What does Piplup evolve into?

Prinplup at level 16 is the mid-stage. Push through to Empoleon at level 36 for the final form. 314 BST right now won't cut it long-term.

At what level does Piplup evolve?

Level 16 gets you Prinplup . Quick enough that Piplup barely slows you down.

In Diamond & Pearl, 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.

Where can you catch Piplup?

You can find Piplup in Diamond & Pearl. The Locations section has the full breakdown of routes and encounter details. It also appears in 11 other games across the series.

Piplup - Weakness, Evolution, Moveset, EVs & Stats

Utility

Balanced

DTier

40Speed · Very Slow

Stats & Training

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.

Base Stats

Avg

HP53

Attack51

Defense53

Sp. Atk61

Sp. Def56

Speed40

Total314

Details

Catch Rate

Challenging45 / 255

Growth Rate

Medium Slow1.06M XP

Height0.4 m

Weight5.2 kg

Base XP63

Abilities

Torrent

Strengthens water moves to inflict 1.5× damage at 1/3 max HP or less.

CompetitiveHANot in game

Raises Special Attack by two stages upon having any stat lowered.

EV Yield

HPAtkDefSpA+1SpDSpe

Special Attack training source

Pokedex Entries

Because it is very proud, it hates accepting food from people. Its thick down guards it from cold.

Piplup Weakness

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.

Piplup Weakness and Resistance Chart
Damage	Types
2x (Weak)	Electric, Grass
0.5x (Resist)	Fire, Water, Ice, Steel

Type ChartGood

2Weak

4Resist

0Immune

Score0

Gen IV Type Chart

Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)

4xCritical

None

2xWeak

Electric Grass

½xResist

Fire Water Ice Steel

¼xResist

None

0xImmune

None

STAB (3)

Fire Ground Rock

How to Beat Piplup in Diamond & Pearl (Best Counters)

Pachirisu Electric	C
Available Move Moves SparkLv. 13 Damage vs Piplup Spark 2x 51-63% View Pachirisu builds →
Turtwig Grass	D
Obtain MethodLake Verity Gift Available Moves Moves Razor LeafLv. 13 AbsorbLv. 9 Damage vs Piplup Razor Leaf 2x 58-70% Absorb 2x 23-28% View Turtwig builds →
Lotad WaterGrass	D
Available Move Moves AbsorbLv. 5 Damage vs Piplup Absorb 2x 23-28% View Lotad builds →
Elekid Electric	D
Available Move Moves Thunder ShockLv. 7 Damage vs Piplup Thunder Shock 2x 47-56% View Elekid builds →
Lileep RockGrass	D
Obtain MethodOreburgh City Gift Upcoming Move Moves Energy BallLv. 50 Learns Energy Ball at Level 50 View Lileep builds →

Diamond & Pearl Evolution

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

3 Forms

#393Piplup

Level 16

#394Prinplup

Level 36

#395Empoleon

Stat Comparison 3 Stages

Piplup

Water

Prinplup

Water

Empoleon

WaterSteel

64+11

84+20

ATK

66+15

86+20

DEF

68+15

88+20

SP.ATK

81+20

111+30

SP.DEF

76+20

101+25

SPE

50+10

60+10

BST

314D-Tier

405D-Tier+91

530B-Tier+125

ROLE

Balanced

Attacker

TYPE

Utility

Special

Breeding

Easy

Breed Piplup easily with 131 breeding partners from the Ground and Water1 egg groups. Pass egg moves like Agility, Aqua Ring, Double Hit and 7 more to offspring.

Egg Groups

GroundWater1

Gender

♂87.5%♀12.5%

Hatch Time

20 cycles·5,140 steps

Quick~5 min with Flame Body

Egg Moves

10moves

Breed With (best first)

Diamond & Pearl Piplup Best Moveset

Best Build

No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 4.

Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.

