Electric moves don't affect Donphan at all — that's the advantage of Ground typing. It relies on priority moves or Scarf to keep up. Known as the Armor Pokemon. Built to hit on the physical side.
Attack and Defense carry most of Donphan's stat budget. Speed's the obvious dump stat. Moderately hard to find and yields 2 Attack and Defense EVs. Follows a medium-fast 1M XP curve.
Because this POKéMON’s skin is so tough, a normal attack won’t even leave a scratch on it.
Donphan Weakness
AvgDonphan is weak to Water, Grass, and Ice-type moves. On the flip side, it's immune to Electric-type moves entirely. Donphan's physical bulk (base 120 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.
- Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
- Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
- Special stat split into Sp.Atk and Sp.Def
Evolved from Phanpy. Donphan is the final form in this two-stage line. Plenty of partners for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are average hatch time. Attack grew the most through evolution (+60 over Phanpy), and Donphan peaks at 500 total stats.
How to Evolve
Breed with Donphan to get Phanpy eggs easily using 66 partners from the Ground egg group. Notable egg moves include Ancient Power, Body Slam, Focus Energy and 1 more.
Donphan runs a standard attacker set. A nature nature with flexible EVs EVs shapes the build, while Leftovers brings passive recovery each turn. An ability supports the kit from the background.
Best Build
Best Donphan Moveset
- Earthquake
- Rapid Spin
- Rest
- Ancient Power
Recommended Teammates
Breeding opens up real options for Donphan. Ancient Power and Body Slam come exclusively from egg moves, and they're worth the effort. The rest of the kit covers basics through Earthquake and Mud-Slap and Normal and Rock coverage and more.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Reminder Moves
Donphan starts showing up in mid-game routes at decent spawn rates across 1 encounter spots. The list below is sorted so you can pick what fits your current progress without scrolling through everything.
Where To Catch Donphan in Crystal
Phanpy is your first catch on the way to Donphan. You'll find walking encounters from Lv. 2-25 across 3 total spots in the chain.
Step 1Catch PhanpyCHALLENGINGRoute 46GrassLv.2RareEarlyRouteMorningCHALLENGINGRoute 45GrassLv.20RareMidRouteMorning
Step 2Donphan ✓EASYRoute 45GrassLv.25UncommonMidRouteMorning/dayor evolve from Phanpy (Step 1)
We rate Donphan B-Tier — a solid choice for the right team. At 500 BST, it fits the support role. Base 120 Attack stands out.
Phanpy evolves into Donphan at level 25. Donphan is the fully evolved form. At 500 BST, it's got solid stats to work with.
Base 50 Speed is low. Priority moves or Trick Room are the way to go. On offense, Donphan is a physical attacker with base 120 Attack. Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two. Best used as a support.
Donphan appears in 16 games, including Gold & Silver, Crystal, and Ruby & Sapphire.
Available in 16 titles since its debut in Gold & Silver, Donphan spans 8 generations of Pokemon games. It's accessible through wild encounters in most mainline games.
- Gen IY
Yellow - Gen IRB
Red & Blue - Gen IIGSDebut
Gold & Silver - Gen IIC
Crystal - Gen IIIRS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen IIIFRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen IIIE
Emerald - Gen IVPt
Platinum - Gen IVHGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen IVDP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen VBW
Black & White - Gen VB2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen VIXY
X & Y - Gen VIORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen VIIUSUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen VIISM
Sun & Moon - Gen VIILGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen VIIISwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen VIIIPLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen VIIIBDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen IXSV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen IXLZA
Legends: Z-A