The Vibration Pokemon. Palpitoad is Water/Ground with Swift Swim and Water Absorb. A sturdy mid-stage that bridges Tympole to the solid Seismitoad.
Ability 1Swift SwimAbility 1Doubles Speed during rain.Ability 2HydrationAbility 2Cures any major status ailment after each turn during rain.
384HP75Attack65Defense55Speed69Sp.Def55Sp.Atk65
Tympole
Palpitoad
Seismitoad
Weak to
Immune to
Special
Balanced
69Speed · Below Avg

Palpitoad Best Moveset

Water/Ground typing with only Grass weakness is excellent, but 65 across both offenses at 69 Speed can't justify a competitive moveset. AbilitySwift Swim doubles Speed in rain. One evolution from Seismitoad for the B-tier rain attacker with real stats.

Evolution family tier history
SABCDEFEE-EEBlack & White / B2W2VBW/B2W2PEAKX & Y / ORASVIXY/ORASSun & Moon / USUMVIISM/USUMSword & Shield / BDSPVIIISS/BDSPCURRENT
★Gen V — Black & White / B2W2E

Palpitoad saw minimal competitive use in Gen V (Black & White / B2W2). This was Palpitoad's competitive peak. Its most popular set ran Swiftswim with Leftovers, favoring a Hardy nature.

Hidden Abilities became available

Best Moves

SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE
Lv 5
Supersonic
Normal—RAREUtility
Lv 47
Hydro Pump
Water110RARESTAB
Egg
Earth Power
Ground90RARESTAB
TM34
Sludge Wave
Poison95RARECoverage
Lv 16
Mud Shot
Ground55RARESTAB
Tutor
Stealth Rock
Rock—RAREUtility
TM6
Toxic
Poison—RAREUtility
Lv 20
Aqua Ring
Water—RARESTAB

Best Build

Experimental
Bulky Support
Ability
Swift Swim
Item
LeftoversSUSTAIN
Best Nature for Palpitoad
HardyNEUTRAL

Palpitoad best EVs are Defense and Speed

EVs

Bulky Support Moveset

  • SupersonicUtility
  • Hydro PumpSTAB
  • Earth PowerSTAB
  • Sludge Wave
→Gen VI — X & Y / ORASE-

Palpitoad saw minimal competitive use in Gen VI (X & Y / ORAS). Palpitoad maintained its position from the previous generation. Its most popular set ran Swiftswim with Nothing, favoring a Mild nature.

Fairy type added to the gameMega Evolution became available
SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE
Lv 47
Hydro Pump
Water110POPULARSTAB
TM36
Sludge Bomb
Poison90COMMONCoverage
Egg
Earth Power
Ground90COMMONSTAB
Lv 51
Hyper Voice
Normal90COMMONCoverage
Egg
Mud Bomb
Ground65COMMONSTAB
Lv 12
Bubble Beam
Water65RARESTAB
TM27
Return
Normal—RARECoverage
Tutor
Stealth Rock
Rock—RAREUtility
Experimental
Special Sweeper
Ability
Swift Swim
Item
Nothing
Best Nature for Palpitoad
Mild+SPA
EVs

Special Sweeper Moveset

  • Hydro PumpSTAB
  • Sludge Bomb
  • Earth PowerSTAB
  • Hyper Voice
→Gen VII — Sun & Moon / USUME

Palpitoad saw minimal competitive use in Gen VII (Sun & Moon / USUM). Palpitoad maintained its position from the previous generation. Its most popular set ran Waterabsorb with Eviolite, favoring a Bold nature.

Z-Moves became available
SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE
TM55
Scald
Water80COMMONSTAB
Egg
Earth Power
Ground90COMMONSTAB
Tutor
Stealth Rock
Rock—COMMONUtility
TM6
Toxic
Poison—COMMONUtility
Experimental
Hazard Setter
Ability
Water Absorb
Item
EvioliteBULK
Best Nature for Palpitoad
Bold+DEF
EVs

Hazard Setter Moveset

  • ScaldSTAB
  • Earth PowerSTAB
  • Stealth Rock
  • ToxicUtility
→Gen VIII — Sword & Shield / BDSPE

Palpitoad saw minimal competitive use in Gen VIII (Sword & Shield / BDSP). Palpitoad maintained its position from the previous generation. Its most popular set ran Waterabsorb with Eviolite, favoring a Bold nature.

Gigantamax became availableDynamax became available
SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE
Egg
Toxic
Poison—POPULARUtility
TR76
Stealth Rock
Rock—POPULARUtility
TR84
Scald
Water80POPULARSTAB
TR67
Earth Power
Ground90POPULARSTAB
Experimental
Wall
Ability
Water Absorb
Item
EvioliteBULK
Best Nature for Palpitoad
Bold+DEF
EVs

Wall Moveset

  • ToxicUtility
  • Stealth Rock
  • ScaldSTAB
  • Earth PowerSTAB

Palpitoad Weakness

Palpitoad is weak to Grass. Watch out for Grass attacks, those deal 4x damage. On the flip side, it's immune to Electric-type moves entirely. The Water/Ground typing picks up 4 resistances to work with. Water Absorb grants an additional Water immunity, reshaping the matchup chart.

