Stats & Training
Defense leads and Speed gets almost nothing. That's Forretress's stat line in a nutshell. 2 stats sit in respectable range, but the spread is brutal. Moderately hard to find and yields 2 Defense EVs.
It remains immovably rooted to its tree. It scatters pieces of its hard shell to drive its enemies away.
Its entire body is shielded by a steel-hard shell. What lurks inside the armor is a total mystery.
Forretress Weakness
Fire moves hit Forretress for super-effective damage. Fire hits land at 4x, so they're the biggest threat. The upside? Poison-type moves can't touch it at all. With 9 resistances, the defensive profile is strong. Forretress's physical bulk (base 140 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 4x (Critical) | Fire |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Normal, Ice, Psychic, Bug, Ghost, Dragon, Dark, Steel |
| 0.25x (Resist) | Grass |
| 0x (Immune) | Poison |
- Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
- Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
In FireRed & LeafGreen, Slaking's Hyper Beam hits Forretress for 49-58%.
 | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityTruant ItemChoice Band NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Forretress View Slaking builds →Earthquake44-52% Shadow Ball18-21% Hyper Beam49-58% | ||
 | C | |
Recommended Build AbilityPoison Point ItemLeftovers NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Forretress View Qwilfish builds →Self Destruct14-17% | ||
 | C | |
Recommended Build AbilityIntimidate ItemChoice Band NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Forretress View Tauros builds →Earthquake29-34% Double Edge26-31% | ||
 | C | |
Recommended Build AbilityInnerfocus ItemChoice Band NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Forretress View Crobat builds →Shadow Ball11-13% | ||
 | C | |
Recommended Build AbilityNatural Cure ItemLeftovers NatureCalm Moves View Roselia builds →
| ||
FireRed & LeafGreen Evolution
Evolved from Pineco. Forretress is the final form in this two-stage line. A decent partner pool for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are average hatch time. Defense grew the most through evolution (+50 over Pineco), and Forretress peaks at 465 total stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Forretress to get Pineco eggs easily using 37 partners from the Bug egg group. Notable egg moves include Counter, Flail, Pin Missile and 3 more.
FireRed & LeafGreen Forretress Best Moveset
Lead with Forretress, set Spikes, and keep pressure on. Sturdy and Leftovers buy the time it needs, with max HP and Sp. Def EVs letting it take hits while controlling the hazard game.
Best Build
Forretress best EVs are HP and Sp. Def
Hazard Setter Moveset
- Spikes
- Rapid Spin
- Explosion
- Earthquake
Recommended Teammates
Moves
Without breeding, Forretress misses out on Counter and Flail. That's 6 egg moves adding depth that the base kit lacks. STAB comes from Pin Missile, with Normal and Electric coverage and more rounding things out.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
How to Get Forretress in FireRed & LeafGreen
No wild encounters for Forretress in FireRed & LeafGreen. Bring Pineco over from Gold, Crystal, or Diamond, then level through the stages. Each step in the chain is laid out below.
How to Obtain Forretress in FireRed & LeafGreen
Step 1Obtain PinecoCatch in the wild in:
Then trade to FireRed & LeafGreen to continue the evolution chain.
Also found in:
Step 2Forretress ✓
Forretress Guide
For FireRed & LeafGreen, we rate Forretress B-Tier: a solid option in FireRed & LeafGreen for the right team. At 465 BST, it fits the hazard setter role. Spikes with Leftovers is the standard set.
In FireRed & LeafGreen, watch for Arcanine (Fire) when using Forretress. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Arcanine is the most dangerous since Fire moves deal 4x damage. Only 1 weakness means fewer dedicated counters to worry about. At base 40 Speed, Forretress won't outrun any of these threats so switching to a resist is usually the safer play.
Sturdy prevents being KOed from full HP, leaving 1 HP instead. That's the one you want on Forretress. Overcoat is the hidden ability. Niche, but it has its uses.
Base 40 Speed is low. Priority moves or Trick Room are the way to go. On offense, Forretress is a physical attacker with base 90 Attack. Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two. Best used as a hazard setter.
In FireRed & LeafGreen, run Spikes, Rapid Spin, Explosion, and Earthquake on Forretress. Spikes is the most common pick at 24% usage. This set covers the hazard setter role with a mix of damage and utility.
Game Availability
Available in 16 titles since its debut in Gold & Silver, Forretress spans 9 generations of Pokemon games. It's accessible through wild encounters in most mainline games.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 2GSDebut
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
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