Is Herdier Good in Sword & Shield Playthrough?
Herdier between Lillipup and Stoutland carries you through the early gyms adequately. AbilityIntimidate provides Attack reduction on switch. Evolves at level 32, which hits around Kabu's gym timing. Functional without being exciting.
Lillipup trades roughly evenly with Milo's team.
Lillipup trades roughly evenly with Nessa's team.
Lillipup trades roughly evenly with Kabu's team.
Lillipup trades roughly evenly with Bea's team.
Lillipup trades roughly evenly with Opal's team.
Gordie's typing presses Lillipup's defenses.
Lillipup trades roughly evenly with Piers's team.
Raihan's team hits Lillipup's weaknesses hard.
Lillipup trades roughly evenly with Bede's team.
Stoutland trades roughly evenly with Leon's team.
Catch Lillipup on Training Lowlands (walking, Lv 16-21). Snowstorm.
Your Lillipup should hit Level 32 before you reach Leon, at typical leveling pace.
How to Get Herdier in Sword & Shield
You're catching Lillipup first, not Herdier. Lillipup appears at solid rates in the encounters below. The step cards map the full 3-stage chain with evolution methods between each stage.
How to Obtain Herdier in SwSh
The path to Herdier starts with Lillipup at Lv. 10-21 via walking encounters. 1 catchable stage total, with locations listed for each one below.
Step 1Catch LillipupTraining LowlandsLv.10-15OverworldShieldRate 56%SnowstormTraining LowlandsLv.10-15OverworldShieldRate 56%Heavy FogTraining LowlandsLv.10-15OverworldShieldRate 56%SnowingTraining LowlandsLv.10-15OverworldShieldRate 56%Normal WeatherTraining LowlandsLv.13-18OverworldSwordRate 56%Normal WeatherTraining LowlandsLv.13-18OverworldSwordRate 56%SnowstormTraining LowlandsLv.13-18OverworldSwordRate 56%Heavy FogTraining LowlandsLv.13-18OverworldSwordRate 56%SnowingTraining LowlandsLv.10-15OverworldShieldRate 36%RainingTraining LowlandsLv.10-15OverworldShieldRate 36%Intense SunTraining LowlandsLv.10-15OverworldShieldRate 36%OvercastTraining LowlandsLv.10-15OverworldShieldRate 36%SandstormTraining LowlandsLv.10-15OverworldShieldRate 36%ThunderstormTraining LowlandsLv.13-18OverworldSwordRate 36%OvercastTraining LowlandsLv.13-18OverworldSwordRate 36%SandstormTraining LowlandsLv.13-18OverworldSwordRate 36%ThunderstormTraining LowlandsLv.13-18OverworldSwordRate 36%RainingTraining LowlandsLv.13-18OverworldSwordRate 36%Intense SunTraining LowlandsLv.16-21GrassRate 60%SnowstormTraining LowlandsLv.16-21GrassRate 60%Heavy FogTraining LowlandsLv.16-21GrassRate 60%Normal WeatherTraining LowlandsLv.16-21GrassRate 60%SnowingTraining LowlandsLv.16-21GrassRate 45%RainingTraining LowlandsLv.16-21GrassRate 45%Intense SunTraining LowlandsLv.16-21GrassRate 45%OvercastTraining LowlandsLv.16-21GrassRate 45%SandstormTraining LowlandsLv.16-21GrassRate 45%Thunderstorm
Step 2Herdier ✓BREEDINGAvailableLeave Stoutland with a compatible partner at the Pokemon Day Care to receive a Herdier egg.
Step 3Evolve into Stoutland
Herdier Weakness
Herdier's Normal typing leaves it vulnerable to Fighting. It shrugs off Ghost-type attacks completely. Only 1 weakness makes it relatively easy to build around defensively.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Fighting |
| 0x (Immune) | Ghost |
What is Herdier Weak Against
GoodBest Pokemon Against Herdier
 Hitmonchan Fighting | C | |
 Pancham Fighting | D | |
 Machop Fighting | C | |
 Croagunk PoisonFighting | D | |
 Timburr Fighting | C | |
 Passimian Fighting | C | |
Hitmonchan Fighting | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Herdier View Hitmonchan builds →Focus Punch 2x177-208%KO | ||
 Pangoro FightingDark | C | |
 Bewear NormalFighting | C | |
 Gurdurr Fighting | C | |
 Hawlucha Fighting | B | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Herdier View Hawlucha builds →High Jump Kick 2x138-162%KO | ||
Passimian Fighting | C | |
Hitmonchan Fighting | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Herdier View Hitmonchan builds →Focus Punch 2x177-209%KO | ||
Timburr Fighting | C | |
Bewear NormalFighting | C | |
Passimian Fighting | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Herdier View Passimian builds →Close Combat 2x160-189%KO | ||
 Kommo-o DragonFighting | B | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Herdier View Kommo-o builds →Close Combat 2x148-175%KO | ||
Gurdurr Fighting | C | |
 Heracross BugFighting | B | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Herdier View Heracross builds →Close Combat 2x166-195%KO | ||
 Gallade PsychicFighting | B | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Herdier View Gallade builds →Close Combat 2x166-195%KO | ||
In Sword & Shield, Urshifu can KO Herdier with Close Combat (167-197%).
 Urshifu FightingDark | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityUnseenfist ItemChoice Band NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Herdier View Urshifu builds →Close Combat 2x167-197%KO Sucker Punch49-58% U Turn33-39% | ||
Herdier Evolutions
Herdier is the middle stage between Lillipup and Stoutland. It's a three-stage line with one more evolution to go. For breeding, quick to hatch with a massive partner pool via one egg group. So far, HP got the biggest boost (+20 from Lillipup). The final form adds another 130 stats on top. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
SwSh Herdier Best Moveset
Middling Normal-type with AbilityIntimidate dropping opponents' Attack on entry and 80 Attack at 60 Speed for some physical presence. The moveset can't justify a team slot against stronger options. Normal TermStab has no super-effective targets. One evolution from Stoutland for real competitive power.
Best Build
Herdier best EVs are HP and Attack
Physical Tank Moveset
- Giga Impact
- Last Resort
- Uproar
- Hyper Voice
Moves List
STAB runs through Giga Impact and Last Resort for the basics, but Herdier's real strength is the 11-type coverage spread. Dark and Fairy 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
Base Stats
Herdier is a very smart and friendly Pokémon. So much so that there’s a theory that Herdier was the first Pokémon to partner with people.
The black fur that covers this Pokémon’s body is dense and springy. Even sharp fangs bounce right off.
Herdier Sword & Shield Guide
In Sword & Shield, Herdier isn't fully evolved, so it's not built for competitive play. You'll want to evolve it into Stoutland to unlock its full potential. At 370 BST, it's a stepping stone rather than a team anchor.
In Sword & Shield, watch for Blaziken (Fighting) when using Herdier. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Only 1 weakness means fewer dedicated counters to worry about.
In Sword & Shield, Run Intimidate on Herdier. It's the ability that defines how you build around it and the main reason it holds a competitive niche. Herdier also gets Sand Rush and Scrappy, but they don't compare.
In Sword & Shield, Herdier fills the balanced role. It's a mixed attacker with base 80 Attack and 35 Sp. Atk. At base 60 Speed, it won't be moving first often.
In Sword & Shield, Herdier does the job early-game if you need a Normal type on your team. Evolve it into Stoutland before the later gyms and it holds up fine through the story.
Game Availability
Introduced in Black & White, Herdier has appeared in 7 games across 6 generations. Later debuts mean fewer total appearances, but it's been a consistent presence since its introduction.
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 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BWDebut
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