Moves

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.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1

Pound

—4010035Normal

Lv 4

Growl

——10040Normal

Lv 8

Bubble

—2010030Water

Lv 11

Water Sport

———15Water

Lv 15

Peck

—3510035Flying

Lv 18

Bide+1

———10Normal

Lv 22

Bubble Beam

—6510020Water

Lv 25

Fury Attack

D158520Normal

Lv 29

Brine

D6510010Water

Lv 32

Whirlpool

D358515Water

Lv 36

Mist

———30Ice

Lv 39

Drill Peck

D8010020Flying

Lv 43

Hydro Pump

C120805Water

TM Moves

TM40

Aerial Ace

D60—20Flying

TM45

Attract

——10015Normal

TM14

Blizzard

D120705Ice

TM31

Brick Break

D7510015Fighting

TM55

Brine

D6510010Water

TM78

Captivate

——10020Normal

HM01

Cut

—509530Normal

HM05

Defog

———15Flying

TM28

Dig

D8010010Ground

TM32

Double Team

———15Normal

TM58

Endure+4

———10Normal

TM42

Facade

D7010020Normal

TM56

Fling

——10010Dark

TM21

Frustration

D—10020Normal

TM86

Grass Knot

D—10020Grass

TM07

Hail

D——10Ice

TM10

Hidden Power

—6010015Normal

TM13

Ice Beam

D9510010Ice

TM83

Natural Gift

D—10015Normal

TM88

Pluck

—6010020Flying

TM17

Protect+4

C——10Normal

TM18

Rain Dance

C——5Water

TM44

Rest

C——10Psychic

TM27

Return

D—10020Normal

TM39

Rock Tomb

D609510Rock

TM43

Secret Power

—7010020Normal

TM82

Sleep Talk

C——10Normal

TM76

Stealth Rock

C——20Rock

TM90

Substitute

C——10Normal

HM03

Surf

C9510015Water

TM87

Swagger

——9015Normal

TM06

Toxic

C—8510Poison

TM03

Water Pulse

D6010020Water

HM07

Waterfall

C8010015Water

Egg Moves

Egg

Agility

C——30Psychic

Egg

Aqua Ring

———20Water

Egg

Double Hit

D359010Normal

Egg

Flail

——10015Normal

Egg

Hydro Pump

C120805Water

Egg

Mud Sport

———15Ground

Egg

Mud-Slap

D2010010Ground

Egg

Snore

D4010015Normal

Egg

Supersonic

——5520Normal

Egg

Yawn

D——10Normal

Tutor Moves

Piplup can't learn any Tutor moves

How to Get Piplup in Diamond & Pearl

Piplup is handed to you at Lake Verity. No encounter rates or random spawns involved, so there's nothing to grind. Check the location details below for the exact conditions to trigger it.

Best Locations to Catch Piplup in Diamond & Pearl

Lake Verity

PearlGift from NPC Lv.5 Water

LimitedEarly

Starter choice

Lake Verity

DiamondGift from NPC Lv.5 Water

LimitedEarly

Starter choice

Piplup Guide

Prinplup at level 16 is the mid-stage. Push through to Empoleon at level 36 for the final form. 314 BST right now won't cut it long-term.
Level 16 gets you Prinplup. Quick enough that Piplup barely slows you down.
In Diamond & Pearl, 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.
You can find Piplup in Diamond & Pearl. The Locations section has the full breakdown of routes and encounter details. It also appears in 11 other games across the series.

Game Availability

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

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Lileep RockGrass	D
Obtain MethodOreburgh City Gift TM Move Moves Bullet SeedTM09 Damage vs Piplup Bullet Seed 2x 24-29% View Lileep builds →
Turtwig Grass	D
Obtain MethodLake Verity Gift Available Moves Moves Razor LeafLv. 13 Bullet SeedTM09 AbsorbLv. 9 Damage vs Piplup Razor Leaf 2x 56-68% Bullet Seed 2x 27-34% Absorb 2x 19-24% View Turtwig builds →
Budew GrassPoison	D
Available Moves Moves Mega DrainLv. 13 Bullet SeedTM09 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Piplup Mega Drain 2x 35-44% Bullet Seed 2x 19-24% Absorb 2x 19-24% View Budew builds →
Cherubi Grass	D
Available Moves Moves Magical LeafLv. 19 Bullet SeedTM09 Damage vs Piplup Magical Leaf 2x 61-73% Bullet Seed 2x 19-24% View Cherubi builds →
Lotad WaterGrass	D
Available Moves Moves Mega DrainLv. 19 Bullet SeedTM09 AbsorbLv. 5 Damage vs Piplup Mega Drain 2x 32-39% Bullet Seed 2x 19-24% Absorb 2x 19-24% View Lotad builds →

