Is Empoleon Good in Diamond & Pearl Playthrough?
Water/Steel with ten type resistances. AbilityTorrent for low-health Water boost. Empoleon handles Flint, Roark, Candice, and Aaron through coverage. The Steel typing removes Water's Grass and Electric weaknesses. One of the most defensively solid starters in any generation.
Piplup has the type edge here and should clean up Roark's team.
Prinplup trades roughly evenly with Gardenia's team.
Prinplup has the type edge here and should clean up Maylene's team.
Prinplup trades roughly evenly with Crasher Wake's team.
Prinplup trades roughly evenly with Fantina's team.
Empoleon has the type edge here and should clean up Byron's team.
Empoleon has the type edge here and should clean up Candice's team.
Empoleon trades roughly evenly with Volkner's team.
Empoleon resists most of Aaron's coverage and hits back hard.
Empoleon has the type edge here and should clean up Bertha's team.
Empoleon has the type edge here and should clean up Flint's team.
Empoleon trades roughly evenly with Lucian's team.
Empoleon has the type edge here and should clean up Mars's team.
Empoleon resists most of Jupiter's coverage and hits back hard.
Empoleon has the type edge here and should clean up Saturn's team.
Empoleon trades roughly evenly with Cynthia's team.
Starter
Piplup is available as a starter.
Recommended Moves
- LV 22WaterBubble BeamPower 98Accuracy 100%PP 20
- After Gardenia
- TM14IceBlizzardPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 5Lake Acuity
- TM13IceIce BeamPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 10Route 216
- LV 29WaterBrinePower 98Accuracy 100%PP 10
- After Crasher Wake
- HM03WaterSurfPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15Celestic Town
- After Fantina
- TM03WaterWater PulsePower 90Accuracy 100%PP 20Ravaged Path
- LV 43WaterHydro PumpPower 180Accuracy 80%PP 5
- After Volkner
- HM07WaterWaterfallPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15Sunyshore City
- Post-Game
- TM42NormalFacadePower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Survival Area
Evolve Piplup to Prinplup
Piplup evolves into Prinplup at Level 16. Your Piplup should hit Level 16 before you reach Gardenia, at typical leveling pace.
Recommended Moves
- After Gardenia
- TM14IceBlizzardPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 5Lake Acuity
- TM13IceIce BeamPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 10Route 216
- LV 24WaterBubble BeamPower 98Accuracy 100%PP 20
- After Crasher Wake
- HM03WaterSurfPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15Celestic Town
- LV 33WaterBrinePower 98Accuracy 100%PP 10
- After Fantina
- TM03WaterWater PulsePower 90Accuracy 100%PP 20Ravaged Path
- After Volkner
- HM07WaterWaterfallPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15Sunyshore City
- LV 51WaterHydro PumpPower 180Accuracy 80%PP 5
- Post-Game
- TM42NormalFacadePower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Survival Area
Evolve Prinplup to Empoleon
Prinplup evolves into Empoleon at Level 36. Your Prinplup should hit Level 36 before you reach Byron, at typical leveling pace.
Recommended Moves
- After Gardenia
- TM68NormalGiga ImpactPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Veilstone Game Corner
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Veilstone Department Store
- After Crasher Wake
- HM03WaterSurfPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15Celestic Town
- After Byron
- TM91SteelFlash CannonPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10Prize for defeating Byron
- TM26GroundEarthquakePower 100Accuracy 100%PP 10Wayward Cave (secret entrance under bike path)
- After Volkner
- HM07WaterWaterfallPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15Sunyshore City
- LV 59WaterHydro PumpPower 180Accuracy 80%PP 5
- Post-Game
- TUTORWaterHydro CannonPower 225Accuracy 90%PP 5Route 228
- TM42NormalFacadePower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Survival Area
How to Get Empoleon in Diamond & Pearl
Empoleon never spawns wild in Sinnoh. Evolve a Prinplup at level 36, the final stage of a Piplup line that starts with Professor Rowan handing you the water starter.
Catch Piplup at any of these 1 spot to eventually evolve into Empoleon.
How to Obtain Empoleon in DP
- Step 2Evolve into PrinplupBREEDINGAvailableLeave Empoleon with a compatible partner at the Pokemon Day Care to receive a Piplup egg.
- Step 3Empoleon ✓
How to Get Shiny Empoleon in Diamond & Pearl
Empoleon tops the Piplup line, so breed that base Masuda-style at 1 in 1,638 and raise the emperor. Compare Shiny Empoleon odds across every game
Diamond & Pearl Shiny Empoleon Calculator
2 MethodsThe best route is Masuda Method, about 1 in 1,639 on each try.
Masuda Method: Breed with a parent from a different-language game. Works on any breedable line.
