Orthworm works as a hazard setter with 480 BST behind it. C-Tier on our list: a situational pick that fills a niche. That 145 base Defense does the heavy lifting.

What is Orthworm weak to?

Orthworm's biggest threats include Blaziken (Fire), Lucario (Fighting), and Excadrill (Ground), all carrying super-effective STAB moves.

What is the best ability for Orthworm?

Earth Eater is the go-to ability for Orthworm. It restores HP when hit by a Ground-type move. Its hidden ability Sand Veil can work in specific setups.

What role does Orthworm play in battle?

Orthworm is a physical attacker with base 85 Attack. Enough bulk to take a hit or two, too. Speed tells the real story. At base 65 Speed, it won't be moving first often. Fits the hazard setter role.

What are the best moves for Orthworm?

The core moveset is Bodypress, Iron Defense, Stealth Rock, and Spikes. Bodypress leads at 0% usage. This set covers the hazard setter role with a mix of damage and utility.

Orthworm - Weakness, Evolution, Moveset, EVs & Stats

Physical

Hazard Setter

CTier

65Speed · Below Avg

Orthworm Best Moveset

Pure Steel at 145 Defense and 85 Attack with AbilityEarth Eater granting Ground immunity and healing 25% HP when hit by Ground. Steel typing already resists 10 types, and Earth Eater removes the biggest weakness. The moveset is a physical wall that heals from Ground attacks. 55 Sp. Def means special hits bypass the fortress. MoveShed Tail creates a substitute for teammates.

★Gen IX — Scarlet & Violet / Legends Z-AE

Orthworm saw minimal competitive use in Gen IX (Scarlet & Violet / Legends Z-A). This was Orthworm's competitive peak. Its most popular set ran Eartheater with Leftovers, favoring a Impish nature.

Terastallization became available

Best Moves

SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE

TM89

Body Press

Fighting80COMMONCoverage

Lv 38

Iron Defense

Steel—COMMONSTAB

TM116

Stealth Rock

Rock—COMMONUtility

TM90

Spikes

Ground—RAREHazard

Egg

Coil

Poison—RARESetup

TM121

Heavy Slam

Steel—RARESTAB

Lv 47

Earthquake

Ground100RARECoverage

Orthworm Scarlet & Violet Moves Orthworm Legends Z-A Moves

Best Build

Experimental

Hazard Setter

Orthworm best EVs are HP and Defense

EVs

Def

Hazard Setter Moveset

Body Press
Iron DefenseSTAB
Stealth Rock
SpikesHazard

Recommended Teammates

KingambitGood

KyuremDecent

ClefableDecent

View full Scarlet & Violet / Legends Z-A moveset →

Orthworm Weakness

Orthworm is weak to Fire, Fighting, and Ground. On the flip side, it's immune to Poison-type moves entirely. It resists 10 types, so it can switch into a lot of moves safely. Orthworm's physical bulk (base 145 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.

Orthworm Weakness and Resistance Chart
Damage	Types
2x (Weak)	Fire, Fighting, Ground
0.5x (Resist)	Normal, Grass, Ice, Flying, Psychic, Bug, Rock, Dragon, Steel, Fairy
0x (Immune)	Poison

