Is Prinplup Good in Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon Playthrough?
Water middle stage gaining Steel typing. Strong enough for mid-game. Evolves into Empoleon at level 36.
Piplup has the type edge here and should clean up Ilima's team.
Piplup trades roughly evenly with Hala's team.
Lana's team hits Piplup's weaknesses hard.
ElectricSteelReceived as a Totem-sized gift Pokemon by collecting enou... (Ultra Moon only)
BugElectricReceived as a Totem-sized gift Pokemon by collecting enou... (Ultra Sun only)
GrassReceived as a Totem-sized gift Pokemon by collecting enou... (Ultra Sun only)
GhostFairyReceived as a Totem-sized gift Pokemon by collecting enou...
Piplup resists most of Kiawe's coverage and hits back hard.
Piplup trades roughly evenly with Mallow's team.
Piplup has the type edge here and should clean up Olivia's team.
Piplup trades roughly evenly with Sophocles's team.
Piplup trades roughly evenly with Acerola's team.
Piplup trades roughly evenly with Nanu's team.
Mina's team hits Piplup's weaknesses hard.
Piplup has the type edge here and should clean up Hapu's team.
Empoleon trades roughly evenly with Molayne's team.
Empoleon has the type edge here and should clean up Olivia's team.
Empoleon has the type edge here and should clean up Acerola's team.
Empoleon has the type edge here and should clean up Kahili's team.
Empoleon has the type edge here and should clean up Kukui's team.
Catch Prinplup on Route 16 (walking, Lv 35). Island Scan; LIMITED; Tuesday.
Your Piplup should hit Level 36 before you reach Molayne, at typical leveling pace.
How to Get Prinplup in Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon
Prinplup starts showing up in late-game routes at moderate rates across 2 encounter spots. The list below is sorted so you can pick what fits your current progress without scrolling through everything.
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 |
What is Prinplup Weak Against
GoodBest Pokemon Against Prinplup
In Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon, Rotom's Thunderbolt hits Prinplup for 61-71%.
 Kartana GrassSteel | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityBeastboost ItemChoice Scarf NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Prinplup View Kartana builds →Knock Off17-20% | ||
 Rotom ElectricGhost | C | |
Recommended Build AbilityLevitate ItemChoice Scarf NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Prinplup View Rotom builds →Shadow Ball27-32% Volt Switch 2x48-56% 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 218 partners from the Ground and Water1 egg groups. Notable egg moves include Agility, Aqua Ring, Bide and 11 more.
USUM Prinplup Best Moveset
Water at 81 Sp. Atk with AbilityTorrent and AbilityCompetitive as a hidden ability. The moveset at mid-stage power lacks impact. Empoleon one evolution away adds Steel typing, 111 Sp. Atk, and the A-tier defensive identity.
Best Build
Prinplup best EVs are HP and Defense
Wall Moveset
- Scald
- Defog
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Hard to wall, honestly. Prinplup threatens 11 types beyond its own STAB, with Steel and Normal 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
Base Stats
Prinplup Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon 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 Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon, 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