Stats & Training
You won't find a real weakness in Ekans's stat line. It's well-rounded for the Snake Pokemon, and what it does with that depends on moveset and items. Yields 1 Attack EV, on a medium-fast 1M XP curve.
It can freely detach its jaw to swallow large prey whole. It can become too heavy to move, however.
It always hides in grass. When first born, it has no poison, so its bite is painful, but harmless.
Ekans Weakness
Ekans's Poison typing leaves it vulnerable to Ground and Psychic. The Poison typing picks up 4 resistances to work with. Ekans's Poison typing only leaves 2 gaps to cover.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Ground, Psychic |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Grass, Fighting, Poison, Bug |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
 Whiscash WaterGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ekans View Whiscash builds →Zen Headbutt 2x79-93% Mud-Slap 2x36-43% | ||
 Meditite FightingPsychic | D | |
Whiscash WaterGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ekans View Whiscash builds →Zen Headbutt 2x88-104%KO Mud Bomb 2x90-108%KO Mud-Slap 2x34-42% | ||
 Bronzor SteelPsychic | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ekans View Bronzor builds →Extrasensory 2x60-72% Confusion 2x40-48% | ||
 Wooper WaterGround | D | |
Obtain MethodRuins Of Alph Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ekans View Wooper builds →Mud Bomb 2x50-60% Mud Shot 2x44-54% | ||
 Spoink Psychic | D | |
 Drowzee Psychic | D | |
 Graveler RockGround | C | |
 Onix RockGround | C | |
Bronzor SteelPsychic | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ekans View Bronzor builds →Extrasensory 2x53-63% Confusion 2x35-42% | ||
 Numel FireGround | D | |
 Sandshrew Ground | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ekans View Sandshrew builds →Dig 2x124-146%KO Sand Tomb 2x56-67% | ||
Graveler RockGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ekans View Graveler builds →Earthquake 2x188-221%KO Dig 2x149-176%KO | ||
Onix RockGround | C | |
Bronzor SteelPsychic | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ekans View Bronzor builds →Extrasensory 2x54-64% Confusion 2x35-41% | ||
Numel FireGround | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ekans View Numel builds →Earth Power 2x111-131%KO Dig 2x105-124%KO | ||
Sandshrew Ground | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ekans View Sandshrew builds →Dig 2x124-146%KO Sand Tomb 2x56-68% | ||
Graveler RockGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ekans View Graveler builds →Earthquake 2x179-212%KO Dig 2x144-169%KO | ||
Onix RockGround | C | |
Bronzor SteelPsychic | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ekans View Bronzor builds →Extrasensory 2x51-62% Confusion 2x32-38% | ||
Numel FireGround | D | |
Sandshrew Ground | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ekans View Sandshrew builds →Dig 2x121-142%KO Sand Tomb 2x55-65% | ||
 Gligar Ground | C | |
Graveler RockGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ekans View Graveler builds →Earthquake 2x187-220%KO Dig 2x150-177%KO | ||
Onix RockGround | C | |
Bronzor SteelPsychic | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ekans View Bronzor builds →Future Sight 2x76-90% Extrasensory 2x53-63% Confusion 2x33-40% | ||
Numel FireGround | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Ekans View Numel builds →Earth Power 2x110-130%KO Dig 2x107-127%KO | ||
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Gliscor can KO Ekans with Earthquake (187-220%).
 Gliscor Ground | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityHypercutter ItemLeftovers NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Ekans View Gliscor builds →Earthquake 2x187-220%KO Ice Fang40-48% | ||
 Celebi PsychicGrass | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityNatural Cure ItemLeftovers NatureBold Moves View Celebi builds →
| ||
HeartGold & SoulSilver Evolution
Ekans is the base form in a two-stage line leading to Arbok. Check the evolution method below. A decent partner pool for breeding via two egg groups. Eggs are average hatch time. The evolved forms gain up to 160 total stats over Ekans. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
Breeding
Breed Ekans easily with 30 breeding partners from the Dragon and Ground egg groups. Pass egg moves like Beat Up, Disable, Poison Fang and 6 more to offspring.
HeartGold & SoulSilver Ekans Best Moveset
Best Build
No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 4.
Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.
Moves
The natural movepool does the job, but Beat Up and Disable from the egg pool give Ekans something extra. Pair those with Gunk Shot and Sludge Bomb for STAB and coverage across 7 types for reach, and the kit fills out nicely.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Transfer Moves
HeartGold & SoulSilver Ekans Locations
Ekans's scattered across 5 spots in early-game routes with high spawn rates. Check the list below for the closest location to wherever you are in the game. This one's quick.
Best Locations to Catch Ekans in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Ekans appears in 5 walking and gift locations at Lv. 4-15 across SoulSilver and HeartGold. Not all encounters show up in every version, so check which ones match your game.
Ekans Guide
Get Ekans to Arbok at level 22. At 288 BST, Ekans is just the starting point.
Level 22 gets you Arbok. Not the fastest evolution, so consider Exp. Share or route grinding to speed it up.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, For a casual playthrough, Ekans works as a placeholder. Poison coverage is useful early. The real payoff is Arbok. That's where the stats start mattering.
You can find Ekans in HeartGold & SoulSilver. The Locations section has the full breakdown of routes and encounter details. It also appears in 19 other games across the series.
Game Availability
Present since Red & Blue, Ekans appears in 20 games spanning 10 generations. Gen 1 originals like Ekans have the longest track record of availability in the series.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 1RBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
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