Who can forget Oddish? Or rather, who can forget its evolution, Gloom? An episode from the first season of the Pokémon anime saw Ash Ketchum face Grass-type Gym Leader Erica and her Gloom. Gloom’s true power was that it emitted a terrible scent when it was scared or anxious. This proved to be too much for Ash and Pikachu to handle, until Ash gained Gloom’s trust and saved it from a fire. Years later, as Pokémon Sword & Shield hit the Nintendo Switch, Gloom doesn’t have any kind of scent power. Instead, it’s a pretty standard Grass/Poison-type Pokémon.
That said, Trainers looking to complete their Pokédex have to evolve two different Glooms. That’s because Gloom can take on two final forms. This guide will show you how to get the items necessary to evolve Gloom into both Vileplume and Bellossom.
Where To Find Oddish In Sword & Shield
Oddish are pretty common in the Wild Area. They wander the over world at Dappled Grove, East Lake Axewell, Rolling Fields, and Watchtower Ruins. They tend to prefer normal or overcast weather.
They can also be found through Max Raid Battles at Dappled Grove, East Lake Axewell, Giant’s Cap, Hammerlocke Hills, Motostoke Riverbank, and North Lake Miloch.
How To Evolve Oddish Into Gloom, Vileplume, And Bellossom
Oddish evolves into Gloom when it reaches level 21. From there, you have two options – Vileplume or Bellossom. Vileplume retains the Grass/Poison-type and general big flower look. Bellossom drops the Poison-type to be pure Grass, and has a hula girl aesthetic.
To get Vileplume, you need to use a Leaf Stone on Gloom. The Leaf Stone can be found at Lake of Outrage, Turffield, from the Digging Duo, or as a reward for a PokéJob.
To get Bellossom, you need to use a Sun Stone on Gloom. The Sun Stone can be found at Dusty Bowl, from the Digging Duo, from a Pokémon’s Pickup ability, or as a reward for a PokéJob.
What Vileplume & Bellossom Do In Battle
Competitive Pokémon site Smogon recommends using Vileplume to do what a Poison-type does best: inflict status effects on the foe. To do this, Vileplume has access to moves like Stun Spore and Sleep Powder. Toxic is also a staple for a reason. Or Vileplume can make use of Poison-type moves like Sludge Bomb to both do damage and possibly poison the target. Finally, Vileplume has the Hidden Ability Effect Spore. This has a small chance to inflict poison, paralyze, or sleep on a Pokémon that makes contact with Vileplume.
There’s another half to Vileplume’s battle prowess, and that’s using its Grass-type moves to restore health. It can use Strength Sap, a move that weakens the foe and heals Vileplume. It also has access to the standard Giga Drain. Combining these moves with the suggestions above makes it so that Vileplume can slowly wear down multiple opponents while refilling its own health. But be warned: as a Grass/Poison-type, Vileplume is weak to many popular Pokémon like Fire-types and Psychic-types.
Bellossom, meanwhile, doesn’t do as well with tricks than Vileplume. It is a tiny bit tankier, though, despite its small size. Bellossom has the Ability Chlorophyll, which doubles its Speed when the sun is out. This lets Bellossom throw out some powerful Giga Drains and Solar Beams when it’s on a Sunny Day team. Bellossom can also make use of Strength Sap to weaken foes while healing itself. Finally, it can learn Quiver Dance. This boosts Bellossom’s stats, making it a smart choice if you can afford to play the long game. But the same warning applies as with Vileplume: watch out for Fire-types. This is even more true if using Bellossom on a sun team, as Fire-types benefit from Sunny Day as well.
NEXT: Pokémon Sword & Shield: How To Find & Evolve Wingull Into Pelipper
