Where To Get TM36 Sludge Bomb in Pokémon Crystal

TM36 Sludge Bomb
#	Location	Repeatable?
1	Route 43. Given to you by an NPC inside the small gate after Team Rocket is chased away from Mahogany Town.	No

The only way to obtain TM36 Sludge Bomb is to speak with the NPC in the small gate located on Route 43. You’ll access this gate en route to Lake of Rage from Mahogany Town.

This NPC will only appear after Team Rocket has been chased out of Mahogany Town by raiding the Hideout below the Souvenir Shop with Lance.

Prerequisites

Before the Sludge Bomb TM becomes available, you must chase Team Rocket away from Mahogany Town.

Otherwise, the building in Route 43 is occupied by Team Rocket thugs charging 1000 PokéDollars just to cross the gate toward the Lake of Rage.

Team Rocket grunts, extorting money out of trainers.

So to get started getting this TM, you must first defeat (or catch) the Red Gyarados in the Lake of Rage north of Route 43. Then you’d return to the shore of the lake to talk with Lance.

Lake of Rage with Red Gyarados.

He’ll ask for your help investigating the reason behind odd Pokémon behavior around Mahogany Town.

Lance asks you to help him investigate.

Tell him you can help, then you’ll head back to the Souvenir Store north of Mahogany Town’s Pokémon Center.

Route to Souvenir Shop (TR Hideout) from the Pokémon Center in Mahogany Town.

Inside, Lance will reveal the way down to a Team Rocket Hideout.

Lance reveals the hidden passage into Team Rocket’s hideout.

Clear the Hideout with Lance to liberate Mahogany Town and Route 43 from Team Rocket’s dark influence.

Note: This process is part of the main storyline in Pokémon Crystal, so you’ll accomplish this just by playing through the game.

Getting TM36 Sludge Bomb (Step-by-Step)

After you clear Team Rocket out of Mahogany Town, here’s how to get your Sludge Bomb TM.

Step 1: Enter Route 43 from Mahogany Town by heading up.

Southern end of Route 43.

Step 2: Keep right at the fork to reach the small building that used to be occupied by Team Rocket thugs.

Heading up Route 43 toward the small building (gate) on the right.

Step 3: Enter the building and talk to the NPC behind the counter on the left side.

Inside the gate on Route 43 after vanquishing Team Rocket.

Step 4: He will give you TM36 Sludge Bomb for free.

Receiving TM36 Sludge Bomb from the spooked NPC.

TM36 Sludge Bomb Details + Uses

Sludge Bomb Move Details
Type	Poison
Category	Special
Power	90
Effect	30% chance of poisoning the target.
Accuracy	100%
PP	10 (max. 16)

Sludge Bomb stands out as the top damage-dealing Poison-type move in Gen 2, far surpassing alternatives like Poison Sting, Sludge, or Acid.

In addition to its impressive power, Sludge Bomb can also poison opponents. This makes up for its modest 10 PP.

The move shines against Grass-type Pokémon and trainers specializing in them, including Bug Catchers and Picnickers. It’s also a godsend when fighting Gym Leader Erika and her Grass-type Pokémon in Celadon City in the post-game.

Who To Teach Sludge Bomb To

If you want to maximize Sludge Bomb’s potential, you want to teach it to a Poison-type Pokémon with high Sp. Attack. The top picks are:

Pokémon	Type	Location
Gengar	Ghost/Poison	Evolve Haunter.
Vileplume	Grass/Poison	Evolve Gloom.
Victreebel	Grass/Poison	Evolve Weepinbell.

And although these other choices don’t really have a high Sp. Attack, the following Pokémon will still get a lot of use out of Sludge Bomb due to all-around solid stats and same-type attack bonus (STAB).

Pokémon	Type	Location
Weezing	Ghost/Poison	Burned Tower. Evolve Koffing.
Nidoking	Poison/Ground	Evolve Nidorino.
Nidoqueen	Poison/Ground	Evolve Nidorina.

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Nelson Chitty

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Nelson Chitty is a Venezuelan expat living in Argentina. He’s a writer and translator passionate about history and foreign cultures. His ideal weekend is spent between leisurely playing games of Civilization VI and looking for the next seinen anime to marathon.

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