Is Wailord Good in Sword & Shield Playthrough?
Wailord's 170 HP is the highest of any non-Blissey Pokemon in Galar. Everything else about it is average. Handles Kabu by absorbing hits. Not fast, not strong, not defensive except through raw HP. A giant whale that does one thing well and nothing else.
Wailmer trades roughly evenly with Milo's team.
Wailmer trades roughly evenly with Nessa's team.
Wailmer has the type edge here and should clean up Kabu's team.
Wailmer trades roughly evenly with Bea's team.
Wailmer trades roughly evenly with Opal's team.
Wailord has the type edge here and should clean up Gordie's team.
Wailord trades roughly evenly with Piers's team.
Wailord trades roughly evenly with Raihan's team.
Wailord trades roughly evenly with Bede's team.
Leon's team hits Wailord's weaknesses hard.
Catch Wailord on Route 9 (Super Rod fishing, Lv 39-43).
Catch Wailmer on Route 9 (overworld, Lv 39-43). All Weather.
How to Get Wailord in Sword & Shield
moderate rates across 2 encounter spots for Wailord. That's the kind of hunt where you pick one location and settle in. Sort by Best below to see where the odds are highest.
Where To Catch Wailord in SwSh
The path to Wailord starts with Wailmer at Lv. 39-65 via surfing, fishing, and more encounters. 2 catchable stages total, with locations listed for each one below.
Step 1Catch WailmerRoute 9 - in Circhester Bay) (SurfingLv.39-43OverworldRate 40%All WeatherRoute 9 - in Circhester BayLv.39-43Super RodRate 34%Honeycalm IslandLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 20%SandstormHoneycalm IslandLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 20%OvercastHoneycalm IslandLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 20%Normal WeatherHoneycalm IslandLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 20%RainingHoneycalm IslandLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 20%Intense SunHoneycalm IslandLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 20%SnowstormHoneycalm IslandLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 20%Heavy FogHoneycalm IslandLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 20%SnowingHoneycalm SeaLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 20%SnowstormHoneycalm SeaLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 20%Heavy FogHoneycalm SeaLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 20%SnowingHoneycalm SeaLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 20%OvercastHoneycalm SeaLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 20%SandstormHoneycalm SeaLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 20%Normal WeatherHoneycalm SeaLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 20%RainingHoneycalm SeaLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 20%Intense SunHoneycalm IslandLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 16%ThunderstormHoneycalm SeaLv.40-45Surfing on waterRate 16%ThunderstormFrigid SeaLv.60-65Surfing on waterSwordRate 45%Normal WeatherFrigid SeaLv.60-65Surfing on waterSwordRate 45%RainingFrigid SeaLv.60-65Surfing on waterSwordRate 45%Heavy FogFrigid SeaLv.60-65Surfing on waterSwordRate 45%OvercastFrigid SeaLv.60-65Surfing on waterShieldRate 37%Heavy FogFrigid SeaLv.60-65Surfing on waterShieldRate 37%OvercastFrigid SeaLv.60-65Surfing on waterShieldRate 37%Normal WeatherFrigid SeaLv.60-65Surfing on waterShieldRate 37%RainingFrigid SeaLv.60-65Surfing on waterSwordRate 35%ThunderstormFrigid SeaLv.60-65Surfing on waterSwordRate 29%SnowstormFrigid SeaLv.60-65Surfing on waterSwordRate 29%SnowingFrigid SeaLv.60-65Surfing on waterShieldRate 27%ThunderstormFrigid SeaLv.60-65Surfing on waterShieldRate 22%SnowstormFrigid SeaLv.60-65Surfing on waterShieldRate 22%SnowingFrigid SeaLv.60-65Super RodRate 20%
Step 2Wailord ✓Route 9 - in Circhester BayLv.39-43Super RodRate 5%or evolve from Wailmer (Step 1)
Wailord Weakness
Electric and Grass moves hit Wailord for super-effective damage. It resists 4 types, giving it decent defensive coverage. With 170 HP and balanced defenses, Wailord can afford to eat a neutral hit or two.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Electric, Grass |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Fire, Water, Ice, Steel |
What is Wailord Weak Against
GoodBest Pokemon Against Wailord
In Sword & Shield, Raikou can KO Wailord with Thunderbolt (93-110%).
 Raikou Electric | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityPressure ItemLeftovers NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Wailord View Raikou builds →Thunderbolt 2x93-110%KO Scald14-16% Aura Sphere28-33% | ||
 Breloom GrassFighting | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityTechnician ItemFocus Sash NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Wailord View Breloom builds →Bullet Seed 2x28-34% Mach Punch23-27% | ||
Wailord Evolutions
Wailord is the evolved form of Wailmer. Breeding produces Wailmer eggs, and they're takes forever to hatch. Evolving from Wailmer gave Wailord the biggest boost in HP (+40), bringing the total to 500 stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Wailord to get Wailmer eggs easily using 152 partners from the Ground and Water2 egg groups. Notable egg moves include Aqua Ring, Curse, Defense Curl and 6 more.
SwSh Wailord Best Moveset
170 HP is the second-highest in the game but 45 in both defenses mean it takes nearly as much damage as anything else. Water TermStab at 90 Sp. Atk is moderate, and the moveset has AbilityPressure for PP drain. D-tier because the defenses betray the HP number.
Best Build
Wailord best EVs are HP and Speed
Bulky Support Moveset
- Whirlpool
- Substitute
- Aqua Ring
- Dive
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Don't skip the egg moves. Wailord picks up Aqua Ring and Curse only through breeding, and both fill gaps the natural movepool can't. STAB runs through Water Spout and Hydro Pump while coverage across 9 types adds range.
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
It can sometimes knock out opponents with the shock created by breaching and crashing its big body onto the water.
Its immense size is the reason for its popularity. Wailord watching is a favorite sightseeing activity in various parts of the world.
Wailord Sword & Shield Guide
In Sword & Shield, Wailord has a 500 base stat total and ranks as C-Tier: a niche pick in Sword & Shield's meta. It works best as a balanced. Whirlpool with Leftovers is the standard set.
Water Veil prevents burns. That's the one you want on Wailord. Pressure is the hidden ability. Niche, but it has its uses. Oblivious works too if your team needs something different.
In Sword & Shield, Wailord fills the balanced role. It's a mixed attacker with base 90 Attack and 90 Sp. Atk. At base 60 Speed, it won't be moving first often. And it's enough bulk to take a hit or two.
In Sword & Shield, run Whirlpool, Substitute, Aquaring, and Dive on Wailord. Whirlpool is the most common pick at 0% usage. Whirlpool provides reliable STAB damage.
Game Availability
Wailord first appeared in Ruby & Sapphire and has been available in 15 games across 8 generations. Obtainable through wild encounters in most titles where it appears.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RSDebut
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP
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