Abomasnow GrassIce	C
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM22 Giga DrainTM19 Razor LeafLv. 5 Bullet SeedTM09 Damage vs Piplup Solar Beam 2x 160-189%KO Giga Drain 2x 100-119%KO Razor Leaf 2x 78-93% Bullet Seed 2x 37-44% View Abomasnow builds →
Lileep RockGrass	D
Obtain MethodOreburgh City Gift Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM22 Giga DrainTM19 Bullet SeedTM09 Damage vs Piplup Solar Beam 2x 116-137%KO Giga Drain 2x 75-89% Bullet Seed 2x 21-26% View Lileep builds →
Nuzleaf GrassDark	D
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM22 Giga DrainTM19 Razor LeafLv. 1 Bullet SeedTM09 Damage vs Piplup Solar Beam 2x 116-137%KO Giga Drain 2x 75-89% Razor Leaf 2x 63-74% Bullet Seed 2x 31-37% View Nuzleaf builds →
Turtwig Grass	D
Obtain MethodLake Verity Gift Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM22 Giga DrainTM19 Razor LeafLv. 13 Mega DrainLv. 25 Damage vs Piplup Solar Beam 2x 98-115%KO Giga Drain 2x 63-74% Razor Leaf 2x 63-74% Mega Drain 2x 35-41% View Turtwig builds →
Budew GrassPoison	D
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM22 Giga DrainTM19 Mega DrainLv. 13 Bullet SeedTM09 Damage vs Piplup Solar Beam 2x 104-122%KO Giga Drain 2x 65-78% Mega Drain 2x 37-44% Bullet Seed 2x 19-22% View Budew builds →

Abomasnow GrassIce	C
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM22 Giga DrainTM19 Razor LeafLv. 5 Bullet SeedTM09 Damage vs Piplup Solar Beam 2x 160-189%KO Giga Drain 2x 100-119%KO Razor Leaf 2x 78-93% Bullet Seed 2x 37-44% View Abomasnow builds →
Carnivine Grass	C
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM22 Giga DrainTM19 Vine WhipLv. 11 Bullet SeedTM09 Damage vs Piplup Solar Beam 2x 157-185%KO Giga Drain 2x 100-119%KO Vine Whip 2x 69-81% Bullet Seed 2x 41-48% View Carnivine builds →
Roselia GrassPoison	D
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM22 Giga DrainTM19 Magical LeafLv. 19 Mega DrainLv. 13 Damage vs Piplup Solar Beam 2x 169-200%KO Giga Drain 2x 110-130%KO Magical Leaf 2x 88-104%KO Mega Drain 2x 59-70% View Roselia builds →
Lileep RockGrass	D
Obtain MethodOreburgh City Gift Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM22 Giga DrainTM19 Bullet SeedTM09 Damage vs Piplup Solar Beam 2x 116-137%KO Giga Drain 2x 75-89% Bullet Seed 2x 21-26% View Lileep builds →
Nuzleaf GrassDark	D
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM22 Giga DrainTM19 Razor LeafLv. 1 Bullet SeedTM09 Damage vs Piplup Solar Beam 2x 116-137%KO Giga Drain 2x 75-89% Razor Leaf 2x 63-74% Bullet Seed 2x 31-37% View Nuzleaf builds →

