Is Prinplup Good in Black 2 & White 2 Playthrough?
Piplup evolves at level 16. Transfer only. Empoleon at 36 adds the Steel typing. If imported, the mid-stage before an excellent unique typing.
Piplup has the type edge here and should clean up Cheren's team.
Prinplup has the type edge here and should clean up Roxie's team.
Prinplup has the type edge here and should clean up Burgh's team.
Prinplup has the type edge here and should clean up Elesa's team.
Prinplup has the type edge here and should clean up Clay's team.
Empoleon trades roughly evenly with Skyla's team.
Empoleon has the type edge here and should clean up Drayden's team.
Empoleon trades roughly evenly with Marlon's team.
Empoleon has the type edge here and should clean up Shauntal's team.
Empoleon has the type edge here and should clean up Grimsley's team.
Empoleon has the type edge here and should clean up Caitlin's team.
Empoleon has the type edge here and should clean up Marshal's team.
Empoleon trades roughly evenly with Iris's team.
Prinplup 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. Alternatively, transfer the pre-evolution and level it up to Lv 16.
Your Prinplup should hit Level 36 before you reach Skyla, at typical leveling pace.
How to Get Prinplup in Black 2 & White 2
Prinplup isn't available in the wild in Black 2 & White 2. Start by transferring Piplup from Diamond & Pearl, Platinum, or Scarlet & Violet. The evolution path from Piplup to Prinplup is covered in the steps below.
How to Obtain Prinplup in B2W2
Step 1Obtain PiplupLATER APPEARANCEfrom Diamond & PearlNot TradeableAppears in Diamond & Pearl via Gift · Lake Verity · Starter Pokémon. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom PlatinumNot TradeableAppears in Platinum via Gift · Route 201 · Starter Pokémon. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCENot TradeableAppears in Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire via Gift · Route 101 · Post-Elite Four second time. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCENot TradeableAppears in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl via Walking · Fountainspring Cave · After National Dex obtained. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom Legends: ArceusNot TradeableAppears in Legends: Arceus via Walking · Spring Path. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom Scarlet & VioletNot TradeableAppears in Scarlet & Violet via Overworld · Polar Biome. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.- Step 2Prinplup ✓
Step 3Evolve into Empoleon
Prinplup Weakness
Type-wise, Prinplup takes extra damage from Electric and Grass. 4 resistances help offset the weaknesses. Just 2 weak spots to worry about, which keeps teambuilding straightforward.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Electric, Grass |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Fire, Water, Ice, Steel |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Prinplup Weak Against
GoodBest Pokemon Against Prinplup
 Snivy Grass | D | |
Obtain MethodAspertia City Gift | ||
 Lilligant Grass | C | |
 Whimsicott Grass | C | |
 Leafeon Grass | B | |
 Servine Grass | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Snivy (Aspertia City Gift) | ||
 Swadloon BugGrass | C | |
 Maractus Grass | C | |
Lilligant Grass | C | |
 Sunflora Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Prinplup View Sunflora builds →Petal Dance 2x131-155%KO | ||
Leafeon Grass | B | |
Whimsicott Grass | C | |
Maractus Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Prinplup View Maractus builds →Petal Dance 2x126-149%KO | ||
 Roselia GrassPoison | C | |
Sunflora Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Prinplup View Sunflora builds →Petal Dance 2x123-146%KO | ||
 Leavanny BugGrass | C | |
Lilligant Grass | C | |
Maractus Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Prinplup View Maractus builds →Petal Dance 2x129-152%KO | ||
Lilligant Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Prinplup View Lilligant builds →Petal Dance 2x133-157%KO | ||
Sunflora Grass | C | |
Roselia GrassPoison | C | |
Leafeon Grass | B | |
Maractus Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Prinplup View Maractus builds →Petal Dance 2x125-148%KO | ||
Lilligant Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Prinplup View Lilligant builds →Petal Dance 2x131-154%KO | ||
Sunflora Grass | C | |
Roselia GrassPoison | C | |
Leafeon Grass | B | |
Maractus Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Prinplup View Maractus builds →Petal Dance 2x127-149%KO | ||
 Roserade GrassPoison | B | |
Lilligant Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Prinplup View Lilligant builds →Petal Dance 2x132-155%KO | ||
 Tangrowth Grass | B | |
Sunflora Grass | C | |
In Black 2 & White 2, Rotom's Thunderbolt hits Prinplup for 61-71%.
 Rotom ElectricGhost | C | |
Recommended Build AbilityLevitate ItemChoice Scarf NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Prinplup View Rotom builds →Volt Switch 2x48-56% Shadow Ball27-32% Thunderbolt 2x61-71% | ||
Prinplup Evolutions
Partway through Piplup's chain. Prinplup still has another evolution ahead before reaching Empoleon. For breeding, average hatch time with a massive partner pool via two egg groups. Sp.Atk has grown the most so far (+20), but there's still another 125 stats to gain in the final evolution. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Prinplup to get Piplup eggs easily using 181 partners from the Ground and Water1 egg groups. Notable egg moves include Agility, Aqua Ring, Bide and 10 more.
B2W2 Prinplup Best Moveset
Middle stage at 81 Sp. Atk with Held ItemEviolite adding bulk. The moveset fires Water TermStab at improving levels. Empoleon one evolution away adds Steel typing, better Sp. Atk, and the resistances that make the line competitive.
Best Build
Prinplup best EVs are HP and Sp. Atk
Special Tank Moveset
- Hydro Pump
- Scald
- Grass Knot
- Ice Beam
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Hard to wall, honestly. Prinplup threatens 11 types beyond its own STAB, with Normal and Flying standing out. Pair that with Hydro Pump and Surf and switchins need to think twice.
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
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Reminder Moves
Transfer Moves
Base Stats
Because every Prinplup considers itself to be the most important, they can never form a group.
Prinplup Black 2 & White 2 Guide
Prinplup is meant to evolve into Empoleon. At 405 BST, the stats aren't there for competitive play yet. Pre-evolution Pokemon rarely hold up against fully evolved threats.
Torrent is the go-to ability for Prinplup. It strengthens water moves to inflict 1.5× damage at 1/3 max HP or less. Its hidden ability Competitive can work in specific setups.
Base 50 Speed is low. Priority moves or Trick Room are the way to go. On offense, Prinplup is a special attacker with base 81 Sp. Atk. Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two.
For Black 2 & White 2, you can run Prinplup through the first few routes without issues. 405 BST won't carry you far though. Get it to Empoleon as fast as you can.
Game Availability
Available in 12 titles since its debut in Diamond & Pearl, Prinplup spans 7 generations of Pokemon games. It's accessible through catching or hatching as a base form in a solid number of games.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DPDebut
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 7LGPE
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