Poison moves don't affect Forretress at all — that's the advantage of Bug/Steel typing. It moves last in most matchups but can take a hit. The stat spread favors raw physical power. Introduced in Gen 2.
Defense leads and Speed gets almost nothing. That's Forretress's stat line in a nutshell. 2 stats sit in respectable range, but the spread is brutal. Moderately hard to find and yields 2 Defense stat exp.
Its entire body is shielded by a steel-hard shell. What lurks inside the armor is a total mystery.
It remains immovably rooted to its tree. It scatters pieces of its hard shell to drive its enemies away.
Forretress Weakness
FortressFire-type 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.
- 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 Pineco. Forretress is the final form in this two-stage line. A decent partner pool 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.
How to Evolve
Breed with Forretress to get Pineco eggs easily using 23 partners from the Bug egg group. Notable egg moves include Flail, Pin Missile, Reflect and 1 more.
Best Build
Best Forretress Moveset
- Spikes
- Explosion
- Rapid Spin
- Toxic
Recommended Teammates
Without breeding, Forretress misses out on Flail and Pin Missile. That's 4 egg moves adding depth that the base kit lacks. STAB comes from Pin Missile, with Normal and Grass coverage and more rounding things out.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
You're catching Pineco first, not Forretress. Pineco appears at solid rates in the encounters below. The step cards map the full 2-stage line with evolution methods between each stage.
How to Obtain Forretress in Gold & Silver
To get Forretress, start by catching Pineco through headbutt encounters at Lv. 10+. The chain covers 1 catchable stage before reaching the final form.
Step 1Catch PinecoEFFORTLESSAzalea TownSilverHeadbutting special treesLv.10CommonEarlyCityEFFORTLESSAzalea TownGoldHeadbutting special treesLv.10CommonEarlyCityEFFORTLESSIlex ForestSilverHeadbutting special treesLv.10CommonEarlyForestEFFORTLESSIlex ForestGoldHeadbutting special treesLv.10CommonEarlyForestEFFORTLESSLake of RageSilverHeadbutting special treesLv.10CommonEarlyWaterEFFORTLESSLake of RageGoldHeadbutting special treesLv.10CommonEarlyWaterEFFORTLESSRoute 34SilverHeadbutting special treesLv.10CommonEarlyRouteEFFORTLESSRoute 34GoldHeadbutting special treesLv.10CommonEarlyRouteEFFORTLESSRoute 35SilverHeadbutting special treesLv.10CommonEarlyRouteEFFORTLESSRoute 35GoldHeadbutting special treesLv.10CommonEarlyRouteEFFORTLESSRoute 36SilverHeadbutting special treesLv.10CommonEarlyRouteEFFORTLESSRoute 36GoldHeadbutting special treesLv.10CommonEarlyRouteEFFORTLESSRoute 37SilverHeadbutting special treesLv.10CommonEarlyRouteEFFORTLESSRoute 37GoldHeadbutting special treesLv.10CommonEarlyRouteEFFORTLESSRoute 38SilverHeadbutting special treesLv.10CommonEarlyRouteEFFORTLESSRoute 38GoldHeadbutting special treesLv.10CommonEarlyRouteEFFORTLESSRoute 39SilverHeadbutting special treesLv.10CommonEarlyRouteEFFORTLESSRoute 39GoldHeadbutting special treesLv.10CommonEarlyRouteEFFORTLESSRoute 26SilverHeadbutting special treesLv.10CommonEarlyRouteEFFORTLESSRoute 26GoldHeadbutting special treesLv.10CommonEarlyRouteEFFORTLESSRoute 27GoldHeadbutting special treesLv.10CommonEarlyRouteEFFORTLESSRoute 27SilverHeadbutting special treesLv.10CommonEarlyRoute- Step 2Forretress ✓
We rate Forretress A-Tier — a strong competitive pick. At 465 BST, it fits the hazard setter role. Base 140 Defense stands out.
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.
Pineco evolves into Forretress at level 31. Forretress is the fully evolved form. It sits at 465 BST in its evolved form.
Base 40 Speed is low. Priority moves or Trick Room are the way to go. On offense, Forretress is a physical attacker with base 90 Attack. Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two. Best used as a hazard setter.
Forretress appears in 16 games, including Gold & Silver, Crystal, and Ruby & Sapphire.
Available in 16 titles since its debut in Gold & Silver, Forretress 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