Mixed
Support
CTier
85Speed · Above Avg

Illumise Best Moveset

Bug at 73 Sp. Atk and 85 Speed with AbilityPrankster giving priority to status moves. AbilityTinted Lens doubles resisted damage for offensive sets. The moveset runs slightly higher Sp. Atk than Volbeat with Tinted Lens coverage. Priority support through Prankster or offensive Bug TermStab through Tinted Lens. Neither path excels.

SABCDEFECEEEERuby, Sapphire & EmeraldIIIRS/EDiamond, Pearl & PlatinumIVDP/PtPEAKBlack & White / B2W2VBW/B2W2THE FALLX & Y / ORASVIXY/ORASSun & Moon / USUMVIISM/USUMScarlet & Violet / Legends Z-AIXSV/LZACURRENT
●Gen III — Ruby, Sapphire & EmeraldE

Pair to Volbeat in Gen III (Ruby & Sapphire). 430 BST with 73 Sp. Atk and 47 Attack. No offensive stat worth building around.

Received Oblivious
SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE
Lv 21
Wish
Normal—COMMONRecovery
Tutor
Thunder Wave
Electric—COMMONUtility
Tutor
Seismic Toss
Fighting—COMMONCoverage
TM17
Protect
Normal—RAREPriority
Lv 29
Flatter
Dark—RAREUtility
TM31
Brick Break
Fighting75RARECoverage
TM6
Toxic
Poison—RAREUtility
Illumise Ruby & Sapphire MovesIllumise Emerald Moves
Experimental
Wall
Ability
Oblivious
Item
LeftoversSUSTAIN
Best Nature for Illumise
Calm+SPD
EVs

Wall Moveset

  • WishRecovery
  • Thunder Wave
  • Seismic Toss
  • ProtectFAST +4

Recommended Teammates

Volbeat
VolbeatDecent
Spinda
SpindaDecent
Gardevoir
GardevoirDecent
★Gen IV — Diamond, Pearl & PlatinumC

Peaked in Gen IV (Diamond & Pearl). Encore locked opponents into one move and gave the team a free turn. Bug utility without Bug damage.

Gained Tinted Lens as second abilityPhysical/Special split overhauled move damage

Best Moves

SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE
Lv 21
Wish
Normal—POPULARRecovery
Lv 41
Bug Buzz
Bug90POPULARSTAB
TM16
Light Screen
Psychic—POPULARUtility
TM24
Thunderbolt
Electric90POPULARCoverage
Illumise Diamond & Pearl MovesIllumise Platinum Moves

Best Build

Experimental
Screens Setter
Ability
Tinted Lens
Item
LeftoversSUSTAIN
Best Nature for Illumise
Timid+SPE

Illumise best EVs are Speed and HP

EVs

Screens Setter Moveset

  • WishRecovery
  • Bug BuzzSTAB
  • Light Screen
  • ThunderboltCoverage

Recommended Teammates

Machoke
MachokeExcellent
Dewgong
DewgongExcellent
Camerupt
CameruptExcellent
↓Gen V — Black & White / B2W2E

Prankster gave priority Encore in Gen V (Black & White). Good tool on the wrong body. 73 Sp. Atk and 47 Attack meant Illumise couldn't follow up.

Gained Prankster as hidden abilityHidden Abilities became available
SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE
Lv 41
Bug Buzz
Bug90COMMONSTAB
Tutor
Giga Drain
Grass75COMMONCoverage
TM10
Hidden Power (Fire)
Fire60COMMONCoverage
Xfer
Air Cutter
Flying60COMMONCoverage
TM57
Charge Beam
Electric50RARECoverage
Illumise Black & White MovesIllumise Black 2 & White 2 Moves
Experimental
Special Sweeper
Ability
Tinted Lens
Item
Choice SpecsPOWER
Best Nature for Illumise
Timid+SPE
EVs

Special Sweeper Moveset

  • Bug BuzzSTAB
  • Giga Drain
  • Hidden Power Fire
  • Air Cutter

Recommended Teammates

Starmie
StarmieGood
Sableye
SableyeGood
Blissey
BlisseyGood
→Gen VI — X & Y / ORASE

Better Prankster users like Klefki and Sableye appeared in Gen VI (X & Y). They did the same tricks from stronger positions. Illumise lost the niche.

