Physical
Balanced
32Speed · Very Slow

Stats & Training

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.

Base Stats
Avg
HP68
C
Attack72
C
Defense78
C
Sp. Atk38
F
Sp. Def42
D
Speed32
F
Total330
Details
Catch Rate
Moderate140 / 255
Growth Rate
Slow1.25M XP
Height0.8 m
Weight49.5 kg
Base XP66
Abilities
Sand StreamTop Pick
Summons a sandstorm that lasts indefinitely upon entering battle.
Sand ForceHARare
Strengthens rock, ground, and steel moves to 1.3× their power during a sandstorm. Protects against sandstorm damage.
EV Yield
HPAtkDef+1SpASpDSpe
Defense training source
Pokedex Entries
No Legends Z A entries available

It shuts its nostrils tight, then travels through sand as if walking. They form colonies of around 10.

Hippopotas Weakness

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.

Hippopotas Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
2x (Weak)Water, Grass, Ice
0.5x (Resist)Poison, Rock
0x (Immune)Electric
Type ChartAvg
3Weak
2Resist
1Immune
Score-1
4xCritical
None
½xResist
¼xResist
None
0xImmune
How to Beat Hippopotas in Legends: Z-A (Best Counters)
Dondozo
Dondozo
Water
A
Water is super effective against HippopotasView Dondozo →

Legends: Z-A Evolution

Hippopotas is the base form in a two-stage line leading to Hippowdon. Check the evolution method below. Plenty of partners 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

2 Forms
Stat Comparison 2 Stages
Hippopotas
Ground
Hippowdon
Ground
HP
68
108+40
ATK
72
112+40
DEF
78
118+40
SP.ATK
38
68+30
SP.DEF
42
72+30
SPE
32
47+15
BST
330C-Tier
525B-Tier+195
ROLE
Balanced
Tank
TYPE
Physical
Physical
Breeding is not available in this game

Legends: Z-A Hippopotas Best Moveset

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

Experimental
Ability
Sand Stream
Item
EvioliteBULK
Best Nature for Hippopotas
Impish+DEF

Hippopotas best EVs are Defense and Sp. Def

EVs

Hazard Setter Moveset

  • EarthquakeSTAB
  • Stealth Rock
  • Slack Off
  • Ice Fang

Recommended Teammates

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.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Tackle
D4010035Normal
Lv 4
Bite
D6010025Dark
Lv 8
Curse
B10Ghost
Lv 12
Sand Tomb
D358515Ground
Lv 16
Dig
C8010010Ground
Lv 20
Crunch
B8010015Dark
Lv 24
Amnesia
B20Psychic
Lv 28
Take Down
D908520Normal
Lv 32
Roar-6
A20Normal
Lv 40
Earthquake
S10010010Ground
Lv 44
Double-Edge
A12010015Normal

TM Moves

TM
TM33
Body Slam
C8510015Normal
TM25
Crunch
B8010015Dark
TM91
Curse
B10Ghost
TM28
Dig
C8010010Ground
TM56
Double-Edge
A12010015Normal
TM52
Earth Power
D9010010Ground
TM69
Earthquake
S10010010Ground
TM35
Endure+4
C10Normal
TM109
Facade
D7010020Normal
TM14
Fire Fang
D659515Fire
TM154
Fissure
D305Ground
TM15
Ice Fang
A659515Ice
TM140
Muddy Water
D908510Water
TM17
Protect+4
B10Normal
TM05
Roar-6
A20Normal
TM12
Rock Slide
D759010Rock
TM36
Rock Tomb
D609515Rock
TM136
Scorching Sands
D7010010Ground
TM37
Stealth Rock
S20Rock
TM65
Stone Edge
D100805Rock
TM85
Substitute
C10Normal
TM21
Thunder Fang
D659515Electric
TM94
Whirlwind-6
S20Normal

Egg Moves

Hippopotas doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Hippopotas can't learn any Tutor moves

How to Get Hippopotas in Legends: Z-A

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 Guide

  • 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.

  • In Legends: Z-A, 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.

  • You can find Hippopotas in Legends: Z-A. The Locations section has the full breakdown of routes and encounter details. It also appears in 13 other games across the series.

Game Availability

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.

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