Is Forretress Good in Black 2 & White 2 Playthrough?
Pineco evolves at level 31. Bug/Steel with AbilitySturdy. If imported, nine type resistances make it one of the best defensive Pokemon available. Only weak to Fire. Sets hazards and takes hits all game.
Pineco has the type edge here and should clean up Cheren's team.
Roxie's typing presses Pineco's defenses.
Pineco trades roughly evenly with Burgh's team.
Pineco trades roughly evenly with Elesa's team.
Forretress trades roughly evenly with Clay's team.
Skyla's typing presses Forretress's defenses.
Forretress trades roughly evenly with Drayden's team.
Forretress trades roughly evenly with Marlon's team.
Forretress trades roughly evenly with Shauntal's team.
Forretress has the type edge here and should clean up Grimsley's team.
Forretress has the type edge here and should clean up Caitlin's team.
Marshal's typing presses Forretress's defenses.
Forretress trades roughly evenly with Iris's team.
Forretress cannot be caught in this game. It must be traded in from a compatible game where it appears in the wild. Cross-region trading typically becomes available after defeating the Elite Four. Alternatively, transfer the pre-evolution and level it up to Lv 31.
How to Get Forretress in Black 2 & White 2
Forretress isn't available in the wild in Black 2 & White 2. Start by transferring Pineco from Gold & Silver, Crystal, or HeartGold & SoulSilver. The evolution path from Pineco to Forretress is covered in the steps below.
How to Obtain Forretress in B2W2
Step 1Obtain PinecoLATER APPEARANCEfrom Gold & SilverNot TradeableAppears in Gold & Silver via Headbutt special · Lake of Rage. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom CrystalNot TradeableAppears in Crystal via Headbutt special · Route 29. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom EmeraldNot TradeableAppears in Emerald via Walking · Altering Cave. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom Diamond & PearlNot TradeableAppears in Diamond & Pearl via Walking · Route 229 · Dual-slot: Emerald. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom PlatinumNot TradeableAppears in Platinum via Walking · Route 210 · Dual-slot: Emerald. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCENot TradeableAppears in HeartGold & SoulSilver via Headbutt · Ilex Forest. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.- Step 2Forretress ✓
Forretress Weakness
Fire moves hit Forretress 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. With 9 resistances, the defensive profile is strong. Forretress's physical bulk (base 140 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 4x (Critical) | Fire |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Normal, Ice, Psychic, Bug, Ghost, Dragon, Dark, Steel |
| 0.25x (Resist) | Grass |
| 0x (Immune) | Poison |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Forretress Weak Against
FortressBest Pokemon Against Forretress
 Tepig Fire | C | |
Obtain MethodAspertia City Gift | ||
 Darumaka Fire | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Forretress View Darumaka builds →Flare Blitz 4x126-149%KO | ||
 Arcanine Fire | B | |
 Simisear Fire | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Forretress View Simisear builds →Flame Burst 4x155-183%KO | ||
 Flareon Fire | C | |
 Pignite FireFighting | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Tepig (Aspertia City Gift) | ||
 Darmanitan Fire | B | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Forretress View Darmanitan builds →Flare Blitz 4x180-212%KO | ||
Arcanine Fire | B | |
 Emboar FireFighting | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Tepig (Aspertia City Gift) | ||
Simisear Fire | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Forretress View Simisear builds →Flame Burst 4x158-187%KO | ||
 Volcarona BugFire | A | |
Obtain MethodRelic Castle Interact Encounter | ||
Darmanitan Fire | B | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Forretress View Darmanitan builds →Flare Blitz 4x184-217%KO | ||
 Chandelure GhostFire | B | |
Volcarona BugFire | A | |
Obtain MethodRelic Castle Interact Encounter | ||
Arcanine Fire | B | |
Emboar FireFighting | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Tepig (Aspertia City Gift) | ||
Darmanitan Fire | B | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Forretress View Darmanitan builds →Flare Blitz 4x180-212%KO | ||
Chandelure GhostFire | B | |
Volcarona BugFire | A | |
Obtain MethodRelic Castle Interact Encounter | ||
Arcanine Fire | B | |
Emboar FireFighting | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Tepig (Aspertia City Gift) | ||
 Heatran FireSteel | A | |
Obtain MethodReversal Mountain Interact Encounter | ||
Chandelure GhostFire | B | |
Volcarona BugFire | A | |
Obtain MethodRelic Castle Interact Encounter | ||
Darmanitan Fire | B | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Forretress View Darmanitan builds →Flare Blitz 4x179-210%KO | ||
Emboar FireFighting | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Tepig (Aspertia City Gift) Available Move Moves
Damage vs Forretress View Emboar builds →Flare Blitz 4x159-188%KO | ||
S | ||
Recommended Build AbilityIron Barbs ItemLeftovers NatureCareful Moves View Ferrothorn builds →
| ||
A | ||
Recommended Build AbilitySand Stream ItemChopleberry NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Forretress View Tyranitar builds →Pursuit3-4% Crunch7-8% Superpower21-25% | ||
B | ||
Recommended Build AbilityNatural Cure ItemLeftovers NatureBold Moves View Blissey builds →
| ||
B | ||
Recommended Build AbilityThickfat ItemChoice Band NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Forretress View Mamoswine builds →Earthquake29-34% Ice Shard6-7% Superpower35-41% | ||
B | ||
Recommended Build AbilitySturdy ItemLeftovers NatureCareful Moves View Skarmory builds →
| ||
Forretress Evolutions
Evolved from Pineco. Forretress is the final form in this two-stage line. Plenty of partners for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are average hatch time. Defense grew the most through evolution (+50 over Pineco), and Forretress peaks at 465 total stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Forretress to get Pineco eggs easily using 65 partners from the Bug egg group. Notable egg moves include Counter, Double-Edge, Endure and 8 more.
B2W2 Forretress Best Moveset
MoveStealth Rock, MoveSpikes, MoveToxic Spikes, and MoveRapid Spin in one moveset covers both hazard setting and hazard removal. Bug/Steel resists 8 types, 140 Defense absorbs physical attacks, and AbilitySturdy guarantees one turn. Opponents can't ignore the hazards, and the moveset keeps stacking while spinning away the opponent's.
Best Build
Forretress best EVs are HP and Defense
Hazard Setter Moveset
- Rapid Spin
- Spikes
- Gyro Ball
- Stealth Rock
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Without breeding, Forretress misses out on Counter and Double-Edge. That's 11 egg moves adding depth that the base kit lacks. STAB comes from Flash Cannon and Signal Beam, with coverage across 8 types rounding things out.
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
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Transfer Moves
Base Stats
It is encased in a steel shell. Its peering eyes are all that can be seen of its mysterious innards.
Forretress Black 2 & White 2 Guide
For Black 2 & White 2, we rate Forretress B-Tier: a solid option in Black 2 & White 2 for the right team. At 465 BST, it fits the hazard setter role. Rapid Spin with Leftovers is the standard set.
In Black 2 & White 2, watch for Arcanine (Fire) when using Forretress. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Arcanine is the most dangerous since Fire moves deal 4x damage. Only 1 weakness means fewer dedicated counters to worry about. At base 40 Speed, Forretress won't outrun any of these threats so switching to a resist is usually the safer play.
Sturdy prevents being KOed from full HP, leaving 1 HP instead. That's the one you want on Forretress. Overcoat is the hidden ability. Niche, but it has its uses.
Base 40 Speed is low. Priority moves or Trick Room are the way to go. On offense, Forretress is a mixed attacker with base 90 Attack and 60 Sp. Atk. Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two. Best used as a hazard setter.
In Black 2 & White 2, run Rapid Spin, Spikes, Gyroball, and Stealth Rock on Forretress. Rapid Spin is the most common pick at 0% usage. This set covers the hazard setter role with a mix of damage and utility.
Game Availability
Available in 16 titles since its debut in Gold & Silver, Forretress spans 9 generations of Pokemon games. It's accessible through wild encounters in most mainline games.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GSDebut
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
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 7LGPE
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