Physical
Balanced
CTier
80Speed · Above Avg

Stats & Training

Arbok's stats barely vary. 2 sit in respectable range with no real gaps. It's a blank slate for EV investment. Worth 2 Attack EVs, medium-fast 1M XP curve to max.

Base Stats
Above
HP60
C
Attack85
C
Defense69
C
Sp. Atk65
C
Sp. Def79
C
Speed80
C
Total438
Details
Catch Rate
Challenging90 / 255
Growth Rate
Medium Fast1M XP
Height3.5 m
11'06"Tall
Weight65.0 kg
143.3 lbsStandard
Base XP157
Average
Abilities
IntimidateTop Pick
Lowers opponents' Attack one stage upon entering battle.
Shed SkinRare
Has a 33% chance of curing any major status ailment after each turn.
UnnerveHANot in game
Prevents opposing Pokémon from eating held Berries.
EV Yield
HPAtk+2DefSpASpDSpe
Attack training target
Pokedex Entries

This POKéMON is terrifically strong in order to constrict things with its body. It can even flatten steel oil drums. Once ARBOK wraps its body around its foe, escaping its crunching embrace is impossible.

Arbok Weakness

Arbok is weak to Ground and Psychic. It resists 4 types, giving it decent defensive coverage. Only 2 weaknesses makes it relatively easy to build around defensively.

Arbok Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
2x (Weak)Ground, Psychic
0.5x (Resist)Grass, Fighting, Poison, Bug
Type ChartAvg
2Weak
4Resist
0Immune
Score0
Gen III Type Chart
  • Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
  • Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
4xCritical
None
2xWeak
GroundPsychic
½xResist
GrassFightingPoisonBug
¼xResist
None
0xImmune
None
STAB (1)
Grass
How to Beat Arbok in Ruby & Sapphire (Best Counters)

In Ruby & Sapphire, Starmie's Surf hits Arbok for 57-67%. Claydol threatens a KO with Earthquake (121-143%). Alakazam's Psychic also KOs at 141-167%.

Starmie
Starmie
WaterPsychic
A
Recommended Build
AbilityNatural Cure
ItemLeftovers
NatureTimid
Moves
  • Rapid Spin
  • Ice Beam
  • Thunderbolt
  • SurfSTAB
Damage vs Arbok
Rapid Spin
13-16%
Ice Beam
38-45%
Thunderbolt
38-45%
Surf
57-67%
View Starmie builds →

Ruby & Sapphire Evolution

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 HP (+25), bringing the total to 438 stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

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 27 partners from the Dragon and Ground egg groups. Notable egg moves include Beat Up, Poison Fang, Pursuit and 2 more.

Egg Groups
DragonGround
Gender
♂50.0%♀50.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
5moves
Breed With (best first)
gyaradosraichupikachucharizardkingdrasceptileflygonmiloticnidokinggolduckampharosaltaria
12 of 27·

Ruby & Sapphire Arbok Best Moveset

Intimidate helps Arbok stick around while dealing real damage. Leftovers for passive recovery each turn, max Attack and Speed EVs for the right balance, and Sludge Bomb as the main threat. Not the fastest, but it doesn't need to be.

Best Build

Experimental
Physical Sweeper
Ability
Intimidate
Item
LeftoversSUSTAIN
Best Nature for Arbok
Jolly+SPE

Arbok best EVs are Attack and Speed

EVs

Physical Sweeper Moveset

  • Sludge BombSTAB
  • EarthquakeCoverage
  • Body Slam
  • GlareUtility

Recommended Teammates

Crobat
CrobatGood
Seviper
SeviperGood
Tentacruel
TentacruelGood

Moves

Breeding opens up real options for Arbok. Beat Up and Poison Fang come exclusively from egg moves, and they're worth the effort. The rest of the kit covers basics through Sludge Bomb and Poison Fang and Dark and Normal coverage and more.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Bite
D6010025Dark
Lv 1
Leer
——10030Normal
Lv 1
Poison Sting
—1510035Poison
Lv 1
Wrap
D158520Normal
Lv 8
Poison Sting
—1510035Poison
Lv 13
Bite
D6010025Dark
Lv 20
Glare
A—7530Normal
Lv 28
Screech
A—8540Normal
Lv 38
Acid
—4010030Poison
Lv 46
Spit Up
D—10010Normal
Lv 46
Stockpile
D——20Normal
Lv 46
Swallow
———10Normal
Lv 56
Haze
D——30Ice

TM Moves

TM
TM45
Attract
——10015Normal
TM28
Dig
—6010010Ground
TM32
Double Team
———15Normal
TM26
Earthquake
S10010010Ground
TM42
Facade
D7010020Normal
TM21
Frustration
——10020Normal
TM19
Giga Drain
D751005Grass
TM10
Hidden Power
—6010015Normal
TM15
Hyper Beam
C150905Normal
TM23
Iron Tail
C1007515Steel
TM17
Protect+4
B——10Normal
TM18
Rain Dance
C——5Water
TM44
Rest
C——10Psychic
TM27
Return
D—10020Normal
TM43
Secret Power
—7010020Normal
TM36
Sludge Bomb
S9010010Poison
TM49
Snatch+4
———10Dark
HM04
Strength
—8010015Normal
TM11
Sunny Day
C——5Fire
TM46
Thief
D6010025Dark
TM41
Torment
D—10015Dark
TM06
Toxic
C—8510Poison

Egg Moves

Egg
Egg
Beat Up
D—10010Dark
Egg
Poison Fang
—5010015Poison
Egg
Pursuit
D4010020Dark
Egg
Slam
—807520Normal
Egg
Spite
——10010Ghost

Tutor Moves

Arbok can't learn any Tutor moves

How to Get Arbok in Ruby & Sapphire

No wild encounters for Arbok in Ruby & Sapphire. Bring Ekans over from Red, Gold, or Brilliant Diamond, then level through the stages. Each step in the chain is laid out below.

How to Obtain Arbok in Ruby & Sapphire

  1. Ekans
    Step 1Obtain Ekans

    Catch in the wild in:

    FireRedWalking · Route 10

    Then trade to Ruby & Sapphire to continue the evolution chain.

    Also found in:

    RedGoldCrystalDiamondPlatinumHeartGold
  2. Arbok
    Step 2Arbok ✓

Arbok Guide

  • In Ruby & Sapphire, 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.

  • In Ruby & Sapphire, Ekans evolves into Arbok at level 22. Arbok is the fully evolved form. It sits at 438 BST in its evolved form.

  • In Ruby & Sapphire, Arbok can work for a story run. 438 BST is average, but Poison typing fills a niche depending on your team composition.

  • In Ruby & Sapphire, Don't let Arbok's 438 base stat total fool you. Intimidate is what makes it tick. It punches way above its weight class. We rate it C-Tier. Sludge Bomb with Leftovers is the standard set.

  • In Ruby & Sapphire, 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.

Game Availability

Arbok has been part of the series since Red & Blue, appearing in 20 titles across all 10 generations. As a Gen 1 original, it's one of the most consistently available Pokemon in the franchise.

Click a game to view version-specific details

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