Palpitoad Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
4x (Critical)Grass
0.5x (Resist)Fire, Poison, Rock, Steel
0x (Immune)Electric

What is Palpitoad Weak Against

Good
1Weak
4Resist
2Immune
Score+3
4xCritical
2xWeak
None
¼xResist
None

What is Palpitoad Strong Against

6Strong
1Resisted
0Immune
Score+5
½xResisted
0xImmune
None

Best Pokemon Against Palpitoad

Venusaur can KO Palpitoad with Giga Drain (165-194%).

Venusaur
Venusaur
GrassPoison
C

Evolution

Palpitoad sits between Tympole and Seismitoad in this three-stage line. Not the final form yet. For breeding, average hatch time with a massive partner pool via one egg group. HP has grown the most so far (+25), but there's still another 125 stats to gain in the final evolution. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

3 Forms
Stat Comparison 3 Stages
Tympole
Water
Palpitoad
WaterGround
Seismitoad
WaterGround
HP
50
75+25
105+30
ATK
50
65+15
95+30
DEF
40
55+15
75+20
SP.ATK
50
65+15
85+20
SP.DEF
40
55+15
75+20
SPE
64
69+5
74+5
BST
294D-Tier
384D-Tier+90
509C-Tier+125
ROLE
Balanced
Balanced
Balanced
TYPE
Utility
Utility
Mixed

Breeding

Very Easy

Breed with Palpitoad to get Tympole eggs easily using 114 partners from the Water 1 egg group.

Egg Groups
Water 1
Gender
♂50.0%♀50.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Breed With (best first)
azumarillblastoisegolduckferaligatrkingdraswampertslowbroslowkingoctilleryludicolodewgongcrawdaunt

Shiny Palpitoad

Palpitoad's shiny is Tympole's shiny but with bumps. The blue shift is still barely perceptible, and the middle-stage frog still looks like it's halfway through deciding what it wants to be. At least Seismitoad at the end of this line actually commits to a visible color change.

Normal vs Shiny
Normal PalpitoadNormal
Shiny Palpitoad Shiny
Color ShiftBlue
Shiny TierD Tier Shiny

Shiny Palpitoad Evolution

3 Forms
Showing shiny artworkView Full Evolution Chart

Shiny Palpitoad Odds & Hunting Methods

7 of 7 Verified
GameBest MethodOddsDifficulty
More dots = harder hunt1/200 Green = best verified rate
How do we research these odds?

We check every game where a shiny is possible, then rank each one by the best method available in that game, so the row at the top is the fastest route overall.

Odds marked verified are cross-checked against multiple independent sources before we publish them. Where a rate is not yet confirmed we mark the row pending rather than guess a number.

Read our full methodology

How to Get Palpitoad

All 8 games

Palpitoad appears at high spawn rates across 17 spots in mid-game routes. Sort by Best below if you want the highest rate, or Earliest if you want the quickest access point in your playthrough.

Where To Catch Palpitoad in SwSh

Tympole is your first catch on the way to Palpitoad. You'll find walking encounters from Lv. 7-58 across 96 total spots in the chain.

