Piplup's stats barely vary. None sit in respectable range with no real gaps. It's a blank slate for EV investment. Worth 1 Sp. Atk EV, 1.06M XP medium-slow curve to max.
Prefers cold climes and appears along coasts. It’s an adorable little thing—as cute as any child—but it’s also prideful, unwilling to accept handouts from people.
Electric and Grass moves hit Piplup for super-effective damage. It resists 4 types, giving it decent defensive coverage. Only 2 weaknesses makes it relatively easy to build around defensively.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Electric, Grass |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Fire, Water, Ice, Steel |
Raikou's Thunderbolt hits Piplup for 75-88%. Magnezone's Thunderbolt also KOs at 134-158%.
 Raikou Electric | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityPressure ItemHeavy-Duty Boots NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Piplup View Raikou builds →Scald11-13% Thunderbolt 2x75-88% Volt Switch 2x58-69% | ||
 Sinistcha GrassGhost | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityHospitality ItemLeftovers NatureBold Moves
Damage vs Piplup View Sinistcha builds →Shadow Ball28-33% | ||
 Magnezone ElectricSteel | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityAnalytic ItemChoice Specs NatureModest Moves
Damage vs Piplup View Magnezone builds →Flash Cannon30-35% Volt Switch 2x104-123%KO Thunderbolt 2x134-158%KO | ||
 Breloom GrassFighting | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityTechnician ItemToxic Orb NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Piplup View Breloom builds →Mach Punch23-26% Bullet Seed 2x29-34% | ||
Piplup is the start of a three-stage chain. It evolves into Prinplup first, then eventually reaches Empoleon. For breeding, average hatch time with a massive partner pool via two egg groups. The evolved forms gain up to 216 total stats over Piplup. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed Piplup easily with 278 breeding partners from the Ground and Water1 egg groups.
Eviolite turns Piplup into a wall that rivals fully evolved options. Competitive and Timid nature stack with HP-heavy investment EVs to create a surprisingly tough defensive core. Roost patches up chip damage.
Best Build
Piplup best EVs are HP and Sp. Def
Wall Moveset
- Ice Beam
- Surf
- Roost
- Haze
Recommended Teammates
Special Setup Sweeper Moveset
- Roost
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Agility
Recommended Teammates
Legends: Arceus uses different battle mechanics.
Competitive build content is not applicable for this game. Select a main series game for builds.
Physical Tank Moveset
- Whirlpool
- Drill Peck
- Bubble Beam
- Hydro Pump
Recommended Teammates
Bulky Support Moveset
- Defog
- Ice Beam
- Surf
- Protect
Recommended Teammates
Moves
Without TMs, Piplup's movepool is bare bones. With them, you get coverage across 8 types on top of Hydro Pump and Surf for STAB. The natural kit handles basics, but TMs are doing the real work.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Piplup's options are limited here. You've got Liquidation and Water Pulse for STAB damage, but there isn't much beyond Water hitting power. TMs help fill gaps, though the kit stays tight.
Don't skip the egg moves. Piplup picks up Agility and Aqua Ring only through breeding, and both fill gaps the natural movepool can't. STAB runs through Hydro Pump and Surf while coverage across 8 types adds range.
Don't skip the egg moves. Piplup picks up Agility and Aqua Ring only through breeding, and both fill gaps the natural movepool can't. STAB runs through Hydro Pump and Surf while coverage across 9 types adds range.
No wild encounters for Piplup in Scarlet & Violet. It's available in Diamond, Platinum, or Legends: Arceus and can be transferred over. The details below show where to find it.
Piplup is not available as a wild encounter in this game.
Also found in:
Piplup starts showing up in mid-game routes at decent spawn rates across 1 encounter spots. The list below is sorted so you can pick what fits your current progress without scrolling through everything.
Best Locations to Catch Piplup in Legends: Arceus
moderate rates for Piplup across 6 locations in endgame routes. Nothing complicated. Check the sorted list below, compare the top few options, and head to whichever is closest.
Best Locations to Catch Piplup in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
6 spots to find Piplup at Lv. 58-63 via walking. Not all of them exist in both Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl versions, so filter by your copy below.
Piplup can't be caught in Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon. Bring it over from Diamond, Platinum, or Legends: Arceus instead. The encounter info below covers the source games.
Piplup is not available as a wild encounter in this game.
Also found in:
Level 16 gets you Prinplup. Quick enough that Piplup barely slows you down.
Piplup does the job early-game if you need a Water type on your team. Evolve it into Prinplup before the later gyms and it holds up fine through the story.
Across 12 games, Piplup has solid availability. First showed up in Scarlet & Violet. The latest games to include it are Platinum and HeartGold & SoulSilver.
Piplup first appeared in Diamond & Pearl and has been available in 12 games across 7 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 1Y
Yellow - Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 4DPDebut
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves