Upon release, it was possible to immediately evolve it into two Clamperl evolutions - Huntail and Gorebyss - though the game puts a literal question mark over what it evolves into. Clamperl was made shiny upon its debut in Pokémon Go - with the same applying to its evolutions. This page explains how Clamperl evolutions work, helping you flesh out your Gen 4 Pokédex - and how they differ from the main series. On this page:
How to evolve Clamperl into Huntail and Gorebyss
Clamperl can evolve into Huntail and Gorebyss, and getting both will be by chance because Clamperl evolutions are random. With this in mind, what’s the most practical way to approach this? Obviously the first evolution doesn’t matter - it’s going to be something you haven’t had before - so it’s a case of fingers crossed the second will be the other evolution you need. If you get a duplicate, remember there’s the trade feature - find someone else with a duplicate of the other and voila, the Pokédex entry is yours. Remember if you don’t get the Clamperl Candy you need during the event it appears in, then Clamperl does appear in the wild, albeit rarely - so you’ll get enough with some patience. Alternatively, have Clamperl as your Buddy until you have enough Candy to evolve one again.
Can Clamperl be shiny?
Upon release, Clamperl was available as shiny - changing the shell into a shade of purple: As with other Pokémon, a shiny release also applies to its evolutions - with Huntail and Gorebyss being shiny when evolved. Here’s hoping luck is on your side and you get the shiny evolution you are looking for! The Season of Mythical Wishes continues with the Winter Holiday event, which has brought Mega Glalie to Pokémon Go. Don’t forget to partake in the new Go Battle League season. Elsewhere, be sure to use Daily Adventure Incense for the chance of encountering Galarian Articuno, Galarian Zapdos and Galarian Moltres.
How does evolving Clamperl into Huntail and Gorebyss work in the main games?
Clamperl evolves into Huntail and Gorebyss in the main Pokémon series via held-item trading, much the same as for Gen 2 Pokémon like Steelix, Politoed, and Kingdra. Specifically, holding a Deepsea Tooth for Huntail and a Deepsea Scale for Gorebyss are needed. However, unlike many other item creatures in Pokémon Go, Clamperl doesn’t need to hold an item at all for this to work, instead making the evolution random. This is likely to keep the item pool as low as possible. This decision would also explain why so many Gen 4 creatures simply need the Sinnoh Stone, instead of the various items or methods required in the main games for those respective creatures.
