Physical
Balanced
448Average
80Moderate
CTier

Arbok punches above its weight class thanks to Intimidate. It lowers the opponent's Attack on switch-in, which is enough to make up for stats that don't impress on their own. Only weak to Ground and Psychic. Known as the Cobra Pokemon.

Arbok's spread isn't flashy. Attack leads, HP trails, 2 stats clear the bar. Moderately hard to find and worth 2 Attack EVs, on a medium-fast 1M XP curve.

Base Stats
448Above
HP60
C
Attack95
B
Defense69
C
Sp. Atk65
C
Sp. Def79
C
Speed80
C
Total448
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Arbok yields +2 Atk
HPAtk+2DefSpASpDSpe
Details
Catch90Challenging•Medium Fast1M XP•3.5m / 11'06"•65kg / 143.3 lbs•157Base XP
Pokedex Entries

The pattern on its belly is for intimidation. It constricts foes while they are frozen in fear.

Diamond / Pearl

Arbok Weakness

Avg

Arbok is weak to Ground and Psychic-type moves. It resists 4 types, giving it decent defensive coverage. Arbok leans offensive (base 95 Atk) rather than trying to tank its weaknesses.

Gen IV Type Chart
  • Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
  • Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
4xCriticali
None
2xWeaki
GroundPsychic
½xResisti
GrassFightingPoisonBug
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
None
STAB (1)i
Grass
2Weak
4Resist
0Immune
Scorei0
SpikesGrounded — up to 25%
Toxic SpikesAbsorbs on switch
Abilities
IntimidateLowers opponents' Attack one stage upon entering battle.
Shed SkinHas a 33% chance of curing any major status ailment after each turn.
UnnerveHAPrevents opposing Pokémon from eating held Berries.

Arbok is the evolved form of Ekans. Breeding produces Ekans eggs, and they're average hatch time. Evolving from Ekans gave Arbok the biggest boost in Attack (+35), bringing the total to 448 stats.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Ekans
#023Ekans
22
Level 22
Arbok
#024Arbok
Stat Comparison 2 Stages
Ekans
Poison
Arbok
Poison
HP
35
60+25
ATK
60
95+35
DEF
44
69+25
SP.ATK
40
65+25
SP.DEF
54
79+25
SPE
55
80+25
BST
288C-Tier
448C-Tier+160
ROLE
Balanced
Balanced
TYPE
Physical
Physical
Breeding
Very Easy

Breed with Arbok to get Ekans eggs easily using 30 partners from the Dragon and Ground egg groups. Notable egg moves include Beat Up, Disable, Poison Fang and 5 more.

Egg Groups
DragonGround
Gender
♂50.0%♀50.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
8moves
Breed With (best first)
gyaradosraichupikachucharizardkingdrasceptileflygonmiloticnidokinggolduckampharosaltaria
12 of 30·

Ground coverage gives Arbok answers even while choice-locked. Choice Scarf provides speed patching through item lock, and max Attack and Speed EVs with Intimidate mean every prediction that lands hits hard.

Best Build

Physical Revenge Killer
Ability
Intimidate
Item
Choice ScarfSPEED
Nature
Jolly+SPE
EVs

Best Arbok Moveset

  • EarthquakeCoverage
  • SwitcherooUtility
  • Gunk ShotSTAB
  • Aqua Tail

Recommended Teammates

Arcanine
ArcanineDecent
Luxray
LuxrayDecent
Crobat
CrobatDecent

Breeding opens up real options for Arbok. Beat Up and Disable come exclusively from egg moves, and they're worth the effort. The rest of the kit covers basics through Gunk Shot and Sludge Bomb and coverage across 9 types.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Bite
6010025Dark
Lv 1
Fire Fang
659515Fire
Lv 1
Ice Fang
659515Ice
Lv 1
Leer
—10030Normal
Lv 1
Poison Sting
1510035Poison
Lv 1
Thunder Fang
659515Electric
Lv 1
Wrap
158520Normal
Lv 4
Poison Sting
1510035Poison
Lv 9
Bite
6010025Dark
Lv 12
Glare
—7530Normal
Lv 17
Screech
—8540Normal
Lv 20
Acid
4010030Poison
Lv 22
Crunch
8010015Dark
Lv 28
Spit Up
—10010Normal
Lv 28
Stockpile
——20Normal
Lv 28
Swallow
——10Normal
Lv 34
Mud Bomb
658510Ground
Lv 42
Gastro Acid
—10010Poison
Lv 48
Haze
——30Ice
Lv 56
Gunk Shot
120705Poison