Abomasnow GrassIce	C
Available Moves Moves Wood HammerLv. 36 Solar BeamTM22 Giga DrainTM19 Razor LeafLv. 5 Damage vs Piplup Wood Hammer 2x 161-189%KO Solar Beam 2x 155-183%KO Giga Drain 2x 99-117%KO Razor Leaf 2x 75-88% View Abomasnow builds →
Carnivine Grass	C
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM22 Giga DrainTM19 Vine WhipLv. 11 Bullet SeedTM09 Damage vs Piplup Solar Beam 2x 149-177%KO Giga Drain 2x 96-114%KO Vine Whip 2x 66-79% Bullet Seed 2x 40-47% View Carnivine builds →
Roselia GrassPoison	D
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM22 Giga DrainTM19 Magical LeafLv. 19 Mega DrainLv. 13 Damage vs Piplup Solar Beam 2x 166-196%KO Giga Drain 2x 104-123%KO Magical Leaf 2x 85-101%KO Mega Drain 2x 59-69% View Roselia builds →
Lileep RockGrass	D
Obtain MethodOreburgh City Gift Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM22 Giga DrainTM19 Bullet SeedTM09 Damage vs Piplup Solar Beam 2x 115-136%KO Giga Drain 2x 72-85% Bullet Seed 2x 21-25% View Lileep builds →
Nuzleaf GrassDark	D
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM22 Giga DrainTM19 Razor LeafLv. 1 Bullet SeedTM09 Damage vs Piplup Solar Beam 2x 113-133%KO Giga Drain 2x 72-85% Razor Leaf 2x 61-73% Bullet Seed 2x 29-35% View Nuzleaf builds →

Abomasnow GrassIce	C
Available Moves Moves Wood HammerLv. 36 Solar BeamTM22 Giga DrainTM19 Razor LeafLv. 5 Damage vs Piplup Wood Hammer 2x 157-185%KO Solar Beam 2x 152-179%KO Giga Drain 2x 97-115%KO Razor Leaf 2x 75-88% View Abomasnow builds →
Carnivine Grass	C
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM22 Giga DrainTM19 Vine WhipLv. 11 Bullet SeedTM09 Damage vs Piplup Solar Beam 2x 152-179%KO Giga Drain 2x 94-112%KO Vine Whip 2x 67-79% Bullet Seed 2x 37-44% View Carnivine builds →
Roselia GrassPoison	D
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM22 Giga DrainTM19 Magical LeafLv. 19 Mega DrainLv. 13 Damage vs Piplup Solar Beam 2x 165-194%KO Giga Drain 2x 105-124%KO Magical Leaf 2x 84-100%KO Mega Drain 2x 57-68% View Roselia builds →
Lileep RockGrass	D
Obtain MethodOreburgh City Gift Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM22 Giga DrainTM19 Bullet SeedTM09 Damage vs Piplup Solar Beam 2x 112-132%KO Giga Drain 2x 72-85% Bullet Seed 2x 22-26% View Lileep builds →
Lombre WaterGrass	D
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM22 Giga DrainTM19 Bullet SeedTM09 AbsorbLv. 5 Damage vs Piplup Solar Beam 2x 110-129%KO Giga Drain 2x 70-82% Bullet Seed 2x 25-29% Absorb 2x 22-26% View Lombre builds →

Breloom GrassFighting	A
Recommended Build AbilityPoisonheal ItemToxic Orb NatureAdamant Moves SporeUtility Seed Bomb Focus Punch SubstituteUtility View Breloom builds →
Magnezone ElectricSteel	B
Recommended Build AbilityMagnetpull ItemLeftovers NatureTimid Moves ThunderboltSTAB Hidden Power Fire Thunder Wave Explosion Damage vs Piplup Thunderbolt 2x 191-225%KO Explosion 81-95% View Magnezone builds →
Roserade GrassPoison	B
Recommended Build AbilityNatural Cure ItemBlack Sludge NatureTimid Moves Toxic Spikes Hidden Power Fire SpikesHazard Sleep Powder View Roserade builds →
Raikou Electric	B
Recommended Build AbilityPressure ItemLeftovers NatureRash Moves ThunderboltSTAB Hidden Power Ice Aura Sphere Calm Mind Damage vs Piplup Thunderbolt 2x 192-226%KO Aura Sphere 57-67% View Raikou builds →