Utility
Balanced
260Low
57Slow
DTier

Mid-stage Pokemon like Venipede rarely see competitive play outside of special formats. It's a waypoint on the road to Scolipede, which is where the real potential kicks in. Only weak to Fire, Flying, Psychic, and Rock. Known as the Centipede Pokemon.

Venipede's spread isn't flashy. Defense leads, HP trails, 0 stats clear the bar. Easy to catch and worth 1 Defense EV, on a 1.06M XP medium-slow curve.

Base Stats
260Below
HP30
F
Attack45
D
Defense59
D
Sp. Atk30
F
Sp. Def39
F
Speed57
D
Total260
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Venipede yields +1 Def
HPAtkDef+1SpASpDSpe
Details
Catch255GuaranteedMedium Slow1.06M XP0.4m / 1'04"5.3kg / 11.7 lbs52Base XP
Pokedex Entries

Venipede and Sizzlipede are similar species, but when the two meet, a huge fight ensues.

Sword

Its fangs are highly venomous. If this Pokémon finds prey it thinks it can eat, it leaps for them without any thought of how things might turn out.

Shield

Venipede Weakness

Avg

Venipede's Bug/Poison typing leaves it vulnerable to Fire, Flying, Psychic, and Rock moves. It resists 5 types, giving it decent defensive coverage.

4xCriticali
None
½xResisti
¼xResisti
0xImmunei
None
4Weak
5Resist
0Immune
Scorei-1
Stealth Rock25% on switch
SpikesGrounded — up to 25%
Toxic SpikesAbsorbs on switch
Abilities
Poison PointHas a 30% chance of poisoning attacking Pokémon on contact.
SwarmStrengthens bug moves to inflict 1.5× damage at 1/3 max HP or less.
Speed BoostHARaises Speed one stage after each turn.

Venipede is the start of a three-stage chain. It evolves into Whirlipede first, then eventually reaches Scolipede. For breeding, quick to hatch with no compatible partners via one egg group. The evolved forms gain up to 225 total stats over Venipede.

How to Evolve

3 Forms
Stat Comparison 3 Stages
Venipede
BugPoison
Whirlipede
BugPoison
Scolipede
BugPoison
HP
30
40+10
60+20
ATK
45
55+10
100+45
DEF
59
99+40
89-10
SP.ATK
30
40+10
55+15
SP.DEF
39
79+40
69-10
SPE
57
47-10
112+65
BST
260D-Tier
360D-Tier+100
485B-Tier+125
ROLE
Balanced
Balanced
Sweeper
TYPE
Utility
Utility
Physical
Breeding
Very Easy

Breed Venipede easily from the Bug egg group. Pass egg moves like Pin Missile, Rock Climb, Spikes and 3 more to offspring.

Egg Groups
Bug
Gender
50.0%50.0%
Hatch Time
15 cycles·3,855 steps
Quick~4 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
6moves

Best Build

No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 7.

Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.

The natural movepool does the job, but Pin Missile and Rock Climb from the egg pool give Venipede something extra.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Defense Curl
40Normal
Lv 1
Rollout
309020Rock
Lv 5
Poison Sting
1510035Poison
Lv 8
Screech
8540Normal
Lv 12
Pursuit
4010020Dark
Lv 15
Protect+4
10Normal
Lv 19
Poison Tail
5010025Poison
Lv 22
Bug Bite
6010020Bug
Lv 26
Venoshock
6510010Poison
Lv 29
Agility
30Psychic
Lv 33
Steamroller
6510020Bug
Lv 36
Toxic
9010Poison
Lv 38
Venoshock
6510010Poison
Lv 40
Rock Climb
908520Normal
Lv 43
Double-Edge
12010015Normal

TM Moves

Src
TM45
Attract
10015Normal
TM100
Confide
20Normal
TM32
Double Team
15Normal
TM42
Facade
7010020Normal
TM21
Frustration
10020Normal
TM74
Gyro Ball
1005Steel
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM83
Infestation
2010020Bug
TM66
Payback
5010010Dark
TM84
Poison Jab
8010020Poison
TM17
Protect+4
10Normal
TM44
Rest
10Psychic
TM27
Return
10020Normal
TM48
Round
6010015Normal
TM88
Sleep Talk
10Normal
TM36
Sludge Bomb
9010010Poison
TM22
Solar Beam
20010010Grass
TM90
Substitute
10Normal
TM11
Sunny Day
5Fire
TM87
Swagger
8515Normal
TM06
Toxic
9010Poison
TM09
Venoshock
6510010Poison

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Pin Missile
259520Bug
Egg
Rock Climb
908520Normal
Egg
Spikes
20Ground
Egg
Take Down
908520Normal
Egg
Toxic Spikes
20Poison
Egg
Twineedle
2510020Bug

Tutor Moves

Venipede can't learn any Tutor moves

Transfer Moves

Src
Gen 6
Rock Smash
4010015Fighting
Gen 6
Secret Power
7010020Normal
Gen 6
Struggle Bug
5010020Bug

Venipede starts showing up in early-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.

Best Locations

Route 4
SunGrassLv.14EarlyRouteIsland Scan (Thursday)
Route 4
MoonGrassLv.14EarlyRouteIsland Scan (Thursday)
  • Venipede isn't fully evolved, so it's not built for competitive play. You'll want to evolve it into Whirlipede to unlock its full potential. At 260 BST, it's a stepping stone rather than a team anchor.

  • Watch for Infernape (Fire), Braviary (Flying), and Alakazam (Psychic) when using Venipede. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Rock-type attackers are also a problem.

  • Venipede evolves into Whirlipede at level 22. Venipede is the base form in a 3-stage evolutionary line.

  • Run Speed Boost on Venipede. It's the ability that defines how you build around it and the main reason it holds a competitive niche. Venipede also gets Poison Point and Swarm, but they don't compare.

  • Venipede fills the balanced role. It's leaning toward the physical side (base 45 Attack). At base 57 Speed, it won't be moving first often. And it's fragile — can't afford to take many hits.

  • Venipede appears in 8 games, including Black & White, Black 2 & White 2, and X & Y.

Introduced in Black & White, Venipede has appeared in 8 games across 5 generations. Later debuts mean fewer total appearances, but it's been a consistent presence since its introduction.