• Duraludon weaknesses - Fighting and Ground-types
• Duraludon counters - For attackers, Gigantamax Machamp, Urshifu, Excadrill and Passimian. For defenders, Crowned Shield Zamazenta, Metagross, Crowned Sword Zacian and Omaster. For healers, Blissey, Gigantamax Snorlax or Gigantamax Lapras.
• Tactics - When it comes to building your team for Dynamax Duraludon, you'll want to divide it between attackers and defenders. Personally, I prefer to have two defenders and one attacker but you can also include a healer. Ideally you should begin the battle with a defender (Crowned Shield Zamazenta being your best choice) and switch to your attacker when the time to Dynamax arrives. Gigantamax Machamp is the best attacker for Duraludon and, once it's returned to its regular form, switch back to one of your defenders immediately. Repeat this loop to keep your attacker alive until the fight is over!

Is Duraludon shiny in Pokémon Go?

Yes, Duraludon is shiny in Pokémon Go. This shiny form was released at the same time Duraludon made its first appearance in Pokémon Go during the Steel Skyline event in September 2025.

Shiny Duraludon may not be green, but that doesn't make it a good shiny. The silver of regular Duraludon's body transforms into a dark grey, while the blue accents turn into a… slightly different shade of blue. I think. I honestly can't tell. Despite this, it doesn't stop shiny Duraludon from being a slightly darker version of Duraludon.

Duraludon CP in Pokémon Go

Here's the CP range you can aspect if you defeat Dynamax Duraludon in Pokémon Go:

• CP range when being caught - 1674 to 1753 CP

Best Duraludon moveset in Pokémon Go

My recommendation for the best Duraludon moveset in Pokémon Go is Dragon Tail as a Fast Move and Dragon Claw as a Charged Move. If you're looking for a more defensive moveset or want to unlock Duraludon's second Charged Move, then consider using Hyper Beam instead. It is a shame to completely disregard Duraldon's Steel-typing but the Dragon-focused moveset suits it far better.

Here's Duraludon's full moveset in Pokémon Go:

Fast Moves

• Dragon Tail (Dragon)
• Metal Claw (Steel)

Charged Moves

• Dragon Claw (Dragon)
• Flash Cannon (Steel)
• Hyper Beam (Normal)

Is Archaludon in Pokémon Go?

No, Archaludon is not in Pokémon Go at the time of writing. Don't worry though, I'll update this page when Archaludon is released.

Archaludon's absence is actually quite surprising, because Archaludon is Duraludon's evolutions and, typically, evolutions are released alongside their Stage One forms in Pokémon Go. Traditionally a delayed evolution released is either tied to a seasonal research quest, such as Kubfu and Urshifu during the Might and Mastery Season, or because the Stage One Pokémon was released in Pokémon Go before the evolution was actually created for Pokémon universe (see Kingambit, the evolution of Bisharp). Yet, no news has been released about why Archaludon hasn't been released or when it might be coming. In fact, at the time of writing, Niantic hasn't said anything about Archaludon at all. Hopefully it will be available in the near future!

When talking about Archaludon itself, it's important to note that, despite being part of Gen 9, it was actually released in The Teal Mask DLC for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet on the Nintendo Switch. This means, if you don't have this DLC, there's a strong chance you don't have Archaludon in any of your Pokédexs - Living Dex or Scarlet / Violet.

Archaludon is a Steel and Dragon-type and continues the skyscraper theme of Duraludon. It also shared the same category - Alloy.

Best of luck catching Duraludon!