
Is Prinplup Good in HeartGold & SoulSilver Playthrough?
Piplup evolves at level 16. AbilityTorrent boosts Water. Empoleon at 36 is the destination. Breed-only from Sinnoh.
Prinplup trades roughly evenly with Falkner's team.
Prinplup has the type edge here and should clean up Bugsy's team.
Prinplup has the type edge here and should clean up Whitney's team.
Prinplup trades roughly evenly with Morty's team.
Chuck's typing presses Prinplup's defenses.
Prinplup resists most of Jasmine's coverage and hits back hard.
Prinplup trades roughly evenly with Pryce's team.
Clair's typing presses Prinplup's defenses.
Prinplup has the type edge here and should clean up Brock's team.
Misty's typing presses Prinplup's defenses.
Prinplup trades roughly evenly with Lt. Surge's team.
Erika's team hits Prinplup's weaknesses hard.
Prinplup trades roughly evenly with Janine's team.
Prinplup trades roughly evenly with Sabrina's team.
Prinplup has the type edge here and should clean up Blaine's team.
Prinplup trades roughly evenly with Blue's team.
Prinplup trades roughly evenly with Will's team.
Prinplup trades roughly evenly with Koga's team.
Prinplup trades roughly evenly with Bruno's team.
Prinplup trades roughly evenly with Karen's team.
Prinplup trades roughly evenly with Lance's team.
Trade
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.
Recommended Moves
- After Bugsy
- TM14IceBlizzardPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM13IceIce BeamPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod Game Corner
- TM28GroundDigPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 10National Park
- LV 19WaterBubble BeamPower 98Accuracy 100%PP 20
- After Whitney
- HM03WaterSurfPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15Gift from a Kimono Girl in the Ecruteak Dance Theater
- LV 33WaterBrinePower 98Accuracy 100%PP 10
- After Pryce
- HM07WaterWaterfallPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15Item ball on Ice Path 1F
- LV 51WaterHydro PumpPower 180Accuracy 80%PP 5
How to Get Prinplup in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Prinplup can't be caught in HeartGold & SoulSilver. Transfer Piplup in from Diamond & Pearl or Platinum, then evolve it into Prinplup. The step cards below show each evolution.
How to Obtain Prinplup in HGSS
Step 1Obtain PiplupCARTRIDGE TRADEfrom Diamond & PearlAvailableCatch in Diamond & Pearl via Gift · Lake Verity · Starter Pokémon, then trade to the current game via link cable.CARTRIDGE TRADEfrom PlatinumAvailableCatch in Platinum via Gift · Route 201 · Starter Pokémon, then trade to the current game via link cable.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 Gift · Lake Verity. 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
How to Get Shiny Prinplup in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Prinplup does not appear in HGSS, so evolve a shiny Piplup in a Sinnoh game and send it in. See every game where Shiny Prinplup can be hunted
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
Roserade GrassPoison | B | |
Sceptile Grass | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Treecko (Silph Co Gift) | ||
Parasect BugGrass | C | |
Cacturne GrassDark | B | |
Tangrowth Grass | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Prinplup View Tangrowth builds →Solar Beam 2x132-155%KO Shock Wave 2x45-52% | ||
Victreebel GrassPoison | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Prinplup View Victreebel builds →Leaf Storm 2x141-166%KO | ||
Venusaur GrassPoison | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Bulbasaur (Pallet Town Gift) | ||
Shiftry GrassDark | C | |
Vileplume GrassPoison | C | |
Raikou Electric | B | |
Ludicolo WaterGrass | C | |
Breloom GrassFighting | A | |
Meganium Grass | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Chikorita (New Bark Town Gift) | ||
Carnivine Grass | C | |
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 131 partners from the Field and Water 1 egg groups. Notable egg moves include Agility, Aqua Ring, Double Hit and 8 more.
HGSS Prinplup Best Moveset
81 Sp. Atk firing decent special Water attacks with 50 Speed and thin defenses limiting the role. Empoleon's Water/Steel typing is the prize. One evolution away.
Best Build
Prinplup best EVs are Sp. Atk and Speed
Special Setup Sweeper Moveset
- Surf
- Agility
- Grass Knot
- Ice Beam
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
The egg pool carries weight here. Agility and Aqua Ring aren't available any other way for Prinplup, and they meaningfully change what it threatens. Stack those on top of Hydro Pump and Surf for solid options.
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
All 26 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Reminder Moves
Base Stats
It lives a solitary life. Its wings deliver wicked blows that can snap even the thickest of trees.
Prinplup HeartGold & SoulSilver Guide
No. Prinplup isn't catchable in HeartGold & SoulSilver. Obtain one in Diamond, Pearl, or Platinum, then trade it over.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Prinplup has 405 BST and evolves into Empoleon. Compare the two forms before you give either one a team slot.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Prinplup plays as a balanced. Not the fastest, so pick your spots carefully. Surf is the primary attack. Set up with Agility when you get a free turn.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Modest is the go-to nature for Prinplup. That's +Sp. Atk / -Attack. Pair it with 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe EVs. Fits the balanced role.
Game Availability
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.
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 7Let's Go

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
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