Pokémon Mystery Dungeon DX: All the Available Starters and the Best Starters to Use

In Pokémon
Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX, you play as a human who suddenly wakes up as a
Pokémon, but to decide which Pokémon you are, the game asks you a series of odd
questions.

Once the
quizzer has come to some often unflattering conclusions about your personality,
they’ll suggest which Pokémon best suits your personality.

Luckily,
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX allows you to change your starter. So,
if you get labelled a Meowth, you can reject the claim and then pick a
different Pokémon to use as your starter.

Your starter
Pokémon also gets a partner to forge the foundations of your rescue team, but
you won’t be able to select one that’s the same type as your first starter
Pokémon selection.

For example,
if you pick Charmander first, you won’t be able to have Cyndaquil or Torchic as
the second member of your team.

So, to help
you pick the best starters in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX, we’ll be
breaking down each one, detailing their starting moves and weaknesses, and then
suggesting the best starters to pick.

Bulbasaur starter Pokémon in Mystery Dungeon

As the very
first Pokémon on the Pokédex, Bulbasaur is one of the most iconic in the
franchise. Many people will select Bulbasaur as their starter in Mystery
Dungeon: Rescue Team DX because it is their go-to starter Pokémon in Generation
I games.

In this
selection of starter Pokémon, Bulbasaur is unique because it is of two types,
grass and poison, which means that it’s weak against fire, ice, flying, and
psychic-type attacks.

Bulbasaur
starts with the following moves:

• Seed
  Bomb (Grass) 16 PP
• Vine
  Whip (Grass) 17 PP
• Sludge
  (Poison) 17 PP
• Tackle
  (Normal) 25 PP

Charmander starter Pokémon in Mystery Dungeon

Perhaps the most popular of all three of the Generation I starter Pokémon, mostly due to its final evolution being Charizard, Charmander will undoubtedly be one of the most commonly selected starter picks in this new Mystery Dungeon game. It’s even the only first-gen starter to be included in the initial release of Pokémon Sword and Shield, and you can find the Charmander with Gigantamax capabilities.

Charmander
is one of three fire-type Pokémon to select from the starters. So, if you pick
Charmander as your starter, you should know that it will be susceptible to
water, ground, and rock-type attacks.

Charmander
starts with the following moves:

• Flame
  Burst (Fire) 12 PP
• Dragon
  Rage (Dragon) 13 PP
• Bite
  (Dark) 18 PP
• Scratch
  (Normal) 25 PP

Squirtle starter Pokémon in Mystery Dungeon

With its
last evolution literally being a tortoise with cannons, Squirtle has remained a
fan-favourite since Generation I. The Pokémon was made even more popular in the
animated series, with the Squirtle Squad leader becoming Ash Ketchum’s
Squirtle.

There are
four water-type starter Pokémon in Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX, with
Psyduck joining the three starters. Squirtle, being one of the water-type
starters, is weak against electric and grass-type attacks.

Squirtle
starts with the following moves:

• Water
  Gun (Water) 16 PP
• Bite
  (Dark) 18 PP
• Brick
  Break (Fighting) 18 PP
• Tackle
  (Normal) 25 PP

Pikachu starter Pokémon in Mystery Dungeon

Despite not
being one of the original starter Pokémon of Generation I, Pikachu is still the
mascot of the Pokémon franchise, with millions of fans hailing the electric
mouse as their favourite Pokémon.

Pikachu is
the only electric-type Pokémon available to select as one of your two starters
in the new Pokémon Mystery Dungeon game, and it’s only weak to ground-type
attacks.

Pikachu
starts with the following moves:

• Fake
  Out (Normal) 13 PP
• Iron
  Tail (Steel) 16 PP
• Electro
  Ball (Electric) 17 PP
• Grass
  Knot (Grass) 20 PP

Meowth starter Pokémon in Mystery Dungeon

Being a part
of Team Rocket and being able to speak human languages, Meowth is one of the
more memorable Pokémon from Generation I in the animated series, but perhaps
isn’t a go-to Pokémon in the games – unless you want a Persian, and your name
is Giovanni.

Meowth is
one of the three normal-type starter Pokémon in the game. Only fighting-type
moves are super effective against normal-type Pokémon, and ghost-type moves
don’t affect them at all.

Meowth
starts with the following moves:

• Fake
  Out (Normal) 13 PP
• Foul
  Play (Dark) 17 PP
• Bite
  (Dark) 18 PP
• Scratch
  (Normal) 25 PP

Psyduck starter Pokémon in Mystery Dungeon

Not to the
extent of a Magikarp, but Psyduck certainly has some powerful abilities hidden behind
its oft-confused demeanour. The Generation I Pokémon can tap into psychic and
water-type moves, which makes the tubby yellow duck a good addition to any
team.