What is Orthworm Weak Against

Excellent

3Weak

10Resist

2Immune

Score+7

4xCritical

None

2xWeak

Fire Fighting Ground

½xResist

Normal Grass Ice Flying Psychic Bug Rock Dragon Steel Fairy

¼xResist

None

0xImmune

Poison Ground

What is Orthworm Strong Against

3Strong

4Resisted

0Immune

Score-1

2xStrong

Ice Rock Fairy

½xResisted

Fire Water Electric Steel

0xImmune

None

Best Pokemon Against Orthworm

Ting-Lu	A
Recommended Build AbilityVesselofruin ItemLeftovers NatureCareful Moves EarthquakeSTAB RuinationSTAB WhirlwindUtility Stealth Rock Damage vs Orthworm Earthquake 2x 26-30% View Ting-Lu builds →
Iron Treads	A
Recommended Build AbilityQuarkdrive ItemBooster Energy NatureJolly Moves Rapid Spin EarthquakeSTAB Stealth Rock Knock Off Damage vs Orthworm Rapid Spin 4-5% Earthquake 2x 32-38% Knock Off 10-13% View Iron Treads builds →
Clodsire	B
Recommended Build AbilityUnaware ItemLeftovers NatureCareful Moves RecoverRecovery EarthquakeSTAB ToxicUtility Stealth Rock Damage vs Orthworm Earthquake 2x 19-22% View Clodsire builds →
Excadrill	B
Recommended Build AbilitySandrush ItemAir Balloon NatureAdamant Moves EarthquakeSTAB Rapid Spin Iron Head Swords Dance Damage vs Orthworm Earthquake 2x 40-47% Rapid Spin 5-6% View Excadrill builds →
Landorus-Therian
Recommended Build AbilityIntimidate ItemRocky Helmet NatureJolly Moves U Turn Earthquake Stealth Rock TauntUtility View Landorus-Therian builds →

Evolution

Breeding is the whole story for Orthworm. A massive partner pool through one egg group, eggs are slow to hatch, and you won't need to evolve anything. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

No Evolution

#968OrthwormDoes not evolve

Breeding

Moderate

Breed Orthworm with 278 breeding partners from the Ground egg group.

Egg Groups

Field

Gender

♂50.0%♀50.0%

Hatch Time

35 cycles·8,995 steps

Slow~9 min with Flame Body

Breed With (best first)

Orthworm Locations

Showing Scarlet & Violet locations. Locations vary by game.View all games

Orthworm starts showing up in early-game routes at moderate rates across 20 encounter spots. The list below is sorted so you can pick what fits your current progress without scrolling through everything.

Best Locations to Catch Orthworm in Scarlet & Violet

Which version you're playing matters for Orthworm. 10 walking spots at Lv. 7-65 spread across Scarlet and Violet, and some routes only appear in one cartridge. Check the version badges below.

Apple Hills

Lv.7-60Overworld

Kitakami Wilds

Lv.7-60Overworld

Oni Mountain

Lv.7-60Overworld

Onis Maw

Lv.7-60Overworld

Paradise Barrens

Lv.7-60Overworld

Revelers Road

Lv.7-60Overworld

Wistful Fields

Lv.7-60Overworld

Asado Desert - Desert

Lv.22-65Overworld

Rate 1%

East Province (Area Three) - Mine

Lv.22-65Overworld

Rate 1%

West Province (Area Two) - Desert

Lv.22-65Overworld

Rate 1%

Base Stats

The stat bars tell the story: Defense carries everything and Sp. Def's dead weight. But this Earthworm Pokemon still yields 2 Defense EVs per fight on a slow 1.25M XP grind.

Base Stats

Above

HP70

Attack85

Defense145

Sp. Atk60

Sp. Def55

Speed65

Total480

Details

Catch Rate

Difficult25 / 255

Growth Rate

Slow1.25M XP

Height2.5 m

Weight310.0 kg

Base XP240

Abilities

Earth Eater

Restores HP when hit by a Ground-type move.

Sand VeilHidden Ability

Increases evasion to 1.25× during a sandstorm. Protects against sandstorm damage.

Earth Eater grants Ground immunity

EV Yield

HPAtkDef+2SpASpDSpe

Defense training target

Pokedex Entry

This Pokémon lives in arid deserts. It maintains its metal body by consuming iron from the soil.

Pokemon Violet

Orthworm Guide

Orthworm works as a hazard setter with 480 BST behind it. C-Tier on our list: a situational pick that fills a niche. That 145 base Defense does the heavy lifting.
Orthworm's biggest threats include Blaziken (Fire), Lucario (Fighting), and Excadrill (Ground), all carrying super-effective STAB moves.
Earth Eater is the go-to ability for Orthworm. It restores HP when hit by a Ground-type move. Its hidden ability Sand Veil can work in specific setups.
Orthworm is a physical attacker with base 85 Attack. Enough bulk to take a hit or two, too. Speed tells the real story. At base 65 Speed, it won't be moving first often. Fits the hazard setter role.
The core moveset is Bodypress, Iron Defense, Stealth Rock, and Spikes. Bodypress leads at 0% usage. This set covers the hazard setter role with a mix of damage and utility.

Game Availability

Since Scarlet & Violet, Orthworm has been obtainable in 1 games. A Generation 9 debut means a shorter history, but Orthworm has appeared steadily across every generation since.

Click a game to view version-specific details