Fairy type added to the gameMega Evolution became available
SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE
Lv 26
Encore
Normal—COMMONUtility
Tutor
Tailwind
Flying—COMMONUtility
TM89
U-turn
Bug70COMMONSTAB
Lv 22
Wish
Normal—COMMONRecovery
TM73
Thunder Wave
Electric—COMMONUtility
Lv 40
Bug Buzz
Bug90COMMONSTAB
TM16
Light Screen
Psychic—RAREUtility
TM10
Hidden Power (Rock)
Rock60RARECoverage
Illumise X & Y MovesIllumise ORAS Moves
Experimental
Wall
Ability
Prankster
Item
Focus SashSURVIVAL
Best Nature for Illumise
HardyNEUTRAL
EVs

Wall Moveset

  • EncoreUtility
  • TailwindUtility
  • U TurnSTAB
  • WishRecovery

Recommended Teammates

Mamoswine
MamoswineGood
Conkeldurr
ConkeldurrGood
Charizard-Mega-Y
Charizard-Mega-YGood
→Gen VII — Sun & Moon / USUME

Prankster nerfed against Dark-types in Gen VII (Sun & Moon). One fewer target for Illumise's only useful move. The window kept shrinking.

Defense raised from 55 to 75Z-Moves became available
SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE
Lv 26
Encore
Normal—COMMONUtility
TM73
Thunder Wave
Electric—COMMONUtility
Tutor
Defog
Flying—COMMONUtility
Lv 22
Wish
Normal—COMMONRecovery
TM19
Roost
Flying—RARERecovery
Lv 50
Infestation
Bug20RARESTAB
Lv 40
Bug Buzz
Bug90RARESTAB
Illumise Sun & Moon MovesIllumise Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon Moves
Experimental
Wall
Ability
Prankster
Item
Iapapa BerryRECOVERY
Best Nature for Illumise
Calm+SPD
EVs

Wall Moveset

  • EncoreUtility
  • Thunder Wave
  • DefogUtility
  • WishRecovery

Recommended Teammates

Galvantula
GalvantulaDecent
Beedrill-Mega
Beedrill-MegaDecent
Scizor
ScizorDecent
→Gen IX — Scarlet & Violet / Legends Z-AE

Six gens and one trick in Gen IX (Scarlet & Violet). Prankster Encore was useful in theory. The 430 BST behind it was useless in practice.

Terastallization became available
SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE
Lv 26
Encore
Normal—COMMONUtility
TM82
Thunder Wave
Electric—COMMONUtility
Egg
Roost
Flying—COMMONRecovery
Lv 40
Bug Buzz
Bug90COMMONSTAB
TM60
U-turn
Bug70RARESTAB
Illumise Scarlet & Violet MovesIllumise Legends Z-A Moves
Experimental
Wall
Ability
Prankster
Item
Heavy Duty Boots
Best Nature for Illumise
Calm+SPD
EVs

Wall Moveset

  • EncoreUtility
  • Thunder Wave
  • RoostRecovery
  • Bug BuzzSTAB

Recommended Teammates

Whimsicott
WhimsicottDecent
Forretress
ForretressDecent
Maushold
MausholdDecent

Illumise Weakness

Type-wise, Illumise takes extra damage from Fire, Flying, and Rock. With 65 HP and balanced defenses, Illumise can afford to eat a neutral hit or two.