As Psyduck
is a water-type Pokémon, it will take additional damage from electric and
grass-type moves.

Psyduck
starts with the following moves:

• Zen
  Headbutt (Psychic) 15 PP
• Water
  Gun (Water) 16 PP
• Confusion
  (Psychic) 18 PP
• Scratch
  (Normal) 25 PP

Machop starter Pokémon in Mystery Dungeon

Machamp has
long been known as one of the best attacking Pokémon in the Pokédex, let alone
from Generation I, which is why so many trainers took the time to catch and
train Machop.

Machop is
the only fighting-type Pokémon available to select from the Pokémon Mystery
Dungeon: Rescue Team DX starters. It is weak against flying, psychic, and
fairy-type moves.

Machop
starts with the following moves:

• Strength
  (Normal) 15 PP
• Bullet
  Punch (Steel) 16 PP
• Brick
  Break (Fighting) 18 PP
• Karate
  Chop (Fighting) 20 PP

Cubone starter Pokémon in Mystery Dungeon

Cubone has
one of the most interesting, adorable, and perhaps creepy Pokédex entries, with
the Lonely Pokémon said to be wearing the skull of its deceased mother. The
Pokémon is, however, a very popular one from the first generation.

It is the
only ground-type starter Pokémon that you can select in Rescue Team DX, which
means that Cubone is weak against water, grass, and ice-type moves, but is
immune to electric-type attacks.

Cubone
starts with the following moves:

• Headbutt
  (Normal) 15 PP
• Brutal
  Swing (Dark) 17 PP
• Bone
  Club (Ground) 17 PP
• Brick
  Break (Fighting) 18 PP

Eevee starter Pokémon in Mystery Dungeon

Just as
prized as Pikachu for its adorable nature, Eevee has become famous in Pokémon
for its many stone-induced evolutions. In Generation I, Eevee could evolve into
three different Pokémon, but now, it can evolve into eight different forms –
one of which is without the use of an evolution stone.

As a
normal-type Pokémon in Mystery Dungeon, Eevee doesn’t sustain any damage from ghost-type
moves, but fighting-type attacks are super effective against it.

Eevee starts
with the following moves:

• Swift
  (Normal) 13 PP
• Bite
  (Dark) 18 PP
• Quick
  Attack (Normal) 15 PP
• Tackle
  (Normal) 25 PP

Chikorita starter Pokémon in Mystery Dungeon

When
Generation II came around, Chikorita was the first new starter in the Johto
section of the Pokédex, with its name deriving from the ‘chicory’ plant being
combined with the Spanish suffix from small, ‘ita.’

Being a
grass-type starter Pokémon, Chikorita is weak against ice, fire, poison,
flying, and bug-type moves.

Chikorita
starts with the following moves:

• Razor
  Leaf (Grass) 15 PP
• Ancient
  Power (Rock) 15 PP
• Grass
  Knot (Grass) 20 PP
• Tackle
  (Normal) 25 PP

Cyndaquil starter Pokémon in Mystery Dungeon

Cyndaquil
had some huge shoes to fill as the Generation II fire-type starter Pokémon,
following on from Charmander. But its final evolution, Typhlosion, proved to be
a very powerful Pokémon with high speed and special attack ratings.

As you’ll
know by now, Cyndaquil is a fire-type starter, and so, it is susceptible to
ground, rock, and water-type moves.

Cyndaquil
starts with the following moves:

• Ember
  (Fire) 15 PP
• Quick
  Attack (Normal) 15 PP
• Facade
  (Normal) 17 PP
• Double
  Kick (Fighting) 20 PP

Totodile starter Pokémon in Mystery Dungeon

The little
blue crocodile Totodile comes in as perhaps the most memorable of the three
starters in Generation II, with its final form, Feraligatr, being a menacing
Pokémon.

Totodile is
a water-type Pokémon, so the starter in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX
is weak against electric and grass-type moves.

Totodile
starts with the following moves:

• Ice
  Fang (Ice) 15 PP
• Water
  Gun (Water) 16 PP
• Metal
  Claw (Steel) 25 PP
• Scratch
  (Normal) 25 PP

Treecko starter Pokémon in Mystery Dungeon

Generation
III of Pokémon took us to the Hoenn region, where we meet the Wood Gecko
Pokémon, Treecko. A sound pick in Ruby and Sapphire, its final evolution,
Sceptile, was very quick for a starter Pokémon at the time.

