Stats & Training
The stat bars tell the story: Attack carries everything and Speed's dead weight. But this Drill Pokemon still yields 3 Attack EVs per fight on a slow 1.25M XP grind.
From holes in its palms, it fires out GEODUDE. Its carapace can withstand volcanic eruptions.
From holes in its palms, it fires out GEODUDE. Its carapace can withstand volcanic eruptions.
Rhyperior Weakness
Rhyperior is weak to Water, Grass, Ice, Fighting, Ground, and Steel. Watch out for Water and Grass attacks, those deal 4x damage. On the flip side, it's immune to Electric-type moves entirely. The Ground/Rock typing picks up 5 resistances to work with. Lightning Rod grants an additional Electric immunity, reshaping the matchup chart. Rhyperior's physical bulk (base 130 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 4x (Critical) | Water, Grass |
| 2x (Weak) | Ice, Fighting, Ground, Steel |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Normal, Fire, Flying, Rock |
| 0.25x (Resist) | Poison |
| 0x (Immune) | Electric |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Bronzong's Earthquake hits Rhyperior for 34-41%.
 | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityPressure ItemLeftovers NatureBold Moves
Damage vs Rhyperior View Zapdos builds →Heat Wave15-18% | ||
 | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityLevitate ItemLeftovers NatureBrave Moves
Damage vs Rhyperior View Bronzong builds →Explosion21-25% Earthquake 2x34-41% | ||
 | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityNatural Cure ItemLeftovers NatureBold Moves View Blissey builds →
| ||
 | B | |
Recommended Build AbilitySturdy ItemLeftovers NatureImpish Moves
Damage vs Rhyperior View Forretress builds →Rapid Spin3-4% Explosion15-18% Payback6-7% | ||
 | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityMagnetpull ItemLeftovers NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Rhyperior View Magnezone builds →Explosion11-13% | ||
HeartGold & SoulSilver Evolution
Rhyperior evolved from Rhyhorn's chain using a trade. It's a non-standard trigger, so check the details below. Breed this form to get Rhyhorn eggs (average hatch time). The evolution from Rhyhorn pushed Rhyperior to 535 total stats. Attack saw the largest single gain at +55. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Rhyperior to get Rhyhorn eggs easily using 131 partners from the Ground and Monster egg groups. Notable egg moves include Counter, Crunch, Crush Claw and 10 more.
HeartGold & SoulSilver Rhyperior Best Moveset
Solidrock helps Rhyperior stick around while dealing real damage. Leftovers for passive recovery each turn, max HP and Attack EVs for the right balance, and Earthquake as the main threat. Not the fastest, but it doesn't need to be.
Best Build
Rhyperior best EVs are HP and Attack
Physical Tank Moveset
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Fire Punch
- Megahorn
Recommended Teammates
Moves
The TM pool is where it gets interesting. Coverage across 12 types means almost nothing walls Rhyperior cleanly, with Rock Wrecker and Stone Edge anchoring the STAB side. Matchup flexibility isn't a problem.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
How to Get Rhyperior in HeartGold & SoulSilver
A trade step sits in Rhyperior's 3-stage chain from Rhyhorn. The step cards below map each stage with catch locations and evolution methods. Rhyhorn shows up at moderate rates, so the starting catch is the easy part.
How to Obtain Rhyperior in HeartGold & SoulSilver
The path to Rhyperior starts with Rhyhorn at Lv. 35+ via trade and walking encounters. 1 catchable stage total, with locations listed for each one below.
Step 1Catch RhyhornVictory Road - 1FHeartGoldGrass Lv.35 CaveRareLateVictory Road - 1FSoulSilverGrass Lv.35 CaveRareLateDiglett's Cave - B1FHeartGoldIn-game trade CaveLimitedTrade for (give Bonsly)Diglett's Cave - B1FSoulSilverIn-game trade CaveLimitedTrade for (give Bonsly)
Step 2Evolve into Rhydon
Step 3Rhyperior ✓
Rhyperior Guide
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Rhyperior looks average on paper at 535 BST. But Lightning Rod is why it sees play. Build around that and it pulls its weight. B-Tier wallbreaker on our tier list. Earthquake with Leftovers is the standard set.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Rhyperior's biggest threats include Gyarados (Water), Venusaur (Grass), and Lapras (Ice), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Gyarados is the most dangerous since Water moves deal 4x damage. Fighting, Ground, and Steel-type attackers are also a problem. With 6 weakness types, most competitive teams carry at least one counter. At base 40 Speed, Rhyperior won't outrun any of these threats so switching to a resist is usually the safer play.
Rhyperior gets Lightning Rod, Solid Rock, and Reckless. But Lightning Rod is the one that matters. It's the centerpiece of every viable set. Build around that. On wall sets, Lightning Rod pairs with Rhyperior's base 130 Defense to absorb physical hits on the switch.
Rhyperior is a physical attacker with base 140 Attack. Tanky enough to absorb a few hits, too. Speed tells the real story. Base 40 Speed is low. Priority moves or Trick Room are the way to go. Fits the wallbreaker role.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, the best way to handle Rhyperior: Status moves (Toxic, Will-O-Wisp) wear it down. Setup sweepers can use it as a boost opportunity. Special attackers bypass its physical bulk.
Game Availability
Since Diamond & Pearl, Rhyperior has been in 13 games. Requiring a trade evolution to obtain means it's consistently available but requires more effort than simply catching it in the wild.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 4DPDebut
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