Stats & Training
Attack and Sp. Atk carry most of Cacnea's stat budget. Speed's the obvious dump stat. Common in the wild and yields 1 Sp. Atk EV. Follows a 1.06M XP medium-slow curve.
It lives in arid locations. Its yellow flowers bloom once a year.
It prefers harsh environments such as deserts. It can survive for 30 days on water stored in its body.
Cacnea Weakness
Cacnea's Grass typing leaves it vulnerable to Fire, Ice, Poison, Flying, and Bug. 4 resistances help offset the weaknesses. Water Absorb grants an additional Water immunity, reshaping the matchup chart.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Fire, Ice, Poison, Flying, Bug |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Water, Electric, Grass, Ground |
In X & Y, Volcanion can KO Cacnea with Flamethrower (249-293%). Gliscor's Earthquake hits Cacnea for 44-51%. Gengar's Sludge Bomb also KOs at 372-438%.
 Volcanion FireWater | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityWaterabsorb ItemLeftovers NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Cacnea View Volcanion builds →Flamethrower 2x249-293%KO Sludge Bomb 2x166-195%KO | ||
 Gliscor Ground | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityPoisonheal ItemToxic Orb NatureCareful Moves
Damage vs Cacnea View Gliscor builds →Earthquake44-51% Knock Off38-45% | ||
 Gengar GhostPoison | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityLevitate ItemChoice Specs NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Cacnea View Gengar builds →Shadow Ball166-195%KO Sludge Bomb 2x372-438%KO Focus Blast165-195%KO | ||
 Volcarona BugFire | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityFlame Body ItemLum Berry NatureModest Moves
Damage vs Cacnea View Volcarona builds →Giga Drain39-46% Flamethrower 2x280-330%KO | ||
 Mamoswine IceGround | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityThickfat ItemChoice Scarf NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Cacnea View Mamoswine builds →Earthquake76-89% Ice Shard 2x122-144%KO Rock Slide76-89% | ||
X & Y Evolution
One evolution ahead. Cacnea grows into Cacturne through a straightforward two-stage chain. Plenty of partners for breeding via two egg groups. Eggs are average hatch time. The evolved forms gain up to 140 total stats over Cacnea. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed Cacnea easily with 59 breeding partners from the Plant and Humanshape egg groups. Pass egg moves like Acid, Belch, Block and 14 more to offspring.
X & Y Cacnea Best Moveset
Best Build
No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 6.
Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.
Moves
You'll want to breed for Acid and Belch on Cacnea. These egg moves aren't just nice to have. Combined with STAB from Solar Beam and Energy Ball, they expand what Cacnea can actually threaten in practice.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Transfer Moves
How to Get Cacnea in X & Y
Cacnea doesn't appear in X & Y. Transfer it from Ruby, Emerald, or Scarlet to add it to your collection. Check the source games below for encounter details.
Cacnea is not available as a wild encounter in this game.
Catch in the wild in:
Then trade to X & Y.
Also found in:
Cacnea Guide
Get Cacnea to Cacturne at level 32. At 335 BST, Cacnea is just the starting point.
Level 32 gets you Cacturne. Not the fastest evolution, so consider Exp. Share or route grinding to speed it up.
For X & Y, you can run Cacnea through the first few routes without issues. 335 BST won't carry you far though. Get it to Cacturne as fast as you can.
You can find Cacnea in X & Y. The Locations section has the full breakdown of routes and encounter details. It also appears in 13 other games across the series.
Game Availability
Available in 14 titles since its debut in Ruby & Sapphire, Cacnea spans 8 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 1Y
Yellow - Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RSDebut
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves