Is Empoleon Good in Platinum Playthrough?
Water/Steel at level 36. Resists 10 types including Psychic, Ghost, and Dragon. Handles Flint's all-Fire E4 without breaking a sweat. AbilityTorrent for late-game Water boost. Cynthia's Garchomp is the big test. One of the most defensively complete starters.
Piplup resists most of Roark's coverage and hits back hard.
Gardenia's team hits Prinplup's weaknesses hard.
Prinplup trades roughly evenly with Fantina's team.
Prinplup has the type edge here and should clean up Maylene's team.
Prinplup trades roughly evenly with Crasher Wake's team.
Empoleon has the type edge here and should clean up Byron's team.
Empoleon resists most of Candice's coverage and hits back hard.
Empoleon trades roughly evenly with Volkner's team.
Empoleon has the type edge here and should clean up Aaron's team.
Empoleon resists most of Bertha's coverage and hits back hard.
Empoleon has the type edge here and should clean up Flint's team.
Empoleon has the type edge here and should clean up Lucian's team.
Empoleon trades roughly evenly with Cynthia's team.
Piplup is available as a starter.
- After Roark
- TM03WaterWater Pulse90100%20
- LV 18WaterBubble Beam98100%20
- LV 29WaterBrine98100%10
- After Maylene
- TUTORWaterDive120100%10
- After Crasher Wake
- HM03WaterSurf135100%15
- After Byron
- TM13IceIce Beam90100%10
- LV 43WaterHydro Pump16580%5
- After Volkner
- HM07WaterWaterfall120100%15
Your Piplup should hit Level 16 before you reach Gardenia, at typical leveling pace.
- After Roark
- TM03WaterWater Pulse90100%20
- LV 19WaterBubble Beam98100%20
- After Maylene
- TUTORWaterDive120100%10
- LV 33WaterBrine98100%10
- After Crasher Wake
- HM03WaterSurf135100%15
- After Byron
- TM13IceIce Beam90100%10
- After Volkner
- HM07WaterWaterfall120100%15
- LV 51WaterHydro Pump16580%5
Your Prinplup should hit Level 36 before you reach Byron, at typical leveling pace.
- After Gardenia
- TM26GroundEarthquake100100%10
- After Fantina
- TM15NormalHyper Beam15090%5
- After Maylene
- TUTORWaterDive120100%10
- TM68NormalGiga Impact15090%5
- After Crasher Wake
- HM03WaterSurf135100%15
- After Byron
- TM91SteelFlash Cannon120100%10
- After Volkner
- HM07WaterWaterfall120100%15
- LV 59WaterHydro Pump16580%5
How to Get Empoleon in Platinum
Empoleon doesn't appear wild. Catch Piplup instead, it shows up but it's a rare spawn. Evolve it at level 36 to get Empoleon. The 3-stage chain is mapped in the step cards below.
Empoleon Weakness
Empoleon's Water/Steel typing leaves it vulnerable to Electric, Fighting, and Ground. It shrugs off Poison-type attacks completely. It resists 11 types, so it can switch into a lot of moves safely. With 84 HP and balanced defenses, Empoleon can afford to eat a neutral hit or two.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Electric, Fighting, Ground |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Normal, Water, Flying, Psychic, Bug, Rock, Ghost, Dragon, Dark |
| 0.25x (Resist) | Ice, Steel |
| 0x (Immune) | Poison |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Empoleon Weak Against
FortressBest Pokemon Against Empoleon
 Gallade PsychicFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Gallade builds →Focus Punch 2x146-172%KO Earthquake 2x66-78% Thunderbolt 2x34-41% | ||
 Heracross BugFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Heracross builds →Focus Punch 2x146-172%KO Earthquake 2x66-78% | ||
 Machoke Fighting | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Machoke builds →Focus Punch 2x123-145%KO Earthquake 2x54-64% | ||
 Monferno FireFighting | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Chimchar (Route 201 Gift) | ||
 Rotom ElectricGhost | C | |
Obtain MethodOld Chateau Interact Encounter | ||
Heracross BugFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Heracross builds →Focus Punch 2x146-173%KO Earthquake 2x67-79% | ||
Gallade PsychicFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Gallade builds →Focus Punch 2x146-173%KO Earthquake 2x67-79% Thunderbolt 2x35-42% | ||
Machoke Fighting | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Machoke builds →Focus Punch 2x123-145%KO Earthquake 2x55-65% | ||
 Gastrodon WaterGround | C | |
Obtain MethodCanalave City Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Gastrodon builds →Earthquake 2x72-85% Rock Smash 2x20-24% | ||
Monferno FireFighting | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Chimchar (Route 201 Gift) | ||
Heracross BugFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Heracross builds →Focus Punch 2x146-173%KO Earthquake 2x67-79% | ||
Gallade PsychicFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Gallade builds →Focus Punch 2x146-173%KO Earthquake 2x67-79% Thunderbolt 2x35-42% | ||
Machoke Fighting | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Machoke builds →Focus Punch 2x123-145%KO Earthquake 2x55-65% | ||
Gastrodon WaterGround | C | |
Obtain MethodCanalave City Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Gastrodon builds →Earthquake 2x72-85% Rock Smash 2x20-24% | ||
Monferno FireFighting | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Chimchar (Route 201 Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Monferno builds →Focus Punch 2x103-121%KO Dig 2x37-44% | ||
Heracross BugFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Heracross builds →Focus Punch 2x141-167%KO Earthquake 2x63-75% | ||
Gallade PsychicFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Gallade builds →Focus Punch 2x141-167%KO Earthquake 2x63-75% Thunderbolt 2x32-38% | ||
 Toxicroak PoisonFighting | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Toxicroak builds →Focus Punch 2x123-145%KO Earthquake 2x55-65% | ||
 Infernape FireFighting | A | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Chimchar (Route 201 Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Infernape builds →Focus Punch 2x121-143%KO Earthquake 2x55-65% | ||
Machoke Fighting | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Machoke builds →Focus Punch 2x119-140%KO Earthquake 2x54-63% | ||
Heracross BugFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Heracross builds →Focus Punch 2x139-164%KO Earthquake 2x63-74% | ||
Gallade PsychicFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Gallade builds →Focus Punch 2x139-164%KO Earthquake 2x63-74% Thunderbolt 2x33-39% | ||
Toxicroak PoisonFighting | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Toxicroak builds →Focus Punch 2x122-144%KO Earthquake 2x55-65% | ||
Infernape FireFighting | A | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Chimchar (Route 201 Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Infernape builds →Focus Punch 2x121-142%KO Earthquake 2x54-64% | ||
Machoke Fighting | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Machoke builds →Focus Punch 2x117-138%KO Earthquake 2x53-62% | ||
Heracross BugFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Heracross builds →Focus Punch 2x144-170%KO Earthquake 2x65-77% | ||
Gallade PsychicFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Gallade builds →Focus Punch 2x144-170%KO Earthquake 2x65-77% Thunderbolt 2x33-39% | ||
Toxicroak PoisonFighting | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Toxicroak builds →Focus Punch 2x126-149%KO Earthquake 2x57-67% | ||
 Garchomp DragonGround | S | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Garchomp builds →Earthquake 2x101-119%KO Brick Break 2x50-59% | ||
Infernape FireFighting | A | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Chimchar (Route 201 Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Infernape builds →Focus Punch 2x123-145%KO Earthquake 2x55-65% | ||
Heracross BugFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Heracross builds →Focus Punch 2x143-168%KO Earthquake 2x63-75% | ||
Gallade PsychicFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Gallade builds →Focus Punch 2x143-168%KO Earthquake 2x63-75% Thunderbolt 2x32-37% | ||
 Breloom GrassFighting | A | |
Toxicroak PoisonFighting | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Toxicroak builds →Focus Punch 2x124-147%KO Earthquake 2x56-66% | ||
Garchomp DragonGround | S | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Garchomp builds →Earthquake 2x99-116%KO Brick Break 2x49-58% | ||
In Platinum, Azelf's Explosion hits Empoleon for 39-46%. Hippowdon deals 58-68% with Earthquake.