Soft Reset: Save in front of a static, gift, or legendary encounter, then reset until it sparkles.
How many you have done, or plan to do.
| Chance | Encounters | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 10%lucky few | 173-- | -- |
| 25%one in four | 472-- | -- |
| 50%coin flip | 1,136-- | -- |
| 90%very likely | 3,773-- | -- |
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 Empoleon preloaded.
Empoleon Weakness
Empoleon's Water/Steel typing leaves it vulnerable to Electric, Fighting, and Ground. It shrugs off Poison-type attacks completely. It resists 11 types, so it can switch into a lot of moves safely. With 84 HP and balanced defenses, Empoleon can afford to eat a neutral hit or two.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Electric, Fighting, Ground |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Normal, Water, Flying, Psychic, Bug, Rock, Ghost, Dragon, Dark |
| 0.25x (Resist) | Ice, Steel |
| 0x (Immune) | Poison |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Empoleon Weak Against
FortressBest Pokemon Against Empoleon
 Heracross BugFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Heracross builds →Focus Punch 2x144-169%KO Earthquake 2x63-75% | ||
 Breloom GrassFighting | A | |
 Toxicroak PoisonFighting | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Toxicroak builds →Focus Punch 2x124-146%KO Earthquake 2x56-67% | ||
 Infernape FireFighting | A | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Chimchar (Lake Verity Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Infernape builds →Focus Punch 2x124-146%KO Earthquake 2x55-65% | ||
 Marowak Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Marowak builds →Earthquake 2x68-79% Focus Punch 2x67-79% | ||
 Torterra GrassGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Torterra builds →Earthquake 2x87-103%KO Rock Smash 2x24-29% | ||
 Gastrodon WaterGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Gastrodon builds →Earthquake 2x69-82% Rock Smash 2x20-24% | ||
 Machoke Fighting | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Machoke builds →Focus Punch 2x120-141%KO Earthquake 2x53-63% | ||
 Quagsire WaterGround | C | |
Obtain MethodGreat Marsh Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Quagsire builds →Earthquake 2x72-85% Focus Punch 2x69-82% | ||
 Gliscor Ground | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Gliscor builds →Earthquake 2x78-92% Brick Break 2x38-46% Thunder Fang 2x34-41% | ||
 Sandslash Ground | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Sandslash builds →Earthquake 2x80-95% Focus Punch 2x79-94% | ||
 Electabuzz Electric | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Electabuzz builds →Thunderbolt 2x68-79% Focus Punch 2x68-80% | ||
 Manectric Electric | C | |
 Luxray Electric | C | |
Empoleon Evolutions
The three-stage chain from Piplup through Prinplup ends here at Empoleon. Want more? Breed for Piplup eggs. A massive partner pool available via two egg groups. The evolution from Piplup pushed Empoleon to 530 total stats. Sp.Atk saw the largest single gain at +50. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Empoleon to get Piplup eggs easily using 131 partners from the Field and Water 1 egg groups. Notable egg moves include Agility, Aqua Ring, Double Hit and 7 more.
DP Empoleon Best Moveset
Water/Steel is a unique typing combination available only here, resisting 10 of 17 types. 111 Sp. Atk fires special Water and Ice attacks at high power, and the moveset sets MoveStealth Rock while tanking most attacks through those type resistances. 60 Speed is slow but the defensive profile makes up for it.
Best Build
Empoleon best EVs are Sp. Atk and Speed
Special Sweeper Moveset
- Ice Beam
- Hydro Pump
- Grass Knot
- Aqua Jet
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
You'll want to breed for Agility and Aqua Ring on Empoleon. These egg moves aren't just nice to have. Combined with STAB from Hydro Cannon and Hydro Pump, they expand what Empoleon 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
46 of 47 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Reminder Moves
Base Stats
The three horns that extend from its beak attest to its power. The leader has the biggest horns.
It swims as fast as a jet boat. The edges of its wings are sharp and can slice apart drifting ice.
Empoleon Diamond & Pearl Guide
In Diamond & Pearl, use Empoleon as a setup sweeper. Splits damage between physical and special. Not the fastest,
For Diamond & Pearl, run Modest on Empoleon. +Sp. Atk is what matters, and the -Attack cut doesn't hurt this set. Fits the setup sweeper role.
Game Availability
Debuting in Diamond & Pearl, Empoleon appears in 12 games across 6 generations. A reliable presence in a solid number of games, typically found through wild encounters.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DPDebut
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 Empoleon.
Keep playing · Diamond & PearlDiamond & Pearl Tier ListThe best Pokemon ranked tier by tierSee Diamond & Pearl Tier List