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 |
 Zapdos Electric | A | |
Electric is super effective against PiplupView Zapdos → | ||
 Amoonguss GrassPoison | B | |
Grass is super effective against PiplupView Amoonguss → | ||
 Breloom GrassFighting | B | |
Grass is super effective against PiplupView Breloom → | ||
 Raikou Electric | C | |
Electric is super effective against PiplupView Raikou → | ||
In Sun & Moon, Zapdos's Thunderbolt hits Piplup for 71-83%. Amoonguss's Giga Drain hits Piplup for 38-45%.
Zapdos Electric | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityStatic ItemLeftovers NatureCalm Moves
Damage vs Piplup View Zapdos builds →Heat Wave12-15% Thunderbolt 2x71-83% | ||
Amoonguss GrassPoison | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityRegenerator ItemBlack Sludge NatureSassy Moves
Damage vs Piplup View Amoonguss builds →Giga Drain 2x38-45% | ||
Breloom GrassFighting | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityTechnician ItemFocus Sash NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Piplup View Breloom builds →Mach Punch20-24% Bullet Seed 2x26-31% | ||
Raikou Electric | C | |
Recommended Build AbilityInnerfocus ItemLeftovers NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Piplup View Raikou builds →Thunderbolt 2x73-86% | ||
Sun & Moon 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 218 breeding partners from the Ground and Water1 egg groups. Pass egg moves like Agility, Aqua Ring, Bide and 10 more to offspring.
Sun & Moon Piplup Best Moveset
Eviolite turns Piplup into a wall that rivals fully evolved options. Torrent and Calm nature stack with HP-heavy investment EVs to create a surprisingly tough defensive core.
Best Build
Piplup best EVs are HP and Defense
Bulky Support Moveset
- Defog
- Ice Beam
- Surf
- Protect
Recommended Teammates
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
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Transfer Moves
How to Get Piplup in Sun & Moon
Piplup doesn't appear in Sun & Moon. Transfer it from Diamond, Platinum, or Legends: Arceus to add it to your collection. Check the source games below for encounter details.
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 Sun & Moon, 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 Sun & Moon. 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