A | ||
Recommended Build AbilityLevitate ItemFocus Sash NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Azelf builds →Explosion39-46% U Turn11-13% | ||
B | ||
Recommended Build AbilityKeeneye ItemLeftovers NatureImpish Moves View Skarmory builds →
| ||
B | ||
Recommended Build AbilitySand Stream ItemLeftovers NatureImpish Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Hippowdon builds →Earthquake 2x58-68% | ||
B | ||
Recommended Build AbilityPressure ItemFocus Sash NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Aerodactyl builds →Earthquake 2x68-80% Stone Edge17-20% | ||
C | ||
Recommended Build AbilityPoison Point ItemBlack Sludge NatureRelaxed Moves
Damage vs Empoleon View Nidoqueen builds →Earthquake 2x49-58% Ice Beam4-5% | ||
Empoleon Evolutions
The three-stage chain from Piplup through Prinplup ends here at Empoleon. Want more? Breed for Piplup eggs. A massive partner pool available via two egg groups. The evolution from Piplup pushed Empoleon to 530 total stats. Sp.Atk saw the largest single gain at +50. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Empoleon to get Piplup eggs easily using 131 partners from the Ground and Water1 egg groups. Notable egg moves include Agility, Aqua Ring, Double Hit and 7 more.
Pt Empoleon Best Moveset
Defensive switch-in that resists 10 of 17 types and sets MoveStealth Rock on the first turn. The moveset uses 111 Sp. Atk for special Water and Ice attacks between support turns, and 101 Sp. Def absorbs special hits. 60 Speed is the only real drawback.
Best Build
Empoleon best EVs are Sp. Atk and Speed
Special Sweeper Moveset
- Ice Beam
- Hydro Pump
- Grass Knot
- Aqua Jet
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
STAB runs through Hydro Cannon and Hydro Pump for the basics, but Empoleon's real strength is the 10-type coverage spread. Normal and Flying hit common defensive types, and the movepool keeps going.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- Egg
- Inherited via breeding.
- Tutor
- NPC tutor (cost: items, BP, money).
- Reminder
- An NPC reteaches any move this Pokemon could have learned by leveling up.
- Transfer
- Carried over from an older game using Pokemon HOME.
- Event
- Given out through Mystery Gift events.
Visual Signals
CAT (Category)
How the move deals damage and which stats it uses.
A small dot on the icon's corner marks the move as contact. That triggers abilities like Static, Flame Body, Rough Skin, or Iron Barbs, plus items like Rocky Helmet and Sticky Barb.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM, Egg, and Tutor sort by tier by default (best first). On Level-Up, click the Tier header to do the same.
PWR (Power)
Base damage. Numbers shown in a type color include STAB (base × 1.5). Hover any colored number to see the math.
— means no power (status moves) or variable power.
Sorting & Filter
Click any column header to sort. Level-Up opens with Lv 1 at the top. TM, Egg, and Tutor open with the highest-tier moves at the top.
Search filters by move name or type. The Filter button limits the list to STAB, Physical, Special, or Status moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Reminder Moves
Base Stats
If anyone were to hurt its pride, it would slash them with wings that can cleave through an ice floe.
Empoleon Platinum Guide
In Platinum, Empoleon works as a setup sweeper with 530 BST behind it. B-Tier on our list: a solid option in Platinum for the right team. Ice Beam with Focus Sash is the standard set.
Torrent strengthens water moves to inflict 1.5× damage at 1/3 max HP or less. That's the one you want on Empoleon. It's the only ability Empoleon has.
Empoleon is a mixed attacker with base 86 Attack and 111 Sp. Atk. Enough bulk to take a hit or two, too. Speed tells the real story. At base 60 Speed, it won't be moving first often. Fits the setup sweeper role.
In Platinum, run Ice Beam, Hydro Pump, Grassknot, and Aqua Jet on Empoleon. Ice Beam is the most common pick at 0% usage. This set covers the setup sweeper role with a mix of damage and utility.
Game Availability
Debuting in Diamond & Pearl, Empoleon appears in 12 games across 7 generations. A reliable presence in a solid number of games, typically found through wild encounters.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DPDebut
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves