Heracross
BugFighting
Best attacking moveset: Fury Cutter and Megahorn, worth 12.9 damage per second against a neutral target.
Best moveset
Heracross can learn 18 combinations. Fury Cutter with Megahorn does the most damage per second of them, at level 40 with a perfect attack stat. Same-type moves get the 1.2× bonus, and the cycle assumes the charged attack fires the moment it has the energy.
Stats and moves come straight from the game's own data files. Every number on this page is a raid and gym number, not a PvP one.
Type matchups
| Fast attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Counter | Fighting | 13 | 1.0s | +9 |
| Fury Cutter | Bug | 4 | 0.5s | +8 |
| Struggle Bug | Bug | 15 | 1.5s | +15 |
| Charged attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Close Combat | Fighting | 105 | 2.5s | -100 |
| Earthquake | Ground | 140 | 3.5s | -100 |
| Megahorn | Bug | 105 | 2.0s | -100 |
| Rock Blast | Rock | 50 | 2.0s | -33 |
| Rock Tomb | Rock | 65 | 3.0s | -50 |
| Upper Hand | Fighting | 50 | 2.0s | -33 |
Shiny
Yes. Shiny Heracross has been released. Players have found it from: wild, raid, research, photobomb.
Other forms
Numbers
| Max CP | 3,506 at level 50, 3,101 at level 40 |
|---|---|
| Raid catch | 1,772 CP at level 20, or 2,215 if weather boosted (perfect IVs) |
| Lowest possible raid catch | 1,693 CP. Raid encounters can't roll below 10/10/10 |
| Base stats | 234 attack · 179 defense · 190 stamina |
What it costs
| Second charged move | 50,000 Stardust and 50 Candy |
|---|---|
| Buddy distance | 3 km per Candy |
| Size | 1.5 m and 54 kg |
Best moveset against each type
Heracross does not have one best moveset, it has 5. Which one wins depends on what you are attacking, because a move only gets its bonus against something weak to it. Best against Grass, Psychic, Dark.
| Against | Best moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|
| Grass | Fury Cutter + Megahorn | 21.0 |
| Psychic | Fury Cutter + Megahorn | 21.0 |
| Dark | Fury Cutter + Megahorn | 21.0 |
| Normal | Counter + Close Combat | 19.6 |
| Rock | Counter + Close Combat | 19.6 |
| Steel | Counter + Close Combat | 19.6 |
| Ice | Counter + Close Combat | 19.6 |
| Electric | Fury Cutter + Earthquake | 16.5 |
| Fire | Counter + Earthquake | 15.3 |
| Poison | Fury Cutter + Earthquake | 15.2 |
| Bug | Fury Cutter + Rock Blast | 13.9 |
| Ground | Fury Cutter + Megahorn | 12.9 |
| Water | Fury Cutter + Megahorn | 12.9 |
| Dragon | Fury Cutter + Megahorn | 12.9 |
| Fury Cutter + Rock Blast | 12.9 | |
| Fighting | Counter + Close Combat | 12.4 |
| Ghost | Fury Cutter + Earthquake | 10.5 |
| Fairy | Fury Cutter + Earthquake | 10.5 |
Same maths as the headline number, run once per defending type: level 40, perfect attack IV, and the target's own type taken into account. Sorted by damage, so the top of this table is what Heracross is actually for.
Counters: what beats Heracross
| Attacker | Type | Moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|---|
 Enamorus | Fairy | Fairy Wind + Fly | 44.8 |
 Yveltal | Dark | Gust + Oblivion Wing Legacy | 44.2 |
 Toucannon | Normal | Peck + Beak Blast Legacy | 43.8 |
 Moltres | Fire | Wing Attack + Fly | 43.6 |
 Staraptor | Normal | Gust + Fly Legacy | 43.0 |
 Rayquaza | Dragon | Air Slash + Hurricane Legacy | 40.2 |
 Honchkrow | Dark | Peck + Brave Bird | 39.1 |
 Braviary | Normal | Air Slash + Fly | 39.1 |
 Salamence | Dragon | Fire Fang + Fly | 39.0 |
 Flamigo | Fighting | Wing Attack + Brave Bird | 38.2 |
Ranked by damage per second against Heracross's own defense, at level 40 with a 15 attack IV, one per evolution family.