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.
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.
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.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Electric, Grass |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Fire, Water, Ice, Steel |
 Raikou Electric | A | |
Electric is super effective against PiplupView Raikou → | ||
 Sinistcha GrassGhost | B | |
Grass is super effective against PiplupView Sinistcha → | ||
 Magnezone ElectricSteel | B | |
Electric is super effective against PiplupView Magnezone → | ||
 Breloom GrassFighting | B | |
Grass is super effective against PiplupView Breloom → | ||
In Scarlet & Violet, 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% | ||
Scarlet & Violet 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
Breeding
Breed Piplup easily with 206 breeding partners from the Ground and Water1 egg groups. Pass egg moves like Aqua Ring, Feather Dance, Power Trip and 4 more to offspring.
Scarlet & Violet Piplup Best Moveset
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
Moves
Don't skip the egg moves. Piplup picks up Aqua Ring and Feather Dance 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
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
How to Get Piplup in Scarlet & Violet
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 Guide
Level 16 gets you Prinplup. Quick enough that Piplup barely slows you down.
In Scarlet & Violet, 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 Scarlet & Violet. 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
- 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