Attack and Sp. Atk carry most of Cacnea's stat budget. Speed's the obvious dump stat. Common in the wild and yields 1 Sp. Atk EV. Follows a 1.06M XP medium-slow curve.
It prefers harsh environments, such as deserts. It can survive for 30 days on water stored in its body.
It lives in arid locations. Its yellow flowers bloom once a year.
Cacnea's Grass typing leaves it vulnerable to Fire, Ice, Poison, Flying, and Bug. 4 resistances help offset the weaknesses. Water Absorb grants an additional Water immunity, reshaping the matchup chart.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Fire, Ice, Poison, Flying, Bug |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Water, Electric, Grass, Ground |
Volcarona can KO Cacnea with Heat Wave (120-141%). Volcanion threatens a KO with Flamethrower (129-152%). Glimmora deals 43-51% with Power Gem.
 Volcarona BugFire | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityFlame Body ItemGrassyseed NatureModest Moves
Damage vs Cacnea View Volcarona builds →Heat Wave 2x120-141%KO | ||
 Volcanion FireWater | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityWaterabsorb ItemHeavy-Duty Boots NatureModest Moves
Damage vs Cacnea View Volcanion builds →Flamethrower 2x129-152%KO | ||
 Glimmora RockPoison | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityToxicdebris ItemRed Card NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Cacnea View Glimmora builds →Power Gem43-51% | ||
 Weavile DarkIce | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityPressure ItemHeavy-Duty Boots NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Cacnea View Weavile builds →Knock Off53-62% Ice Shard 2x66-77% | ||
 Pelipper Water | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityDrizzle ItemFocus Sash NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Cacnea View Pelipper builds →Hurricane 2x116-137%KO | ||
One evolution ahead. Cacnea grows into Cacturne through a straightforward two-stage chain. Plenty of partners for breeding via two egg groups. Eggs are average hatch time. The evolved forms gain up to 140 total stats over Cacnea. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed Cacnea easily with 89 breeding partners from the Plant and Humanshape egg groups.
The game plan is straightforward: click Swords Dance, then sweep. Eviolite and Waterabsorb support the setup turn. EVs go into spread so Cacnea hits hard once it's boosted.
Best Build
Cacnea best EVs are Attack and Sp. Def
Physical Attacker Moveset
- Sucker Punch
- Seed Bomb
- Swords Dance
- Drain Punch
Recommended Teammates
Physical Sweeper Moveset
- Unknown
- Endeavor
- Sucker Punch
- Power Trip
Recommended Teammates
No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 8.
Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.
Physical Wallbreaker Moveset
- Sucker Punch
- Drain Punch
- Poison Jab
- Seed Bomb
Recommended Teammates
Physical Wallbreaker Moveset
- Sucker Punch
- Drain Punch
- Poison Jab
- Seed Bomb
Recommended Teammates
Moves
Level-up moves are just the starting point for Cacnea. TMs unlock coverage across 7 types and turn a straightforward STAB kit around Leaf Storm and Solar Beam into something with actual range.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
You'll want to breed for Acid and Belch on Cacnea. These egg moves aren't just nice to have. Combined with STAB from Solar Beam and Energy Ball, they expand what Cacnea can actually threaten in practice.
You'll want to breed for Acid and Belch on Cacnea. These egg moves aren't just nice to have. Combined with STAB from Solar Beam and Energy Ball, they expand what Cacnea can actually threaten in practice.
You'll want to breed for Acid and Belch on Cacnea. These egg moves aren't just nice to have. Combined with STAB from Solar Beam and Energy Ball, they expand what Cacnea can actually threaten in practice.
high spawn rates in mid-game routes across 2 locations. Cacnea's one of the easier catches on the list. Knock it out fast and save your time for harder targets.
Best Locations to Catch Cacnea in Scarlet & Violet
moderate rates for Cacnea across 14 locations in mid-game routes. Nothing complicated. Check the sorted list below, compare the top few options, and head to whichever is closest.
Best Locations to Catch Cacnea in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
14 spots to find Cacnea at Lv. 23-63 via walking. Not all of them exist in both Shining Pearl and Brilliant Diamond versions, so filter by your copy below.
Cacnea doesn't appear in Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon. Transfer it from Ruby, Emerald, or Scarlet to add it to your collection. Check the source games below for encounter details.
Cacnea is not available as a wild encounter in this game.
Also found in:
No wild encounters for Cacnea in Sun & Moon. It's available in Ruby, Emerald, or Scarlet and can be transferred over. The details below show where to find it.
Cacnea is not available as a wild encounter in this game.
Also found in:
Get Cacnea to Cacturne at level 32. At 335 BST, Cacnea is just the starting point.
Level 32 gets you Cacturne. Not the fastest evolution, so consider Exp. Share or route grinding to speed it up.
You can run Cacnea through the first few routes without issues. 335 BST won't carry you far though. Get it to Cacturne as fast as you can.
Across 14 games, Cacnea has solid availability. First showed up in Scarlet & Violet. The latest games to include it are Ruby & Sapphire and FireRed & LeafGreen.
Available in 14 titles since its debut in Ruby & Sapphire, Cacnea spans 8 generations of Pokemon games. It's accessible through catching or hatching as a base form in a solid number of games.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RSDebut
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves