Physical
Wallbreaker
500High
85Moderate
CTier

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
Catch45ChallengingSlow1.25M XP1.5m / 4'11"54kg / 119 lbs175Base XP
Pokedex Entries

This powerful Pokémon thrusts its prized horn under its enemies’ bellies, then lifts and throws them.

X

With its Herculean powers, it can easily throw around an object that is 100 times its own weight.

Y

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
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
None
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
#214Heracross
Does not evolve
Breeding
Easy

Breed Heracross easily from the Bug egg group. Pass egg moves like Bide, Double-Edge, 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

the remaining moves gives Heracross answers even while choice-locked. Choice Scarf provides speed patching through item lock, and max Attack and Speed EVs with Moxie mean every prediction that lands hits hard.

Best Build

Physical Revenge Killer
Ability
Moxie
Item
Choice ScarfSPEED
Nature
Jolly+SPE
EVs

Best Heracross Moveset

  • MegahornSTAB
  • Close CombatSTAB
  • Knock Off
  • Stone Edge

Recommended Teammates

Breeding's the move. Bide and Double-Edge give Heracross options it can't learn any other way, and coverage across 8 types already covers a decent range on top of Focus Punch and Close Combat. The egg moves push it further.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Arm Thrust
1510020Fighting
Lv 1
Bullet Seed
2510030Grass
Lv 1
Endure+4
10Normal
Lv 1
Horn Attack
6510025Normal
Lv 1
Leer
10030Normal
Lv 1
Night Slash
7010015Dark
Lv 1
Tackle
5010035Normal
Lv 7
Fury Attack
158520Normal
Lv 10
Aerial Ace
6020Flying
Lv 16
Chip Away
7010020Normal
Lv 19
Counter-5
10020Fighting
Lv 25
Brick Break
7510015Fighting
Lv 28
Take Down
908520Normal
Lv 31
Pin Missile
259520Bug
Lv 34
Close Combat
1201005Fighting
Lv 37
Feint+2
3010010Normal
Lv 43
Reversal
10015Fighting
Lv 46
Megahorn
1208510Bug

TM Moves

Src
TM40
Aerial Ace
6020Flying
TM45
Attract
10015Normal
TM31
Brick Break
7510015Fighting
TM08
Bulk Up
20Fighting
TM78
Bulldoze
6010020Ground
TM100
Confide
20Normal
HM01
Cut
509530Normal
TM28
Dig
8010010Ground
TM32
Double Team
15Normal
TM26
Earthquake
10010010Ground
TM42
Facade
7010020Normal
TM54
False Swipe
4010040Normal
TM56
Fling
10010Dark
TM52
Focus Blast
120705Fighting
TM21
Frustration
10020Normal
TM68
Giga Impact
150905Normal
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM15
Hyper Beam
150905Normal
TM17
Protect+4
10Normal
TM18
Rain Dance
5Water
TM44
Rest
10Psychic
TM67
Retaliate
701005Normal
TM27
Return
10020Normal
TM80
Rock Slide
759010Rock
TM94
Rock Smash
4010015Fighting
TM39
Rock Tomb
609515Rock
TM48
Round
6010015Normal
TM65
Shadow Claw
7010015Ghost
TM88
Sleep Talk
10Normal
TM23
Smack Down
5010015Rock
TM71
Stone Edge
100805Rock
HM04
Strength
8010015Normal
TM76
Struggle Bug
5010020Bug
TM90
Substitute
10Normal
TM11
Sunny Day
5Fire
TM87
Swagger
9015Normal
TM75
Swords Dance
20Normal
TM46
Thief
6010025Dark
TM06
Toxic
9010Poison
TM09
Venoshock
6510010Poison

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Bide+1
10Normal
Egg
Double-Edge
12010015Normal
Egg
Flail
10015Normal
Egg
Focus Punch-3
15010020Fighting
Egg
Harden
30Normal
Egg
Megahorn
1208510Bug
Egg
Pursuit
4010020Dark
Egg
Revenge-4
6010010Fighting
Egg
Rock Blast
259010Rock
Egg
Seismic Toss
10020Fighting

Tutor Moves

Heracross can't learn any Tutor moves

Transfer Moves

Src
Gen 3
Body Slam
8510015Normal
Gen 4
Captivate
10020Normal
Gen 4
Fury Cutter
409520Bug
Gen 4
Headbutt
7010015Normal
Gen 3
Mimic
10Normal
Gen 4
Natural Gift
10015Normal
Gen 4
Vacuum Wave+1
4010030Fighting
Gen 5
Work Up
30Normal

Heracross sits at moderate rates across 2 spots in mid-game routes. Pick one from the sorted list and commit to it. Jumping between areas wastes more time than waiting in the right location.

Best Locations

Route 12
GrassLv.25RareMidRouteYellow Flower
CHALLENGING
Route 12
GrassLv.25RareMidRoute
CHALLENGING
  • We rate Heracross C-Tier — a situational pick that fills a niche. 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.