Nothing fancy in Hippopotas's spread. It leans physical with Defense out front. And you'll get 1 Defense EV per KO for it. Follows a slow 1.25M XP grind.
It shuts its nostrils tight, then travels through sand as if walking. They form colonies of around 10.
It shrouds itself in sand to ward off germs. It travels easily through the sands of the desert.
Water, Grass, and Ice moves hit Hippopotas for super-effective damage. The upside? Electric-type moves can't touch it at all. Hippopotas's physical bulk (base 78 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Water, Grass, Ice |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Poison, Rock |
| 0x (Immune) | Electric |
Urshifu deals 46-54% with Close Combat.
 Dondozo Water | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityUnaware ItemLeftovers NatureImpish Moves View Dondozo builds →
| ||
 Weavile DarkIce | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityPressure ItemHeavy-Duty Boots NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Hippopotas View Weavile builds →Knock Off21-25% Ice Shard 2x27-32% | ||
 Urshifu FightingDark | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityUnseenfist ItemFocus Sash NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Hippopotas View Urshifu builds →Close Combat46-54% Sucker Punch27-32% | ||
 Toedscool GroundGrass | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityMyceliummight ItemEviolite NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Hippopotas View Toedscool builds →Rapid Spin4-4% Knock Off5-6% Giga Drain 2x35-41% | ||
 Breloom GrassFighting | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityTechnician ItemToxic Orb NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Hippopotas View Breloom builds →Mach Punch16-18% Bullet Seed 2x20-24% | ||
Hippopotas is the base form in a two-stage line leading to Hippowdon. Check the evolution method below. A massive partner pool for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are slow to hatch. The evolved forms gain up to 195 total stats over Hippopotas. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed Hippopotas easily with 278 breeding partners from the Ground egg group.
Lead with Hippopotas, set Stealth Rock, and keep pressure on. Sand Stream and Eviolite buy the time it needs, with spread EVs letting it take hits while controlling the hazard game. Slack Off keeps it healthy between hits.
Best Build
Hippopotas best EVs are Defense and Sp. Def
Hazard Setter Moveset
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Slack Off
- Ice Fang
Recommended Teammates
Wall Moveset
- Slack Off
- Whirlwind
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
Recommended Teammates
Physical Attacker Moveset
- Unknown
- Earthquake
- Double Edge
- Stealth Rock
Recommended Teammates
Hazard Setter Moveset
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Slack Off
- Ice Fang
Recommended Teammates
Wall Moveset
- Slack Off
- Whirlwind
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
Physical Attacker Moveset
- Unknown
- Earthquake
- Double Edge
- Stealth Rock
Recommended Teammates
Legends: Arceus uses different battle mechanics.
Competitive build content is not applicable for this game. Select a main series game for builds.
No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 8.
Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.
Moves
The level-up pool is slim, so TMs matter here. Hippopotas's coverage across 8 types all comes from technical machines, built on top of Earthquake and High Horsepower for same-type damage. Take Down and Earthquake are the payoff moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
The level-up pool is slim, so TMs matter here. Hippopotas's coverage across 7 types all comes from technical machines, built on top of Earthquake and Earth Power for same-type damage. Take Down and Earthquake are the payoff moves.
A compact toolkit overall. The offense runs through High Horsepower and Earth Power for Hippopotas, with Normal and Dark coverage and more doing what it can. Don't expect versatility from this one.
Don't skip the egg moves. Hippopotas picks up Body Slam and Curse only through breeding, and both fill gaps the natural movepool can't. STAB runs through Earthquake and Dig while Normal and Dark coverage and more adds range.
Hippopotas's scattered across 2 spots in mid-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 to Catch Hippopotas in Scarlet & Violet
Hippopotas can't be caught in Legends: Z-A. Bring it over from Diamond, Platinum, or Scarlet instead. The encounter info below covers the source games.
Hippopotas is not available as a wild encounter in this game.
Catch in the wild in:
Then trade to Legends: Z-A.
Also found in:
Hippopotas starts showing up in mid-game routes at decent spawn rates across 3 encounter spots. The list below is sorted so you can pick what fits your current progress without scrolling through everything.
Best Locations to Catch Hippopotas in Legends: Arceus
Walking encounters at walking across 3 spots for Hippopotas. Sorted by progression so you can see what's reachable at your current point in the game.
A solid number of locations for Hippopotas with decent spawn rates across mid-game routes. The sort toggle below swaps between best odds and earliest access, so you can approach it based on where you are in the game.
Best Locations to Catch Hippopotas in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
Hippopotas's encounter pool splits between Shining Pearl and Brilliant Diamond. You've got 12 walking spots at Lv. 22-29 total, but your version determines which ones actually show up.
Get Hippopotas to Hippowdon at level 34. At 330 BST, Hippopotas is just the starting point.
Level 34 gets you Hippowdon. Not the fastest evolution, so consider Exp. Share or route grinding to speed it up.
For a casual playthrough, Hippopotas works as a placeholder. Ground coverage is useful early. The real payoff is Hippowdon. That's where the stats start mattering.
Across 14 games, Hippopotas has solid availability. First showed up in Legends: Z-A. The latest games to include it are Platinum and HeartGold & SoulSilver.
Debuting in Diamond & Pearl, Hippopotas appears in 14 games across 7 generations. A reliable presence in a solid number of games, typically found through catching or hatching as a base form.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 4DPDebut
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves