Special
Balanced
405Average
50Slow
DTier

Prinplup sits in the middle of its evolution line — stronger than Piplup but not yet at full power. Most trainers push through to Empoleon as fast as possible. Known as the Penguin Pokemon. Flexible enough to run physical or special sets.

Sp. Atk and Sp. Def carry most of Prinplup's stat budget. Speed's the obvious dump stat. Tough to catch and yields 2 Sp. Atk EVs. Follows a 1.06M XP medium-slow curve.

Base Stats
405Above
HP64
C
Attack66
C
Defense68
C
Sp. Atk81
C
Sp. Def76
C
Speed50
D
Total405
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Prinplup yields +2 SpA
HPAtkDefSpA+2SpDSpe
Details
Catch45Challenging•Medium Slow1.06M XP•0.8m / 2'07"•23kg / 50.7 lbs•142Base XP
Pokedex Entries

It swims gracefully through the frigid sea and sings with a voice like the roaring tide. It has powerful, sturdy wings and dignity to match.

Legends Arceus

Prinplup Weakness

Good

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.

4xCriticali
None
2xWeaki
ElectricGrass
½xResisti
FireWaterIceSteel
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
None
STAB (3)i
FireGroundRock
2Weak
4Resist
0Immune
Scorei0
SpikesGrounded — up to 25%
Toxic SpikesVulnerable
Abilities
TorrentStrengthens water moves to inflict 1.5× damage at 1/3 max HP or less.
CompetitiveHARaises Special Attack by two stages upon having any stat lowered.

Partway through Piplup's chain. Prinplup still has another evolution ahead before reaching Empoleon. For breeding, average hatch time with plenty of partners 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.

How to Evolve

3 Forms
Piplup
#393Piplup
16
Level 16
Prinplup
#394Prinplup
36
Level 36
Empoleon
#395Empoleon
Stat Comparison 3 Stages
Piplup
Water
Prinplup
Water
Empoleon
WaterSteel
HP
53
64+11
84+20
ATK
51
66+15
86+20
DEF
53
68+15
88+20
SP.ATK
61
81+20
111+30
SP.DEF
56
76+20
101+25
SPE
40
50+10
60+10
BST
314D-Tier
405D-Tier+91
530B-Tier+125
ROLE
Balanced
Balanced
Attacker
TYPE
Utility
Special
Special
Breeding
Easy

Breed with Prinplup to get Piplup eggs easily using 69 partners from the Ground and Water1 egg groups.

Egg Groups
GroundWater1
Gender
♂87.5%♀12.5%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Breed With (best first)
manaphyraichupachirisupikachugolduckwalreininfernapeempoleonrhydonfloatzellopunnyoctillery
12 of 69·

Best Build

Legends: Arceus uses different battle mechanics.

Competitive build content is not applicable for this game. Select a main series game for builds.

Not a lot to pick from. Prinplup gets Liquidation and Water Pulse for same-type damage, and Normal and Flying coverage and more rounds things out. You're building around what's available rather than choosing from a deep bench.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Tackle
4010035Normal
Lv 6
Bubble
4010030Water
Lv 11
Aerial Ace
60—20Flying
Lv 18
Water Pulse
6010020Water
Lv 25
Roost
——10Flying
Lv 34
Liquidation
8510010Water
Lv 43
Double-Edge
12010015Normal

TM Moves

Prinplup can't learn any TM moves

Egg Moves

Prinplup doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Src
Tutor
Aerial Ace
60—20Flying
Tutor
Baby-Doll Eyes+1
—10030Fairy
Tutor
Ice Beam
9010010Ice
Tutor
Icy Wind
559515Ice
Tutor
Rest
——10Psychic
Tutor
Rock Smash
4010015Fighting
Tutor
Shadow Claw
7010015Ghost
Tutor
Stealth Rock
——20Rock
Tutor
Water Pulse
6010020Water

decent spawn rates across 1 locations for Prinplup in mid-game routes. Scroll the sorted list below and pick whichever spot sits closest to your current route. The rate differences between locations are worth comparing.

Where To Catch Prinplup in Legends: Arceus

  1. Piplup
    Step 1Catch Piplup
    Spring Path
    GrassUncommonRoute
    EASY
  2. Prinplup
    Step 2Prinplup ✓
    Spring Path
    GrassUncommonRoute
    EASY
    or evolve from Piplup (Step 1)

  • 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.

  • Prinplup's biggest threats include Manectric (Electric) and Roserade (Grass), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Only 2 weaknesses means fewer dedicated counters to worry about.

  • Piplup evolves into Prinplup at level 16. Prinplup evolves into Empoleon at level 36. Prinplup is a middle-stage evolution in the Piplup line.

  • 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.

  • Prinplup appears in 12 games, including Platinum, HeartGold & SoulSilver, and Diamond & Pearl.

Available in 12 titles since its debut in Diamond & Pearl, Prinplup spans 6 generations of Pokemon games. It's accessible through catching or hatching as a base form in a solid number of games.