Pokémon Sword & Shield introduced several new Pokémon for players to find and collect. By now, players have probably at least heard of, if not caught, Zarude, the new Legendary Pokémon in the game. Sword & Shield also introduced a new Steel and Dragon-Type Pokémon that may have a hidden Dynamax ability, Duraludon. Of course, like many other Pokémon with good base stats and high player demand, Duraludon is rare and only appears under specific, often poor weather conditions like rain, storms, and fog.
Duraludon is a fairly durable Pokémon and may be difficult to catch, especially if players are still at lower levels in the game. It is weak to Fighting and Ground Type moves. Duraludon does not have an evolution yet, but players can obtain a Shiny and Gigantamax version. Here's how to find and catch Duraludon in Sword & Shield and add it to the party prior to the end of the game.
Find Duraludon in Pokémon Sword & Shield
Because Duraludon doesn't have an evolutionary form, players can simply find one in various parts of the world. The most likely place to encounter a wild Duraludon is at the Lake of Outrage in the Non-Overworld during a Snowstorm. Players have a 2% chance of encountering one at level 50-52, opposed to the 1% chance they will have anywhere else.
Players can also encounter Duraludon on Route 10 in the Overworld. There is a 1% chance of it spawning here in each different weather condition between level 45-48. Once the player has beaten the game, if they want to go back and continue playing and complete their Pokédex, Duraludon will wander around Giant's Seat in all weather conditions as well.
Likely the easiest way to find Duraludon will be to catch a Frosmoth and trade it to the NPC in the blue house in the southern part of Wyndon heading toward the Wyndon Stadium. Players can catch Frosmoth's pre-evolution, Snom, and evolve it with high Happiness into Frosmoth. Players can find Snom most frequently on Route 8 on Steamdrift Way in the Overworld or Non-Overworld in all Weather Conditions. It has a 40% spawn chance. To evolve it into Frosmoth, players should play with Snom at camp and cook curry, especially at night.
From there, players will want to travel to Wyndon from the south and stop at the blue townhouse (6th house from the south) on the left side of the road toward the Wyndon Stadium. Trading a Frosmoth with this NPC will result in a Duraludon.
Players may also rarely encounter Duraludon in a Max Raid, though there is about equal chance of finding one this way and finding one in the wild areas.
Catch Duraludon in Pokémon Sword & Shield
If players would rather not go to the trouble of evolving Snom into Frosmoth and making the trade, they can find and try to catch Duraludon on Route 10 or Lake of Outrage.
To catch Duraludon, players will want to be careful not to do too much damage. Some players will choose to use Cinderace or Gyarados for this catch. When players are ready, they will want to use the Ultra Ball or another powerful Poké Ball and try to grab it. It may help to try this earlier in the fight rather than after Duraludon's HP has gone down somewhat.
If players find Duraludon during a Snowstorm, the hail will often cause it some damage as well, helping players catch Duraludon faster.
Pokémon Sword & Shield is available for the Nintendo Swtich.