Is Cacnea Good in Diamond & Pearl Playthrough?
Transfer-only Grass from Hoenn. Cacturne at 32 adds Dark. AbilitySand Veil for sandstorm evasion. Grass/Dark coverage handles Crasher Wake and Fantina. Low Speed and bulk limit everything else.
Cacnea trades roughly evenly with Roark's team.
Cacnea trades roughly evenly with Gardenia's team.
Cacnea trades roughly evenly with Maylene's team.
Cacnea has the type edge here and should clean up Crasher Wake's team.
Fantina's team hits Cacnea's weaknesses hard.
Cacnea trades roughly evenly with Byron's team.
Cacnea trades roughly evenly with Candice's team.
Cacnea trades roughly evenly with Volkner's team.
Aaron's team hits Cacturne's weaknesses hard.
Cacturne resists most of Bertha's coverage and hits back hard.
Cacturne trades roughly evenly with Flint's team.
Cacturne has the type edge here and should clean up Lucian's team.
Cacturne has the type edge here and should clean up Mars's team.
Cacturne has the type edge here and should clean up Jupiter's team.
Cacturne has the type edge here and should clean up Saturn's team.
Cacturne trades roughly evenly with Cynthia's team.
Catchable
Catch Cacnea on Route 228 (walking, Lv 23-25, rare).
Recommended Moves
- After Gardenia
- TM22GrassSolar BeamPower 180Accuracy 100%PP 10Veilstone Department Store
- LV 37DarkSucker PunchPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 5
- After Byron
- TM01FightingFocus PunchPower 150Accuracy 100%PP 20Oreburgh Gate
- LV 45GrassNeedle ArmPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 15
- After Volkner
- TM79DarkDark PulsePower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15Victory Road
- Post-Game
- TM53GrassEnergy BallPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10Route 226
- TM42NormalFacadePower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Survival Area
Evolve Cacnea to Cacturne
Cacnea evolves into Cacturne at Level 32. Level it up in the post-game, after you beat Cynthia.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 32)
- LV 32DarkFeint AttackPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 20
- After Gardenia
- TM22GrassSolar BeamPower 180Accuracy 100%PP 10Veilstone Department Store
- TM68NormalGiga ImpactPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Veilstone Game Corner
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Veilstone Department Store
- After Byron
- TM01FightingFocus PunchPower 150Accuracy 100%PP 20Oreburgh Gate
- LV 41DarkSucker PunchPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 5
- After Volkner
- TM79DarkDark PulsePower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15Victory Road
- Post-Game
- TM53GrassEnergy BallPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10Route 226
- TM42NormalFacadePower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Survival Area
How to Get Cacnea in Diamond & Pearl
Cacnea stands rare on one postgame route, a level 23 to 25 walking catch. The cactus Pokemon sticks to that single late-game desert stretch, so it takes a patient search to find one.
Wild Cacnea may be holding when caught:
Sticky Barb (5% chance) Held: Holder takes 1/8 (12.5%) its max HP at the end of each turn. When the holder is hit by a contact move, the attacking Pokémon takes 1/8 its max HP in damage and receive the item if not holding one.1 location to catch Cacnea
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Badge 8Where To Catch Cacnea in DP
The line opens with Cacnea at Lv. 23-25 via walking encounters. 2 catchable stages total, with locations listed for each one below.
- Step 1Cacnea ✓
- Step 2Catch or Evolve into Cacturneor evolve from Cacnea (Step 1)
Not landing the catch? Calculate Cacnea catch rates for Diamond & Pearl by ball, status, and HP.
How to Get Shiny Cacnea in Diamond & Pearl
Cacnea stands in the Route 228 sand, where a PokeRadar chain is what pulls its shiny far down. Compare Shiny Cacnea odds across every game
Diamond & Pearl Shiny Cacnea Calculator
3 MethodsThe best route is PokeRadar Chain at full boosts, about 1 in 200 on each try. Tune it below.
PokeRadar Chain: Chain shaking-grass patches without breaking the combo. The rate peaks at a chain of 40.
Masuda Method: Breed with a parent from a different-language game. Works on any breedable line.
Full Odds: Walk through grass, surf, or fish. Every encounter is its own independent shiny roll.
How many you have done, or plan to do.
| Chance | Encounters | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 10%lucky few | 22-- | -- |
| 25%one in four | 58-- | -- |
| 50%coin flip | 139-- | -- |
| 90%very likely | 460-- | -- |
Time assumes -- at your pace and does not change your shiny odds.
How is this calculated?
Every encounter has the same shiny chance, the Shiny Odds Per Try shown above. Each one is a separate roll that does not care how many you have already done, so the more you hunt, the higher your overall chance of at least one shiny. The formula below turns your odds and your number of tries into that combined chance.
chance after N tries = 1 − (1 − p)^N, where p = 1 / odds per try
Example at 1 in 8,192 (classic full odds): about 864 encounters for a 10 percent chance, 5,678 for 50 percent, and 18,862 for 90 percent.