Being a
grass-type Pokémon, Treecko is weak against ice, fire, bug, flying, and
poison-type moves in Rescue Team DX.

Treecko
starts with the following moves:

• Dragon
  Breath (Dragon) 12 PP
• Quick
  Attack (Normal) 15 PP
• Iron
  Tail (Steel) 16 PP
• Absorb
  (Grass) 18 PP

Torchic starter Pokémon in Mystery Dungeon

The
fire-type starter Pokémon are always good in the early game, but in Generation
III, the fire-type starter Torchic evolved into an almighty final stage,
Blaziken. The fire-fighting type Pokémon boasts lofty attack and special attack
ratings.

Unlike
Blaziken, Torchic is only a fire-type Pokémon, and so, the Chick Pokémon is
susceptible to ground, rock, and water-type attacks.

Torchic
starts with the following moves:

• Low
  Kick (Fighting) 13 PP
• Ember
  (Fire) 15 PP
• Quick
  Attack (Normal) 15PP
• Peck
  (Flying) 25 PP

Mudkip starter Pokémon in Mystery Dungeon

While each
of the water-type starter Pokémon through to Mudkip in the first three
generations were all excellent, Mudkip might be the best. Not so much for its
aesthetics, but its final evolution, Swampert, is water-ground type, meaning
that electric moves don’t have an impact, and its only major weakness is
grass-type attacks.

Mudkip,
however, doesn’t benefit from the superb type-combination of Swampert and
Marshtomp: it is strictly a water-type Pokémon. As such, Mudkip is weak to
electric and grass-type moves.

Mudkip
starts with the following moves:

• Mud
  Bomb (Ground) 13 PP
• Mud-Slap
  (Ground) 13 PP
• Water
  Gun (Water) 16 PP
• Tackle
  (Normal) 25 PP

Skitty starter Pokémon in Mystery Dungeon

In Pokémon
Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX, the Generation II selection only went as far
as the three starters, but the Generation III selection also includes the pink
kitten, Skitty. Including Skitty effectively gives players the option to have a
cute dog and cat team of Eevee and Skitty if they so choose.

Skitty, like
Eevee, is a normal-type Pokémon, and so, only fighting-type moves are super
effective against the Pokémon.

Skitty
starts with the following moves:

• Fake
  Out (Normal) 13 PP
• Charge
  Beam (Electric) 13 PP
• Echoed
  Voice (Normal) 15 PP
• Grass
  Knot (Grass) 20 PP

How to pick your Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX starters

For many players, picking the best starters for your team comes down to which Pokémon are your favourites.

However, with
the 16-strong starter selection featuring so many great Pokémon, most of us will
have trouble picking between a few of them. As such, you may as well go for the
ones that will perform the best in the game.

An important
aspect to consider is that there are many, many flying-type enemy Pokémon in
the new Mystery Dungeon game, which means that Bulbasaur, Machop, Chikorita,
and Treeko will be at a disadvantage when they face flying-type attacks in the
dungeons.

On the flip
side, the electric-type Pikachu and Skitty with its starting electric-type
move, Charge Beam, have an advantage from the start.

As all wild
Pokémon in the game aren’t flying-type, there will be times when those who are
susceptible to flying attacks can still be strong Pokémon to use. On top of this,
you can add more Pokémon to your team as you progress.

The best way
to pick your starters is to go with your favourite Pokémon and then build
around them with a partner Pokémon which can counter those that are super
effective against your primary starter.

For example,
if you pick Machop, you’ll know that the common flying-type Pokémon have moves
that are super effective against your fighting-type Pokémon. So, pick Pikachu
as your partner starter as its electric-type moves are super effective against
flying Pokémon.

The best starters to pick in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX

Here’s a
list of all of the best starter
Pokémon combinations to pick in Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team DX:

Pokémon
Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX gives players a difficult choice from the very
start, selecting just two starters from a great group of 16 Pokémon.

You can get
most of the starters to join your rescue team later in the game, but if you
want to start strong, pick one of the best starter combinations shown above.

Looking for more Pokémon Mystery Dungeon DX Guides?

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Pokémon Mystery Dungeon DX: Complete Controls Guide and Top Tips

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon DX: Every Wonder Mail Code Available

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon DX: Complete Camps Guide and Pokémon List

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon DX: Gummis and Rare Qualities Guide

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon DX: Complete Item List & Guide

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon DX Illustrations and Wallpapers