TM Moves

Src
TM45
Attract
—10015Normal
TM78
Captivate
—10020Normal
TM79
Dark Pulse
8010015Dark
TM28
Dig
8010010Ground
TM32
Double Team
——15Normal
TM26
Earthquake
10010010Ground
TM58
Endure+4
——10Normal
TM42
Facade
7010020Normal
TM21
Frustration
—10020Normal
TM19
Giga Drain
6010010Grass
TM68
Giga Impact
150905Normal
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM15
Hyper Beam
150905Normal
TM23
Iron Tail
1007515Steel
TM83
Natural Gift
—10015Normal
TM66
Payback
5010010Dark
TM84
Poison Jab
8010020Poison
TM17
Protect+4
——10Normal
TM18
Rain Dance
——5Water
TM44
Rest
——10Psychic
TM27
Return
—10020Normal
TM80
Rock Slide
759010Rock
TM39
Rock Tomb
609510Rock
TM43
Secret Power
7010020Normal
TM82
Sleep Talk
——10Normal
TM36
Sludge Bomb
9010010Poison
TM49
Snatch+4
——10Dark
HM04
Strength
8010015Normal
TM90
Substitute
——10Normal
TM11
Sunny Day
——5Fire
TM87
Swagger
—9015Normal
TM46
Thief
6010025Dark
TM41
Torment
—10015Dark
TM06
Toxic
—8510Poison

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Beat Up
—10010Dark
Egg
Disable
—8020Normal
Egg
Poison Fang
5010015Poison
Egg
Poison Tail
5010025Poison
Egg
Pursuit
4010020Dark
Egg
Scary Face
—9010Normal
Egg
Slam
807520Normal
Egg
Spite
—10010Ghost

Tutor Moves

Arbok can't learn any Tutor moves

Transfer Moves

Src
Gen 3
Body Slam
8510015Normal
Gen 3
Double-Edge
12010015Normal
Gen 3
Mimic
——10Normal

Arbok sits at moderate rates across 12 spots in mid-game routes. Pick one from the sorted list and commit to it. Jumping between areas wastes more time than waiting in the right location.

Where To Catch Arbok in Diamond & Pearl

To get Arbok, start by catching Ekans through walking encounters at Lv. 18-26. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.

  1. Ekans
    Step 1Catch Ekans
    Route 212 - South
    PearlGrassLv.18-20RareMidRouteDual-slot: FireRed
    CHALLENGING
    Route 212 - South
    DiamondGrassLv.18-20RareMidRouteDual-slot: FireRed
    CHALLENGING
  2. Arbok
    Step 2Arbok ✓
    Great Marsh - Area 5
    PearlGrassLv.20-22RareMidFacilityDual-slot: FireRed
    CHALLENGING
    Great Marsh - Area 5
    DiamondGrassLv.20-22RareMidFacilityDual-slot: FireRed
    CHALLENGING
    Great Marsh - Area 6
    PearlGrassLv.20-22RareMidFacilityDual-slot: FireRed
    CHALLENGING
    Great Marsh - Area 6
    DiamondGrassLv.20-22RareMidFacilityDual-slot: FireRed
    CHALLENGING
    Great Marsh - Area 3
    PearlGrassLv.22-24RareMidFacilityDual-slot: FireRed
    CHALLENGING
    Great Marsh - Area 3
    DiamondGrassLv.22-24RareMidFacilityDual-slot: FireRed
    CHALLENGING
    Great Marsh - Area 4
    PearlGrassLv.22-24RareMidFacilityDual-slot: FireRed
    CHALLENGING
    Great Marsh - Area 4
    DiamondGrassLv.22-24RareMidFacilityDual-slot: FireRed
    CHALLENGING
    Great Marsh - Area 1
    DiamondGrassLv.24-26RareMidFacilityDual-slot: FireRed
    CHALLENGING
    Great Marsh - Area 1
    PearlGrassLv.24-26RareMidFacilityDual-slot: FireRed
    CHALLENGING
    Great Marsh - Area 2
    DiamondGrassLv.24-26RareMidFacilityDual-slot: FireRed
    CHALLENGING
    Great Marsh - Area 2
    PearlGrassLv.24-26RareMidFacilityDual-slot: FireRed
    CHALLENGING
    or evolve from Ekans (Step 1)

  • Don't let Arbok's 448 base stat total fool you. Intimidate is what makes it tick — it punches way above its weight class. We rate it C-Tier.

  • Arbok's biggest threats include Golem (Ground) and Starmie (Psychic), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Only 2 weaknesses means fewer dedicated counters to worry about.

  • Ekans evolves into Arbok at level 22. Arbok is the fully evolved form. It sits at 448 BST in its evolved form.

  • Run Intimidate on Arbok. It's the ability that defines how you build around it and the main reason it holds a competitive niche. Arbok also gets Shed Skin and Unnerve, but they don't compare.

  • Arbok fills the balanced role. It's a physical attacker with base 95 Attack. Base 80 Speed is workable — faster than some, slower than many. And it's enough bulk to take a hit or two.

  • Arbok appears in 20 games, including Yellow, Red & Blue, and Gold & Silver.

Arbok has been part of the series since Red & Blue, appearing in 20 titles across all 9 generations. As a Gen 1 original, it's one of the most consistently available Pokemon in the franchise.