The table above flips that around: it shows how many encounters it takes to reach a 10, 25, 50, and 90 percent chance at your current odds. Turning on boosts like the Shiny Charm, sandwiches, or chains improves your odds, so the encounter numbers drop.
These are estimates, not promises. Most games have no pity counter, meaning no guaranteed shiny no matter how many you hunt, so even Very Likely is not guaranteed: some hunters find one early, others go well past that point.
Want exact numbers for your session? Calculate your shiny odds in Diamond & Pearl with Cacnea preloaded.
Cacnea Weakness
Cacnea's Grass typing leaves it vulnerable to Fire, Ice, Poison, Flying, and Bug. 4 resistances help offset the weaknesses. 5 weaknesses means you'll want teammates that can handle the coverage gaps.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Fire, Ice, Poison, Flying, Bug |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Water, Electric, Grass, Ground |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Cacnea Weak Against
FragileBest Pokemon Against Cacnea
 Heatran FireSteel | S | |
Obtain MethodStark Mountain Interact Encounter | ||
 Infernape FireFighting | A | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Chimchar (Lake Verity Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacnea View Infernape builds →Overheat 2x265-312%KO Poison Jab 2x101-119%KO U-turn 2x89-105%KO Aerial Ace 2x76-90% | ||
 Heracross BugFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacnea View Heracross builds →Megahorn 2x265-312%KO Aerial Ace 2x89-105%KO | ||
 Roserade GrassPoison | B | |
 Vileplume GrassPoison | C | |
 Skarmory Steel | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacnea View Skarmory builds →Fly 2x137-161%KO X-Scissor 2x81-96% | ||
 Scyther Bug | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacnea View Scyther builds →X-Scissor 2x159-188%KO Wing Attack 2x120-142%KO | ||
 Victreebel GrassPoison | C | |
 Yanmega Bug | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacnea View Yanmega builds →Bug Buzz 2x188-221%KO Air Slash 2x156-184%KO | ||
 Honchkrow Dark | B | |
 Staraptor Normal | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cacnea View Staraptor builds →Brave Bird 2x256-302%KO U-turn 2x100-118%KO | ||
 Pinsir Bug | C | |
 Ninetales Fire | C | |
 Camerupt FireGround | C | |
Cacnea Evolutions
One evolution ahead. Cacnea grows into Cacturne through a straightforward two-stage chain. A decent partner pool for breeding via two egg groups. Eggs take an average time to hatch. 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 45 breeding partners from the Grass and Human-Like egg groups. Pass egg moves like Acid, Counter, Dynamic Punch and 6 more to offspring.
DP Cacnea Best Moveset
Grass typing with AbilitySand Veil raising evasion in sandstorm, but 85 in both Attack stats at 35 Speed can't deliver anything competitive. The moveset is evolve-first.
Best Build
Cacnea best EVs are Sp. Atk and Speed
Special Revenge Killer Moveset
- Dark Pulse
- Hidden Power Ice
- Energy Ball
- Encore
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
You'll want to breed for Acid and Counter 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.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- Egg
- Inherited via breeding.
- Tutor
- NPC tutor (cost: items, BP, money).
- Reminder
- An NPC reteaches any move this Pokemon could have learned by leveling up.
- Transfer
- Carried over from an older game using Pokemon HOME.
- Event
- Given out through Mystery Gift events.
Visual Signals
CAT (Category)
How the move deals damage and which stats it uses.
A small dot on the icon's corner marks the move as contact. That triggers abilities like Static, Flame Body, Rough Skin, or Iron Barbs, plus items like Rocky Helmet and Sticky Barb.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM, Egg, and Tutor sort by tier by default (best first). On Level-Up, click the Tier header to do the same.
PWR (Power)
Base damage. Numbers shown in a type color include STAB (base × 1.5). Hover any colored number to see the math.
— means no power (status moves) or variable power.
Sorting & Filter
Click any column header to sort. Level-Up opens with Lv 1 at the top. TM, Egg, and Tutor open with the highest-tier moves at the top.
Search filters by move name or type. The Filter button limits the list to STAB, Physical, Special, or Status moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
31 of 33 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Transfer Moves
Base Stats
By storing water in its body, this desert dweller can survive for 30 days without water.
Cacnea Diamond & Pearl Guide
Yes. Wild Cacnea in Diamond & Pearl can hold Sticky Barb (5%). Use Thief (TM46) or Covet to swipe the held item without affecting your catch chance. Quickest way to farm rare items like Sticky Barb.
In Diamond & Pearl, Cacnea has 335 BST and evolves into Cacturne. Compare the two forms before you give either one a team slot.
Yes. Cacnea is a post-game Pokemon. You need to defeat the Elite Four and enter the Hall of Fame first. Cacnea becomes available after the main story is complete in Diamond & Pearl.
Game Availability
Available in 14 titles since its debut in Ruby & Sapphire, Cacnea spans 7 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 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RSDebut
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7Let's Go
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves
Explore
Where to go next after Cacnea.
Keep playing · Diamond & PearlDiamond & Pearl Tier ListThe best Pokemon ranked tier by tierSee Diamond & Pearl Tier List