Is Hippowdon Good in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Playthrough?
AbilitySand Stream sets sandstorm on entry, boosting Rock-type Sp. Def and chipping non-Ground/Rock/Steel opponents. Physical tank with 112 Attack and Earthquake. Handles Volkner, Flint, and Byron. Not as fast as Garchomp but much bulkier. A reliable Ground option that supports the team through weather.
Hippopotas resists most of Roark's coverage and hits back hard.
Hippopotas trades roughly evenly with Gardenia's team.
Hippopotas has the type edge here and should clean up Maylene's team.
Crasher Wake's team hits Hippopotas's weaknesses hard.
Hippowdon trades roughly evenly with Fantina's team.
Hippowdon has the type edge here and should clean up Byron's team.
Hippowdon has the type edge here and should clean up Candice's team.
Hippowdon has the type edge here and should clean up Volkner's team.
Hippowdon has the type edge here and should clean up Aaron's team.
Hippowdon has the type edge here and should clean up Bertha's team.
Hippowdon has the type edge here and should clean up Flint's team.
Hippowdon has the type edge here and should clean up Lucian's team.
Hippowdon has the type edge here and should clean up Cynthia's team.
Catch Hippopotas on Ruin Maniac Tunnel (walking, Lv 22-23, uncommon).
Your Hippopotas should hit Level 34 before you reach Fantina, at typical leveling pace.
How to Get Hippowdon in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
decent spawn rates for Hippowdon across 4 locations in endgame routes. Nothing complicated. Check the sorted list below, compare the top few options, and head to whichever is closest.
Where To Catch Hippowdon in BDSP
The path to Hippowdon starts with Hippopotas at Lv. 22-54 via walking encounters. 2 catchable stages total, with locations listed for each one below.
Step 1Catch HippopotasRuin Maniac Tunnel - 26 Unown caughtLv.22-25CaveRate 20%Ruin Maniac Tunnel - 10-25 Unown caughtLv.22-24CaveRate 10%Big Bluff CavernLv.25-29CaveRequires DefogRocky CaveLv.25-29CaveRequires DefogSandsear CaveLv.25-29GrassRequires DefogRuin Maniac Tunnel - 0-9 Unown caughtLv.22-23CaveRate 5%
Step 2Hippowdon ✓Route 228Lv.52-54GrassRate 20%Morning/dayRoute 228Lv.54GrassRate 10%Nightor evolve from Hippopotas (Step 1)
Hippowdon Weakness
Type-wise, Hippowdon takes extra damage from Water, Grass, and Ice. Electric moves do nothing thanks to a full immunity. Hippowdon's physical bulk (base 118 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 |
What is Hippowdon Weak Against
AvgBest Pokemon Against Hippowdon
 Psyduck Water | D | |
Obtain MethodCelestic Town Surfing | ||
 Surskit BugWater | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Hippowdon View Surskit builds →Scald 2x43-52% Giga Drain 2x29-34% | ||
 Budew GrassPoison | D | |
 Floatzel Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Hippowdon View Floatzel builds →Waterfall 2x49-58% Ice Beam 2x45-53% | ||
 Bibarel NormalWater | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Hippowdon View Bibarel builds →Waterfall 2x42-50% Ice Beam 2x32-39% | ||
 Gastrodon WaterGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Hippowdon View Gastrodon builds →Surf 2x71-84% Ice Beam 2x47-56% | ||
Psyduck Water | D | |
Obtain MethodCelestic Town Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Hippowdon View Psyduck builds →Surf 2x55-66% Ice Beam 2x37-44% | ||
Budew GrassPoison | D | |
 Pelipper Water | C | |
Obtain MethodCanalave City Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Hippowdon View Pelipper builds →Surf 2x74-87% Ice Beam 2x49-58% | ||
Floatzel Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Hippowdon View Floatzel builds →Waterfall 2x49-58% Ice Beam 2x45-53% | ||
