Physical
Wallbreaker
500High
85Moderate
BTier

Flying is a dangerous matchup for Heracross — quadruple damage means one hit can end things. Known as the Single Horn Pokemon. Built to hit on the physical side.

Attack leads and Sp. Atk gets almost nothing. That's Heracross's stat line in a nutshell. 4 stats sit in respectable range, but the spread is brutal. Tough to catch and yields 2 Attack EVs.

Base Stats
500High
HP80
C
Attack125
A
Defense75
C
Sp. Atk40
D
Sp. Def95
B
Speed85
C
Total500
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Heracross yields +2 Atk
HPAtk+2DefSpASpDSpe
Details
Catch45Challenging•Slow1.25M XP•1.5m / 4'11"•54kg / 119 lbs•175Base XP
Pokedex Entries

It gathers in forests to search for tree sap, its favorite food. It’s strong enough to hurl foes.

Brilliant Diamond

Its powerful legs and claws give it enough power to hurl foes over great distances.

Shining Pearl

Heracross Weakness

Vulnerable

Type-wise, Heracross takes extra damage from Flying, Fire, Psychic, and Fairy. Watch out for Flying attacks, those deal 4x damage. 5 resistances help offset the weaknesses.

4xCriticali
Flying
2xWeaki
FirePsychicFairy
½xResisti
GrassFightingGroundBugDark
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
None
STAB (7)i
GrassPsychicDarkNormalIceRockSteel
4Weak
5Resist
0Immune
Scorei-5
SpikesGrounded — up to 25%
Toxic SpikesVulnerable
4x Flying — Brave Bird, Hurricane, Air Slash
Abilities
SwarmStrengthens bug moves to inflict 1.5× damage at 1/3 max HP or less.
GutsIncreases Attack to 1.5× with a major status ailment.
MoxieHARaises Attack one stage upon KOing a Pokémon.

What you see is what you get. Heracross sits outside any evolution chain, so focus on the egg moves and no compatible partners from one egg group. Eggs are average hatch time.

How to Evolve

No Evolution
Heracross
#214HeracrossDoes not evolve
Breeding
Easy

Breed Heracross easily from the Bug egg group. Pass egg moves like Double-Edge, Feint, Flail and 7 more to offspring.

Egg Groups
Bug
Gender
♂50.0%♀50.0%
Hatch Time
25 cycles·6,425 steps
Moderate~6 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
10moves

double STAB keeps opponents guessing about Heracross's real targets. Salacberry provides extra utility while max Attack and Speed EVs and Jolly nature handle the stat profile. Moxie ties it together.

Best Build

Physical Sweeper
Ability
Moxie
Item
SalacberryRECOVERY
Nature
Jolly+SPE
EVs

Best Heracross Moveset

  • MegahornSTAB
  • Stone Edge
  • ReversalSTAB
  • EndureFAST +4

Recommended Teammates

Dragonite
DragoniteGood
Omastar
OmastarGood

Breeding's the move. Double-Edge and Feint give Heracross options it can't learn any other way, and coverage across 7 types already covers a decent range on top of Focus Punch and Megahorn. The egg moves push it further.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Leer
—10030Normal
Lv 1
Tackle
4010035Normal
Lv 5
Fury Attack
158520Normal
Lv 10
Endure+4
——10Normal
Lv 15
Aerial Ace
60—20Flying
Lv 20
Horn Attack
6510025Normal
Lv 25
Counter-5
—10020Fighting
Lv 30
Brick Break
7510015Fighting
Lv 35
Pin Missile
259520Bug
Lv 40
Throat Chop
8010015Dark
Lv 45
Thrash
12010010Normal
Lv 50
Swords Dance
——20Normal
Lv 55
Megahorn
1208510Bug
Lv 60
Close Combat
1201005Fighting

TM Moves

Src
TM40
Aerial Ace
60—20Flying
TM45
Attract
—10015Normal
TM31
Brick Break
7510015Fighting
TM08
Bulk Up
——20Fighting
TM83
Bulldoze
6010020Ground
TM09
Bullet Seed
2510030Grass
TM93
Cut
509530Normal
TM28
Dig
8010010Ground
TM32
Double Team
——15Normal
TM26
Earthquake
10010010Ground
TM58
Endure+4
——10Normal
TM42
Facade
7010020Normal
TM54
False Swipe
4010040Normal
TM56
Fling
—10010Dark
TM52
Focus Blast
120705Fighting
TM01
Focus Punch-3
15010020Fighting
TM68
Giga Impact
150905Normal
TM15
Hyper Beam
150905Normal
TM17
Protect+4
——10Normal
TM18
Rain Dance
——5Water
TM44
Rest
——10Psychic
TM80
Rock Slide
759010Rock
TM98
Rock Smash
4010015Fighting
TM39
Rock Tomb
609515Rock
TM65
Shadow Claw
7010015Ghost
TM82
Sleep Talk
——10Normal
TM71
Stone Edge
100805Rock
TM96
Strength
8010015Normal
TM90
Substitute
——10Normal
TM11
Sunny Day
——5Fire
TM87
Swagger
—8515Normal
TM75
Swords Dance
——20Normal
TM46
Thief
6010025Dark
TM10
Work Up
——30Normal

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Double-Edge
12010015Normal
Egg
Feint+2
3010010Normal
Egg
Flail
—10015Normal
Egg
Harden
——30Normal
Egg
Megahorn
1208510Bug
Egg
Night Slash
7010015Dark
Egg
Revenge-4
6010010Fighting
Egg
Rock Blast
259010Rock
Egg
Seismic Toss
—10020Fighting
Egg
Take Down
908520Normal

Tutor Moves

Heracross can't learn any Tutor moves

Heracross doesn't appear in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl. Transfer it from Gold, Crystal, or Diamond to add it to your collection. Check the source games below for encounter details.

Heracross is not available as a wild encounter in this game.

Also found in:

GoldCrystalRubyEmeraldFireRedDiamond

  • We rate Heracross B-Tier — a solid choice for the right team. At 500 BST, it fits the wallbreaker role. Base 125 Attack stands out.

  • Heracross's biggest threats include Dodrio (Flying), Charizard (Fire), and Espeon (Psychic), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Dodrio is the most dangerous since Flying moves deal 4x damage. Fairy-type attackers are also a problem.

  • Heracross doesn't evolve and has no evolutionary line. It's a Bug/Fighting-type Pokemon with strong stats at 500 BST — no evolution needed.

  • Swarm is the go-to ability for Heracross. It strengthens bug moves to inflict 1.5× damage at 1/3 max HP or less. Its hidden ability Moxie can work in specific setups. Guts is the other option — pick based on what your team needs.

  • Base 85 Speed is workable — faster than some, slower than many. On offense, Heracross is a physical attacker with base 125 Attack. Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two. Best used as a wallbreaker.

  • Heracross appears in 19 games, including Gold & Silver, Crystal, and Ruby & Sapphire.

Since debuting in Gold & Silver, Heracross has appeared in 19 titles over 8 generations. Along the way, it received a Mega form in Generation 7, keeping it relevant across different competitive metas.