Utility
Balanced
305Low
10Very Slow
DTier

While most trainers evolve Ferroseed into Ferrothorn immediately, the unevolved form has a niche with Eviolite boosting its defenses. Poison moves can't touch it, and only 2 types hit it super-effectively. Known as the Thorn Seed Pokemon.

Ferroseed's all-in on Defense at the expense of Speed. The physical lean is obvious from the bars. Yields 1 Defense EV and follows a medium-fast 1M XP curve.

Base Stats
305Avg
HP44
D
Attack50
D
Defense91
B
Sp. Atk24
F
Sp. Def86
C
Speed10
F
Total305
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Ferroseed yields +1 Def
HPAtkDef+1SpASpDSpe
Details
Catch255GuaranteedMedium Fast1M XP0.6m / 2'00"18.8kg / 41.4 lbs61Base XP
Pokedex Entries

When threatened, it attacks by shooting a barrage of spikes, which gives it a chance to escape by rolling away.

X

It absorbs the iron it finds in the rock while clinging to the ceiling. It shoots spikes when in danger.

Y

Ferroseed Weakness

Excellent

Fire and Fighting-type moves hit Ferroseed for super-effective damage. Fire hits land at 4x, so they're the biggest threat. The upside? Poison-type moves can't touch it at all. 9 resistances give it solid defensive coverage on top of that. With 44 HP and balanced defenses, Ferroseed can afford to eat a neutral hit or two.

4xCriticali
2xWeaki
¼xResisti
0xImmunei
2Weak
9Resist
1Immune
Scorei+7
SpikesGrounded — up to 25%
4x Fire — Flamethrower, Fire Blast, Lava Plume
Abilities
Iron BarbsDamages attacking Pokémon for 1/8 their max HP on contact.

Ferroseed evolves into Ferrothorn. It's a two-stage chain with the method shown below. No compatible partners for breeding via two egg groups. Eggs are average hatch time. The evolved forms gain up to 184 total stats over Ferroseed.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Stat Comparison 2 Stages
Ferroseed
GrassSteel
Ferrothorn
GrassSteel
HP
44
74+30
ATK
50
94+44
DEF
91
131+40
SP.ATK
24
54+30
SP.DEF
86
116+30
SPE
10
20+10
BST
305D-Tier
489B-Tier+184
ROLE
Balanced
Trick Room
TYPE
Physical
Physical
Breeding
Very Easy

Breed Ferroseed easily from the Plant and Mineral egg groups. Pass egg moves like Acid Spray, Bullet Seed, Gravity and 6 more to offspring.

Egg Groups
PlantMineral
Gender
50.0%50.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
9moves

Don't let the NFE status fool you. Ferroseed with Eviolite hits bulk numbers that compete with final forms. Max HP and Sp. Def EVs and Sassy nature maximize that, and Iron Barbs handles the rest.

Best Build

Wall
Ability
Iron Barbs
Item
EvioliteBULK
Nature
Sassy+SPD
EVs

Best Ferroseed Moveset

  • Leech SeedSTAB
  • Gyro BallSTAB
  • CurseSetup
  • ToxicUtility

Recommended Teammates

Without breeding, Ferroseed misses out on Acid Spray and Bullet Seed. That's 9 egg moves adding depth that the base kit lacks. STAB comes from Solar Beam and Energy Ball, with coverage across 7 types rounding things out.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Harden
30Normal
Lv 1
Tackle
5010035Normal
Lv 6
Rollout
309020Rock
Lv 9
Curse
10Ghost
Lv 14
Metal Claw
509535Steel
Lv 18
Pin Missile
259520Bug
Lv 21
Gyro Ball
1005Steel
Lv 26
Iron Defense
15Steel
Lv 30
Mirror Shot
658510Steel
Lv 35
Ingrain
20Grass
Lv 38
Self-Destruct
2001005Normal
Lv 43
Iron Head
8010015Steel
Lv 47
Payback
5010010Dark
Lv 52
Flash Cannon
8010010Steel
Lv 55
Explosion
2501005Normal

TM Moves

Src
TM100
Confide
20Normal
TM32
Double Team
15Normal
TM53
Energy Ball
9010010Grass
TM64
Explosion
2501005Normal
TM42
Facade
7010020Normal
TM70
Flash
10020Normal
TM91
Flash Cannon
8010010Steel
TM21
Frustration
10020Normal
TM74
Gyro Ball
1005Steel
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM01
Hone Claws
15Dark
TM96
Nature Power
20Normal
TM66
Payback
5010010Dark
TM84
Poison Jab
8010020Poison
TM17
Protect+4
10Normal
TM44
Rest
10Psychic
TM27
Return
10020Normal
TM69
Rock Polish
20Rock
TM94
Rock Smash
4010015Fighting
TM48
Round
6010015Normal
TM88
Sleep Talk
10Normal
TM22
Solar Beam
12010010Grass
TM90
Substitute
10Normal
TM11
Sunny Day
5Fire
TM87
Swagger
9015Normal
TM73
Thunder Wave
10020Electric
TM24
Thunderbolt
9010015Electric
TM06
Toxic
9010Poison

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Acid Spray
4010020Poison
Egg
Bullet Seed
2510030Grass
Egg
Gravity
5Psychic
Egg
Leech Seed
9010Grass
Egg
Rock Climb
908520Normal
Egg
Seed Bomb
8010015Grass
Egg
Spikes
20Ground
Egg
Stealth Rock
20Rock
Egg
Worry Seed
10010Grass

Tutor Moves

Ferroseed can't learn any Tutor moves

Ferroseed's scattered across 6 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

Ferroseed appears in 6 walking locations at Lv. 15-22 across X and Y. Not all encounters show up in every version, so check which ones match your game.

Glittering Cave - 1F
XGrassLv.15-17CommonEarlyCaveShaking spot
EFFORTLESS
Glittering Cave - 1F
YGrassLv.15-17CommonEarlyCaveShaking spot
EFFORTLESS
Glittering Cave - 3D Area
XGrassLv.15-17RareEarlyCaveShaking spot
CHALLENGING
Glittering Cave - 3D Area
YGrassLv.15-17RareEarlyCaveShaking spot
CHALLENGING
Reflection Cave - 1F
YGrassLv.22UncommonMidCaveShaking spot
EASY
Reflection Cave - 1F
XGrassLv.22UncommonMidCaveShaking spot
EASY
  • Ferroseed isn't fully evolved, so it's not built for competitive play. You'll want to evolve it into Ferrothorn to unlock its full potential. At 305 BST, it's a stepping stone rather than a team anchor.

  • Watch for Blaziken (Fire) when using Ferroseed. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Blaziken is the most dangerous since Fire moves deal 4x damage. Fighting-type attackers are also a problem. Only 2 weaknesses means fewer dedicated counters to worry about. At base 10 Speed, Ferroseed won't outrun any of these threats so switching to a resist is usually the safer play.

  • Ferroseed evolves into Ferrothorn at level 40. Ferroseed is the base form of this evolutionary line.

  • Iron Barbs damages attacking Pokémon for 1/8 their max HP on contact — that's the one you want on Ferroseed. It's the only ability Ferroseed has.

  • Ferroseed fills the balanced role. It's leaning toward the physical side (base 50 Attack). Base 10 Speed is low. Priority moves or Trick Room are the way to go. And it's enough bulk to take a hit or two.

  • Ferroseed appears in 7 games, including Black & White, Black 2 & White 2, and X & Y.

Introduced in Black & White, Ferroseed has appeared in 7 games across 5 generations. Later debuts mean fewer total appearances, but it's been a consistent presence since its introduction.