Slow is good when Trick Room is up, and Vespiquen is about as slow as they come. Bug/Flying typing gives it a defined role on the team. Ground moves can't touch it, which offsets the 5 weaknesses somewhat. Part of the Gen 4 roster.
Vespiquen's built to absorb hits, not race for knockouts. Balanced defenses with Defense doing the heavy lifting. And the 1.06M XP medium-slow curve means it won't take forever to bring up, worth 2 Defense and Sp. Def EVs.
It releases various pheromones to make the grubs in its body do its bidding while fighting foes.
Vespiquen Weakness
VulnerableVespiquen is weak to Rock, Fire, Electric, Ice, and Flying-type moves. Watch out for Rock attacks, those deal 4x damage. On the flip side, it's immune to Ground-type moves entirely.
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
Vespiquen is what Combee becomes. Breed it for Combee eggs (quick to hatch). A decent partner pool for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are quick to hatch. The evolution from Combee pushed Vespiquen to 474 total stats. Defense saw the largest single gain at +60.
How to Evolve
Breed with Vespiquen to get Combee eggs using 47 partners from the Bug egg group.
This is a pure walling set. Leftovers provides passive recovery each turn so Vespiquen sticks around, and the Careful nature reinforces special wall. Roost handles sustain while Pressure does work passively.
Best Build
Best Vespiquen Moveset
- Toxic
- Roost
- Attack Order
- Heal Order
Recommended Teammates
The level-up pool tells the story here. Vespiquen learns Attack Order and Giga Impact naturally, plus enough variety that TMs feel like bonuses. Poison and Dark coverage and more extends the reach beyond that.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Reminder Moves
You're catching Combee first, not Vespiquen. Combee appears at decent rates in the encounters below. The step cards map the full 2-stage line with evolution methods between each stage.
How to Obtain Vespiquen in Platinum
Combee is your first catch on the way to Vespiquen. You'll find headbutt encounters from Lv. 5-15 across 21 total spots in the chain.
Step 1Catch CombeeCHALLENGINGEterna ForestHoney tree encounterLv.5-15UncommonEarlyForestCHALLENGINGFloaroma MeadowHoney tree encounterLv.5-15UncommonEarlyCHALLENGINGFuego IronworksHoney tree encounterLv.5-15UncommonEarlyPower-plantCHALLENGINGRoute 205 - NorthHoney tree encounterLv.5-15UncommonEarlyRouteCHALLENGINGRoute 205 - SouthHoney tree encounterLv.5-15UncommonEarlyRouteCHALLENGINGRoute 206Honey tree encounterLv.5-15UncommonEarlyRouteCHALLENGINGRoute 207Honey tree encounterLv.5-15UncommonEarlyRouteCHALLENGINGRoute 208Honey tree encounterLv.5-15UncommonEarlyRouteCHALLENGINGRoute 209Honey tree encounterLv.5-15UncommonEarlyRouteCHALLENGINGRoute 210 - NorthHoney tree encounterLv.5-15UncommonEarlyRouteCHALLENGINGRoute 210 - SouthHoney tree encounterLv.5-15UncommonEarlyRouteCHALLENGINGRoute 211 - EastHoney tree encounterLv.5-15UncommonEarlyRouteCHALLENGINGRoute 212 - NorthHoney tree encounterLv.5-15UncommonEarlyRouteCHALLENGINGRoute 212 - SouthHoney tree encounterLv.5-15UncommonEarlyRouteCHALLENGINGRoute 213Honey tree encounterLv.5-15UncommonEarlyRouteCHALLENGINGRoute 214Honey tree encounterLv.5-15UncommonEarlyRouteCHALLENGINGRoute 215Honey tree encounterLv.5-15UncommonEarlyRouteCHALLENGINGRoute 218Honey tree encounterLv.5-15UncommonEarlyRouteCHALLENGINGRoute 221Honey tree encounterLv.5-15UncommonEarlyRouteCHALLENGINGRoute 222Honey tree encounterLv.5-15UncommonEarlyRouteCHALLENGINGValley WindworksHoney tree encounterLv.5-15UncommonEarlyPower-plant
Step 2Vespiquen ✓
Vespiquen works as a support with 474 BST behind it. C-Tier on our list — a situational pick that fills a niche. That 102 base Defense does the heavy lifting.
Vespiquen's biggest threats include Golem (Rock), Charizard (Fire), and Raikou (Electric), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Golem is the most dangerous since Rock moves deal 4x damage. Ice and Flying-type attackers are also a problem. With 5 weakness types, most competitive teams carry at least one counter. At base 40 Speed, Vespiquen won't outrun any of these threats so switching to a resist is usually the safer play.
Combee evolves into Vespiquen at level 21. Vespiquen is the fully evolved form. It sits at 474 BST in its evolved form.
Pressure is the go-to ability for Vespiquen. It increases the PP cost of moves targetting the Pokémon by one. Its hidden ability Unnerve can work in specific setups.
Vespiquen is leaning toward the physical side (base 80 Attack). Enough bulk to take a hit or two, too. But the speed tells the real story — base 40 Speed is low. Priority moves or Trick Room are the way to go. Fits the support role.
Vespiquen appears in 13 games, including Platinum, HeartGold & SoulSilver, and Diamond & Pearl.
Debuting in Diamond & Pearl, Vespiquen appears in 13 games across 6 generations. A reliable presence in a solid number of games, typically found through wild encounters.
- Gen IY
Yellow - Gen IRB
Red & Blue - Gen IIGS
Gold & Silver - Gen IIC
Crystal - Gen IIIRS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen IIIFRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen IIIE
Emerald - Gen IVPt
Platinum - Gen IVHGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen IVDPDebut
Diamond & Pearl - Gen VBW
Black & White - Gen VB2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen VIXY
X & Y - Gen VIORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen VIIUSUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen VIISM
Sun & Moon - Gen VIILGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen VIIISwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen VIIIPLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen VIIIBDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen IXSV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen IXLZA
Legends: Z-A