Bibarel NormalWater | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Hippowdon View Bibarel builds →Waterfall 2x42-50% Ice Beam 2x32-39% | ||
Budew GrassPoison | D | |
Psyduck Water | D | |
Obtain MethodCelestic Town Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Hippowdon View Psyduck builds →Surf 2x55-66% Ice Beam 2x37-44% | ||
Pelipper Water | C | |
Obtain MethodCanalave City Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Hippowdon View Pelipper builds →Surf 2x70-83% Ice Beam 2x46-55% | ||
 Golduck Water | C | |
Obtain MethodCelestic Town Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Hippowdon View Golduck builds →Surf 2x70-83% Ice Beam 2x46-55% | ||
Floatzel Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Hippowdon View Floatzel builds →Waterfall 2x47-56% Ice Beam 2x43-51% | ||
Bibarel NormalWater | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Hippowdon View Bibarel builds →Waterfall 2x40-47% Ice Beam 2x31-37% | ||
Budew GrassPoison | D | |
 Roselia GrassPoison | C | |
Pelipper Water | C | |
Obtain MethodCanalave City Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Hippowdon View Pelipper builds →Surf 2x70-83% Ice Beam 2x47-55% | ||
Golduck Water | C | |
Obtain MethodCelestic Town Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Hippowdon View Golduck builds →Surf 2x70-83% Ice Beam 2x47-55% | ||
Floatzel Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Hippowdon View Floatzel builds →Waterfall 2x46-54% Ice Beam 2x42-50% | ||
Bibarel NormalWater | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Hippowdon View Bibarel builds →Waterfall 2x39-46% Ice Beam 2x30-36% | ||
 Roserade GrassPoison | B | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Hippowdon View Roserade builds →Petal Dance 2x115-135%KO | ||
Pelipper Water | C | |
Obtain MethodCanalave City Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Hippowdon View Pelipper builds →Surf 2x69-81% Ice Beam 2x46-54% | ||
 Abomasnow GrassIce | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Hippowdon View Abomasnow builds →Solar Beam 2x88-105%KO Ice Beam 2x67-79% Water Pulse 2x30-36% | ||
Golduck Water | C | |
Obtain MethodCelestic Town Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Hippowdon View Golduck builds →Surf 2x69-81% Ice Beam 2x46-54% | ||
Floatzel Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Hippowdon View Floatzel builds →Waterfall 2x46-54% Ice Beam 2x41-49% | ||
Roserade GrassPoison | B | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Hippowdon View Roserade builds →Petal Dance 2x115-135%KO | ||
Pelipper Water | C | |
Obtain MethodCanalave City Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Hippowdon View Pelipper builds →Surf 2x69-81% Ice Beam 2x46-54% | ||
Abomasnow GrassIce | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Hippowdon View Abomasnow builds →Solar Beam 2x88-105%KO Ice Beam 2x67-79% Water Pulse 2x30-36% | ||
 Jynx IcePsychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Hippowdon View Jynx builds →Ice Beam 2x80-95% Energy Ball 2x54-63% Water Pulse 2x36-43% | ||
Golduck Water | C | |
Obtain MethodCelestic Town Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Hippowdon View Golduck builds →Surf 2x69-81% Ice Beam 2x46-54% | ||
Roserade GrassPoison | B | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Hippowdon View Roserade builds →Petal Dance 2x115-136%KO | ||
 Cacturne GrassDark | C | |
Pelipper Water | C | |
Obtain MethodCanalave City Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Hippowdon View Pelipper builds →Surf 2x69-82% Ice Beam 2x46-54% | ||
 Vileplume GrassPoison | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Hippowdon View Vileplume builds →Petal Dance 2x103-122%KO | ||
 Victreebel GrassPoison | C | |
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Tyranitar deals 38-45% with Earthquake.
