Evolution is the foundation of the Pokémon franchise and is the base in which the rest of the game’s mechanics revolve around. Since this is the case people have always wondered why Pikachu became the mascot and Eevee didn’t, despite Eevee being the clear example of what the possibilities of evolution are.
From Pokémon Red & Blue up until Pokémon Sword & Shield, there have always been pokémon introduced that are a little hard to evolve than others. Let’s now take a look at and rank the 10 hardest pokémon to evolve in the entire franchise.
Updated December 1st, 2020 by Hayley Mullen: Change isn’t an easy thing in real life, so it makes sense that evolution in Pokémon would take effort and some brainwork in order to pull off. It’s always interesting to see how Pokémon evolution methods develop over the long history of the Pokémon games, and the new Expansion Pass for Pokémon Sword and Shield is no exception to unique takes on the concept. We’ve updated our list accordingly to add worthy mentions for tough evolutions.
15 Inkay
Inkay may not be the most difficult to evolve, but players were initially stumped at how to obtain its evolved form, Malamar. Players must hold their 3DS system upside down while levling up Inkay during a battle to evolve it. Malamar’s design is primarily an inverted form of Inkay because of this evolution method.
No other Pokémon in history has ever been evolved like Inkay, and it’s mostly thanks to the unique technology of the 3DS that makes it possible. The console has a gyroscope that can sense when it is held upside down, technology that was absent from all previous handheld Nintendo consoles.
14 Larvesta
This unique Bug and Fire-type is Larvesta, a Pokémon introduced in Generation V that takes good old-fashioned hard work to evolve. With a base stat total of only 360, Larvesta is not the strongest in battle, meaning it will take a lot of leveling up and Exp. Share to obtain a Volcarona.
The hardest part of this evolution is that Larvesta has to reach level 59 until it can evolve, which is practically end-game levels for most Pokémon main series games. It’s actually the latest evolution of any two-stage family. Luckily it’s well worth it, as Volcarona has a base stat total of 550 and is quite powerful in battle.
13 Dragonair
Dragonair is such a unique pokémon in the grand scheme of things for several reasons. First, this thing doesn’t evolve into its final form known as Dragonite until level 55, which is quite an investment. Second, many people who love both Dratini and Dragonair tend to not like Dragonite, the final form.
The creature starts as an adorable baby, then transforms into an elegant and ethereal serpent-like creature, and eventually finalizes its form as what looks to be a cast member of the childhood cartoon known as Dragon Tales. At least it’s a Dragon-type, right?
12 Magikarp
With current games practically making Exp. Share automatic, Magikarp is no longer difficult to evolve. It landing at the #10 spot on this list is due to its legacy in the franchise when it comes to the discussion of difficult evolutions.
Series veterans remember the days of having a Magikarp at the front of your party and manually swapping it once the battle begins in order to manually share the experience with a creature who could actually win against other pokémon. Kids these days will never know the struggle of getting your low-level Magikarp up to level 20.
11 Sliggoo
Sliggoo has slightly more requirements than just a high evolution level, but Goodra is a Pokémon that makes all the effort feel justified. Starting at level 50, Sliggoo will be capable of evolving in overworld areas where it is raining. As of Generation VII, fog is acceptable conditions for Sliggoo to evolve as well.
This makes perfect sense for the “Soft Tissue Pokémon,” especially since the entire evolutionary line is basically living liquid. Sliggoo is capable of dissolving anything, which makes up for having a soft, slimy body.
10 Feebas
Original players of Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald would have a nightmare of a time trying to obtain a Milotic. Not only was a Feebas extremely difficult to obtain, but evolving it was an even more strenuous effort.
Out of the 400 valid tiles that contain water on Hoenn’s Route 119, only 6 will contain Feebas, and these tiles are different for every. single. game file. Once players manage to catch a Feebas, they’ll have to raise its Beauty by feeding it specific Pokéblocks. Players must be careful which berries they use for Pokéblocks, as Feebas can become full of Pokéblocks and not reach the required amount of Beauty for evolution. Thank goodness that the Prism Scale exists now!
9 Larvitar
Dragonair was the first entrant who was a pokémon who evolved at a very high level, and Larvitar is no different. Not only will trainers have to get this tiny green dinosaur up to level 30 simply to enter the cocoon stage, but they’ll also then have to pump in an additional 25 levels just to see the fruits of their labor.
Tyranitar is one of the coolest pokémon to ever be designed in the series, so the investment is definitely worth it. The Godzilla-inspiration fits since like the recent blockbuster release, you have to wait until the very end to finally feast your eyes upon such a powerful and gigantic ally.