  1. Tympole
    Step 1Catch Tympole
    West Lake Axewell
    Lv.8-14Overworld
    Rate 60%
    Normal Weather
    Dappled Grove
    Lv.13-15Overworld
    Rate 60%
    Raining
    Dappled Grove
    Lv.13-15Overworld
    Rate 60%
    Thunderstorm
    South Lake Miloch
    Lv.14-16Overworld
    Rate 45%
    Raining
    Dappled Grove
    Lv.11-15Grass
    Rate 40%
    Raining
    South Lake Miloch
    Lv.11-13Grass
    Rate 40%
    Raining
    North Lake Miloch
    Lv.14-16Grass
    Rate 40%
    Raining
    West Lake Axewell
    Lv.7-11Cave
    Rate 30%
    Raining
    West Lake Axewell
    Lv.7-11Cave
    Rate 30%
    Thunderstorm
    Watchtower Ruins
    Lv.11-14Floor
    Rate 30%
    Raining
    South Lake Miloch
    Lv.14-16Overworld
    Rate 28%
    Thunderstorm
    West Lake Axewell
    Lv.8-14Overworld
    Rate 25%
    Overcast
    West Lake Axewell
    Lv.8-14Overworld
    Rate 25%
    Heavy Fog
    West Lake Axewell
    Lv.8-14Overworld
    Rate 25%
    Snowing
    South Lake Miloch
    Lv.11-13Grass
    Rate 20%
    Normal Weather
    West Lake Axewell
    Lv.8-14Overworld
    Rate 10%
    Snowstorm
    South Lake Miloch
    Lv.11-13Grass
    Rate 10%
    Sandstorm
    West Lake Axewell
    Lv.8-14Overworld
    Rate 5%
    Raining
    West Lake Axewell
    Lv.8-14Overworld
    Rate 5%
    Thunderstorm
  2. Palpitoad
    Step 2Palpitoad ✓
    North Lake Miloch
    Lv.26-28Overworld
    Rate 60%
    Thunderstorm
    North Lake Miloch
    Lv.26-28Overworld
    Rate 50%
    Raining
    Hammerlocke Hills
    Lv.29-31Overworld
    Rate 45%
    Raining
    Giant's Cap
    Lv.26-28Grass
    Rate 40%
    Raining
    Giant's Mirror
    Lv.28-30Overworld
    Rate 35%
    Raining
    Bridge Field
    Lv.26-28Grass
    Rate 20%
    Raining
    Bridge Field
    Lv.26-28Grass
    Rate 20%
    Thunderstorm
    Bridge Field
    Lv.26-28Grass
    Rate 10%
    Snowstorm
    Bridge Field
    Lv.26-28Grass
    Rate 10%
    Normal Weather
    Bridge Field
    Lv.26-28Grass
    Rate 10%
    Overcast
    Bridge Field
    Lv.26-28Grass
    Rate 10%
    Heavy Fog
    Bridge Field
    Lv.26-28Grass
    Rate 10%
    Sandstorm
    Bridge Field
    Lv.26-28Grass
    Rate 10%
    Snowing
    Bridge Field
    Lv.26-28Grass
    Rate 10%
    Intense Sun
    Dusty Bowl
    Lv.42-47Overworld
    Rate 35%
    Raining
    Dusty Bowl
    Lv.42-47Overworld
    Rate 15%
    Thunderstorm
    Giant's Seat
    Lv.33-38Overworld
    Rate 12%
    Thunderstorm
    or evolve from Tympole (Step 1)
  3. Seismitoad
    Step 3Catch or Evolve into Seismitoad
    Route 7
    Lv.28-40Grass
    Rate 10%
    Snowstorm
    Axew's Eye
    Lv.36-40Overworld
    Rate 60%
    Thunderstorm
    Route 7
    Lv.36-40Grass
    Rate 10%
    Overcast
    Route 7
    Lv.36-40Grass
    Rate 10%
    Heavy Fog
    Route 7
    Lv.36-40Grass
    Rate 10%
    Raining
    Route 7
    Lv.36-40Grass
    Rate 10%
    Sandstorm
    Route 7
    Lv.36-40Grass
    Rate 10%
    Snowing
    Route 7
    Lv.36-40Grass
    Rate 10%
    Intense Sun
    Route 7
    Lv.36-40Grass
    Rate 10%
    Thunderstorm
    Axew's Eye
    Lv.36-40Overworld
    Rate 5%
    Raining
    Route 7
    Lv.36-40Grass
    Rate 5%
    Normal Weather
    Lake of Outrage
    Lv.55-58Overworld
    Rate 30%
    Raining
    or evolve from Palpitoad (Step 2)

Want the exact numbers? Work out your catch odds in Sword & Shield for Palpitoad.

Base Stats

You won't find a real weakness in Palpitoad's stat line. It's well-rounded for the Vibration Pokemon, and what it does with that depends on moveset and items. Yields 2 HP EVs, on a 1.06M XP medium-slow curve.

Base Stats
Avg
HP75
C
Attack65
C
Defense55
D
Sp. Atk65
C
Sp. Def55
D
Speed69
C
Total384
Details
Catch Rate
Moderate120 / 255
Growth Rate
Medium Slow1.06M XP
Height0.8 m
Weight17.0 kg
Base XP134
Abilities
Swift Swim
Doubles Speed during rain.
Hydration
Cures any major status ailment after each turn during rain.
Water AbsorbHidden Ability
Absorbs water moves, healing for 1/4 max HP.
Water Absorb grants Water immunity
EV Yield
HP+2AtkDefSpASpDSpe
HP training target
Pokedex Entry

On occasion, their cries are sublimely pleasing to the ear. Palpitoad with larger lumps on their bodies can sing with a wider range of sounds.

Pokemon Shield

Palpitoad Guide

  • Water Absorb is the hidden ability. It absorbs water moves, healing for 1/4 max HP. Worth hunting for if you want Palpitoad to compete at a higher level.

  • For a casual playthrough, Palpitoad works as a placeholder. Water/Ground coverage is useful early. The real payoff is Seismitoad. That's where the stats start mattering.

  • Palpitoad plays as a balanced. Not the fastest, so pick your spots carefully. Scald is the primary attack.

  • Modest is the go-to nature for Palpitoad. That's +Sp. Atk / -Attack. Pair it with 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe EVs. Fits the balanced role.

  • Palpitoad pairs best with Coalossal, Tyranitar, and Lycanroc. Coalossal has Good synergy and covers what Palpitoad can't handle on its own.

Game Availability

Since Black & White, Palpitoad has been obtainable in 7 games. A Generation 5 debut means a shorter history, but Palpitoad has appeared steadily across every generation since.

Explore

Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Want to tell us more?
What was most useful?
What could be improved?
Thanks for your feedback