Illumise Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
2x (Weak)Fire, Flying, Rock
0.5x (Resist)Grass, Fighting, Ground

What is Illumise Weak Against

Avg
3Weak
3Resist
0Immune
Score-3
4xCritical
None
2xWeak
FireFlyingRock
½xResist
GrassFightingGround
¼xResist
None
0xImmune
None

What is Illumise Strong Against

3Strong
7Resisted
0Immune
Score-4
2xStrong
GrassPsychicDark
½xResisted
FireFightingPoisonFlyingGhostSteelFairy
0xImmune
None

Best Pokemon Against Illumise

Terrakion threatens a KO with Stone Edge (124-146%). Incineroar's Flare Blitz also KOs at 100-118%.

Evolution

What you see is what you get. Illumise sits outside any evolution chain, so focus on the egg moves and plenty of partners from two egg groups. Eggs are quick to hatch. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

No Evolution
Illumise
#314IllumiseDoes not evolve

Breeding

Moderate

Breed Illumise with 91 breeding partners from the Bug and Humanshape egg groups.

Egg Groups
BugHuman-Like
Gender
♀100.0%
Hatch Time
15 cycles·3,855 steps
Quick~4 min with Flame Body
Breed With (best first)
flygondrapiongardevoirinfernapegalladelopunnycacturnemasquerainvolbeatparasectmonfernospinda
12 of 91·

Illumise Locations

All 14 games

A solid number of locations for Illumise with moderate rates across early-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 Illumise in Scarlet & Violet

8 walking encounters at Lv. 7-60 for Illumise across Violet and Scarlet. A few locations are version-exclusive, so your copy of the game affects what's available.

Apple Hills
Lv.7-60Overworld
Night
Fellhorn Gorge
Lv.7-60Overworld
Night
Kitakami Road
Lv.7-60Overworld
Night
Kitakami Wilds
Lv.7-60Overworld
Night
Mossfell Confluence
Lv.7-60Overworld
Night
Revelers Road
Lv.7-60Overworld
Night
Timeless Woods
Lv.7-60Overworld
Night
Wistful Fields
Lv.7-60Overworld
Night

Base Stats

Nothing fancy in Illumise's spread. It leans special with Sp. Def out front. And you'll get 1 Speed EV per KO for it. Follows a standard growth curve.

Base Stats
Above
HP65
C
Attack47
D
Defense75
C
Sp. Atk73
C
Sp. Def85
C
Speed85
C
Total430
Details
Catch Rate
Moderate150 / 255
Growth Rate
Fluctuating1.64M XP
Height0.6 m
2'00"Small
Weight17.7 kg
39.0 lbsFeather
Base XP151
Average
Abilities
Oblivious
Prevents infatuation and protects against captivate.
Tinted Lens
Doubles damage inflicted with not-very-effective moves.
PranksterHidden Ability
Raises non-damaging moves' priority by one stage.
EV Yield
HPAtkDefSpASpDSpe+1
Speed training source
Pokedex Entry

With its sweet aroma, it guides Volbeat to draw signs with light in the night sky.

Pokemon Shining Pearl

Illumise Guide

  • Illumise's biggest threats include Blaziken (Fire), Dodrio (Flying), and Aerodactyl (Rock), all carrying super-effective STAB moves.

  • Illumise can work for a story run. 430 BST is average, but Bug typing fills a niche depending on your team composition.

  • Illumise looks average on paper at 430 BST. But Prankster is why it sees play. Build around that and it pulls its weight. C-Tier support on our tier list.

  • Illumise gets Prankster, Oblivious, and Tinted Lens. But Prankster is the one that matters. It's the centerpiece of every viable set. Build around that.

  • Prankster is the hidden ability. It raises non-damaging moves' priority by one stage. Worth hunting for if you want Illumise to compete at a higher level.

Game Availability

Debuting in Ruby & Sapphire, Illumise appears in 14 games across 8 generations. A reliable presence in a solid number of games, typically found through wild encounters.

Click a game to view version-specific details

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