8 Zweilous
If you’re a trainer who ended up obtaining a Hydreigon organically through evolution, your significant other should be comfortable knowing you have zero commitment issues and you’re in it for the long haul. Hydreigon’s base form known as Deino doesn’t evolve into the middle form named Zweilous until it hits level 50 which is absolutely ludicrous.
After it turns into Zweilous, trainers still have to obtain an additional 14 levels, as Hydreigon doesn’t manifest until level 64. Dragons are supposed to be rare and hard to obtain, but there should be a limit.
7 Tyrogue
Tyrogue is a pokémon that’s tough to evolve on a technical level, not necessarily on a literal one. It evolves at level 20, but what it evolves into is based solely on its stats. Trainers must use vitamins and other tools at their disposal in order to get a Tyrogue’s stats in a place that’s conducive to the creature they’re trying to acquire at level 20.
If you want Hitmonlee then make sure Attack is higher than defense, the opposite would result in a Hitmonchan. Want a Hitmontop? Then get both the attack and defense statistics to be exactly the same.
6 Authentic Sinistea
Imagine playing a game where there’s a ghost-type creature that possesses teacups and happens to come in authentic and unauthentic forms? Players lost their minds when they realized that Sinistea, a new pokémon introduced in the 8th generation of games, can have a mark of authenticity, but not everyone does.
The phony form requires a cracked pot item in order to evolve into Polteagiest, whereas the antique form needs a chipped pot. This is a really neat meta detail that now has trainers across the globe searching their Sinistea for the mark of authenticity on the bottom of the cup.
5 Milcery
Just like Tyrogue and Sinistea, evolving Milcery is difficult due to the technical side of its evolutionary process. There are 63 different forms of Alcremie, the pokémon Milcery evolves into. The way trainers can obtain a specific form revolves around the time of day you’re evolving, the decoration it has, as well as the amount of time and direction you spin the joystick while it’s transforming.
This whole process is ridiculous and can cause trainers to lose their minds as they try over and over again to obtain the Alcremie of their dreams. Do yourself a favor and just stick with the base evolution.
4 Eevee
You may be wondering how a pokémon who can evolve into several different things lands on a list pertaining to difficult evolutions. The reason for this is because one can easily be struck by indecision due to too many choices, as well as the fact that several of Eevee’s possible evolutions requiring quite a bit of effort in order to pull off.
If you’re not trying to get one of the forms that simply requires a stone, then you’ll be focusing on building up friendship, which isn’t easy if you don’t have a soothe bell item at your disposal. On second thought maybe you should just let it remain an Eevee.
3 Karrablast/Shelmet
Pokémon that evolve via trade are nothing new as that’s been a series staple since the original games. What they did with Karrablast and Shelmet took that concept to a whole other level though. With the introduction of the 5th generation of games fans quickly found out how cumbersome evolving Karrablast and Shelmet was going to be.
In order to evolve each of them, a trainer must trade one for the other. They both evolve upon arriving at the other side of the trade, if and only if they were exchanged for one another. These two creatures are cosmically paired on an existential level it seems.
2 Kubfu
This Fighting-type legendary can be evolved, which is uncommon for rare Pokémon. Kubfu, which can be obtained in the Sword and Shield Expansion pass, doesn’t have a set level it evolves at, but a whole quest that must be completed before being able to evolve it. Not only that, but it has two forms it can evolve into, as well as two unique locations related to those forms.
If players want Kubfu to evolve into Urshifu Single Strike Style, they must go to the Tower of Darkness and defeat every single trainer using only Kubfu. Once they reach the top of the tower, Kubfu can examine the Scroll of Darkness and evolve into Urshifu Single Strike Style. For players who want Urshifu Rapid Strike Style, they must complete the same challenge in the Tower of Waters instead to reach the Scroll of Waters.
1 Galarian Farfetch’d
Who would have thought that the pokémon people have been clamoring to get an evolution, would receive one of the hardest to pull off? Not only does a trainer need to capture the Galarian variant of Farfetch’d, but they also have to find a specific held item to give it. This item is called a leek, which is often held by wild Farfetch’d, not to be confused with a large leek.
The leek gives Farfetch’d a higher chance at critical hits, which is vital for it to evolve since you must land three critical strikes in a single battle in order to evolve it into a Sirfetch’d. Good luck finding the right situation to get the job done.
NEXT: Pokémon Every Evolution & Knockoff Of Pikachu, Ranked
