Is Pineco Good in Ruby & Sapphire Playthrough?
Not native to Hoenn. Trade from Colosseum. AbilitySturdy prevents one-hit KOs in Gen 3. Forretress at 31 with Bug/Steel typing still resists most attacks. RS has Skarmory natively for the Steel defensive role. Import only if you want MoveSpikes.
Roxanne's Pokemon outpace and outclass Pineco here.
Pineco trades roughly evenly with Brawly's team.
Wattson's team hits Pineco's weaknesses hard.
Pineco trades roughly evenly with Flannery's team.
Pineco trades roughly evenly with Norman's team.
Winona's team hits Pineco's weaknesses hard.
Tate & Liza's team hits Pineco's weaknesses hard.
Pineco trades roughly evenly with Wallace's team.
Pineco trades roughly evenly with Sidney's team.
Phoebe's typing presses Pineco's defenses.
Pineco trades roughly evenly with Glacia's team.
Drake's team hits Pineco's weaknesses hard.
Steven's team hits Pineco's weaknesses hard.
Trade
Pineco cannot be caught in this game. It must be traded in from a compatible game where it appears in the wild. Cross-region trading typically becomes available after defeating the Elite Four.
Recommended Moves
- LV 8NormalSelf-DestructPower 200Accuracy 100%PP 5
- LV 15NormalTake DownPower 90Accuracy 85%PP 20
- After Wattson
- HM04NormalStrengthPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15Rusturf Tunnel
- After Norman
- TM22GrassSolar BeamPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10Safari Zone
- TM42NormalFacadePower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Prize for defeating Norman
- LV 36NormalExplosionPower 250Accuracy 100%PP 5
- After Tate & Liza
- TM26GroundEarthquakePower 100Accuracy 100%PP 10Seafloor Cavern
- LV 50NormalDouble-EdgePower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15
How to Get Pineco in Ruby & Sapphire
Pineco does not appear in Ruby or Sapphire, where headbutt trees from Johto do not exist. A trade is the only way to start the Forretress line.
How to Obtain Pineco in RS
- Step 1Pineco ✓CARTRIDGE TRADEfrom EmeraldAvailableCatch in Emerald via Walking · Safari Zone · Safari Zone: 500 entry fee, 30 Safari Balls, then trade to the current game via link cable.LATER APPEARANCEfrom Gold & SilverNot TradeableAppears in Gold & Silver via Headbutt special · Route 35. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom CrystalNot TradeableAppears in Crystal via Headbutt special · Route 34. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom Diamond & PearlNot TradeableAppears in Diamond & Pearl via Walking · Route 210 · Dual-slot: Emerald. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.
- Step 2Evolve into Forretress
How to Get Shiny Pineco in Ruby & Sapphire
Ruby and Sapphire never shake a Pineco loose, so search Emerald's Safari Zone North Extension for a shiny and trade it across. See every game where Shiny Pineco can be hunted
Pineco Weakness
Pineco is weak to Fire, Flying, and Rock. Pineco's physical bulk (base 90 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Fire, Flying, Rock |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Grass, Fighting, Ground |
- Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
- Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
What is Pineco Weak Against
AvgBest Pokemon Against Pineco
 Blaziken FireFighting | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Torchic (Route 101 Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Pineco View Blaziken builds →Overheat 2x302-356%KO Aerial Ace 2x46-55% Rock Tomb 2x40-47% | ||
 Rayquaza Dragon | S | |
Obtain MethodSky Pillar Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Pineco View Rayquaza builds →Overheat 2x264-311%KO Fly 2x99-118%KO Ancient Power 2x56-67% | ||
 Camerupt FireGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Pineco View Camerupt builds →Eruption 2x311-367%KO Rock Slide 2x50-60% | ||
 Altaria Dragon | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Pineco View Altaria builds →Sky Attack 2x104-123%KO Fire Blast 2x120-142%KO | ||
 Torkoal Fire | C | |
 Skarmory Steel | A | |
 Magcargo FireRock | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Pineco View Magcargo builds →Overheat 2x256-302%KO Rock Slide 2x44-53% | ||
 Ninetales Fire | C | |
 Salamence Dragon | S | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Pineco View Salamence builds →Fly 2x91-107%KO Fire Blast 2x173-204%KO Rock Tomb 2x43-51% | ||
 Aggron SteelRock | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Pineco View Aggron builds →Rock Tomb 2x55-65% Aerial Ace 2x43-51% Fire Blast 2x106-125%KO | ||
 Dodrio Normal | B | |
 Golbat Poison | C | |
Obtain MethodMeteor Falls Surfing | ||
 Regirock Rock | B | |
Obtain MethodRoute 111 Interact Encounter | ||
 Rhydon GroundRock | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Pineco View Rhydon builds →Rock Tomb 2x64-75% Fire Blast 2x86-102%KO | ||
Pineco Evolutions
Pineco evolves into Forretress. It's a two-stage chain with the method shown below. A decent partner pool for breeding via one egg group. Eggs take an average time to hatch. Evolving adds up to 175 stat points total. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed Pineco easily with 37 breeding partners from the Bug egg group. Pass egg moves like Counter, Flail, Pin Missile and 3 more to offspring.
RS Pineco Best Moveset
MoveSpikes sets the format's key entry hazard even from pre-evolution stats, and AbilitySturdy blocks OHKO moves. MoveExplosion adds a parting shot. Forretress does everything at competitive bulk.
Best Build
Pineco best EVs are HP and Sp. Def
Wall Moveset
- Toxic
- Spikes
- Explosion
- Rapid Spin
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Egg moves make a real difference. Pineco gets Counter and Flail exclusively through breeding, filling gaps that TMs and level-up can't touch. Normal and Ground coverage and more rounds out the picture alongside Pin Missile.
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
All 20 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
PINECO hangs from a tree branch and patiently waits for prey to come along. If the POKéMON is disturbed while eating by someone shaking its tree, it drops down to the ground and explodes with no warning.
Pineco Ruby & Sapphire Guide
No. Pineco isn't catchable in Ruby & Sapphire. Catch one in Emerald, then trade it over.
Game Availability
Pineco first appeared in Gold & Silver and has been available in 16 games across 8 generations. Obtainable through catching or hatching as a base form in most titles where it appears.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GSDebut
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP
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 7Let's Go
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
Explore
Where to go next after Pineco.
Keep playing · Ruby & SapphireRuby & Sapphire Tier ListThe best Pokemon ranked tier by tierSee Ruby & Sapphire Tier List