S | ||
Recommended Build AbilityFlashfire ItemLeftovers NatureTimid Moves View Heatran builds →
| ||
A | ||
Recommended Build AbilityStatic ItemHeavy-Duty Boots NatureBold Moves
Damage vs Hippowdon View Zapdos builds →Hurricane20-24% Heat Wave17-21% | ||
A | ||
Recommended Build AbilitySand Stream ItemChoice Band NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Hippowdon View Tyranitar builds →Crunch30-36% Stone Edge19-22% Earthquake38-45% | ||
B | ||
Recommended Build AbilityNatural Cure ItemHeavy-Duty Boots NatureBold Moves View Blissey builds →
| ||
Hippowdon Evolutions
Hippowdon is the evolved form of Hippopotas. Breeding produces Hippopotas eggs, and they're slow to hatch. Evolving from Hippopotas gave Hippowdon the biggest boost in HP (+40), bringing the total to 525 stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Hippowdon to get Hippopotas eggs easily using 131 partners from the Ground egg group. Notable egg moves include Body Slam, Curse, Revenge and 6 more.
BDSP Hippowdon Best Moveset
Dropped from S-tier as AbilitySand Stream sandstorm setting and 108/118 physical bulk couldn't maintain the original Gen 4 dominance. 112 Attack behind Ground TermStab gives the moveset physical power alongside the weather support. Hidden AbilitySand Force boosts Ground damage in its own sand. A-tier because the defensive bulk plus automatic sand remains a team foundation.
Best Build
Hippowdon best EVs are HP and Sp. Def
Wall Moveset
- Slack Off
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
The egg pool carries weight here. Body Slam and Curse aren't available any other way for Hippowdon, and they meaningfully change what it threatens. Stack those on top of Earthquake and Dig for solid options.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- Egg
- Inherited via breeding.
- Tutor
- NPC tutor (cost: items, BP, money).
- Reminder
- An NPC reteaches any move this Pokemon could have learned by leveling up.
- Transfer
- Carried over from an older game using Pokemon HOME.
- Event
- Given out through Mystery Gift events.
Visual Signals
CAT (Category)
How the move deals damage and which stats it uses.
A small dot on the icon's corner marks the move as contact. That triggers abilities like Static, Flame Body, Rough Skin, or Iron Barbs, plus items like Rocky Helmet and Sticky Barb.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM, Egg, and Tutor sort by tier by default (best first). On Level-Up, click the Tier header to do the same.
PWR (Power)
Base damage. Numbers shown in a type color include STAB (base × 1.5). Hover any colored number to see the math.
— means no power (status moves) or variable power.
Sorting & Filter
Click any column header to sort. Level-Up opens with Lv 1 at the top. TM, Egg, and Tutor open with the highest-tier moves at the top.
Search filters by move name or type. The Filter button limits the list to STAB, Physical, Special, or Status moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
It blasts internally stored sand from ports on its body to create a towering twister for attack.
Its huge mouth opens almost seven feet wide. It has enough power to completely crush a car.
Hippowdon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Guide
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Don't let Hippowdon's 525 base stat total fool you. Sand Stream is what makes it tick. It punches way above its weight class. We rate it B-Tier as a tank. Slack Off with Leftovers is the standard set.
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Run Sand Stream on Hippowdon. It's the ability that defines how you build around it and the main reason it holds a competitive niche. Hippowdon also gets Sand Force, but they don't compare.
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Hippowdon fills the tank role. It's a physical attacker with base 112 Attack. Base 47 Speed is low. Priority moves or Trick Room are the way to go. And it's tanky enough to absorb a few hits.
For Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, the core moveset is Slack Off, Earthquake, Stealth Rock, and Toxic. Slack Off leads at 0% usage. Earthquake provides reliable STAB damage.
Game Availability
Hippowdon first appeared in Diamond & Pearl and has been available in 14 games across 7 generations. Obtainable through wild encounters in most titles where it appears.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DPDebut
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves