Whirlipede
BugPoison
Best attacking moveset: Bug Bite and Sludge Bomb, worth 6.4 damage per second against a neutral target.
Best moveset
Whirlipede can learn 6 combinations. Bug Bite with Sludge Bomb 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bug Bite | Bug | 5 | 0.5s | +6 |
| Poison Sting | Poison | 4 | 0.5s | +6 |
| Charged attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gyro Ball | Steel | 85 | 3.5s | -50 |
| Signal Beam | Bug | 75 | 3.0s | -50 |
| Sludge Bomb | Poison | 85 | 2.5s | -50 |
Shiny
Yes. Shiny Whirlipede has been released. Players have found it from: wild, raid, research, evolution, photobomb.
Evolution family
Numbers
| Max CP | 1,293 at level 50, 1,144 at level 40 |
|---|---|
| Raid catch | 653 CP at level 20, or 817 if weather boosted (perfect IVs) |
| Lowest possible raid catch | 605 CP. Raid encounters can't roll below 10/10/10 |
| Base stats | 100 attack · 173 defense · 120 stamina |
What it costs
| Candy to evolve | 25 Candy |
|---|---|
| Second charged move | 10,000 Stardust and 25 Candy |
| Buddy distance | 1 km per Candy |
| Purify a Shadow one | 3,000 Stardust and 3 Candy |
| Size | 1.2 m and 58.5 kg |
Best moveset against each type
Whirlipede does not have one best moveset, it has 4. Which one wins depends on what you are attacking, because a move only gets its bonus against something weak to it. Best against Grass, Fairy, Psychic.
| Against | Best moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|
| Grass | Bug Bite + Sludge Bomb | 10.0 |
| Fairy | Poison Sting + Sludge Bomb | 8.8 |
| Psychic | Bug Bite + Signal Beam | 8.7 |
| Dark | Bug Bite + Signal Beam | 8.7 |
| Rock | Bug Bite + Gyro Ball | 6.7 |
| Ice | Bug Bite + Gyro Ball | 6.7 |
| Normal | Bug Bite + Sludge Bomb | 6.4 |
| Fighting | Poison Sting + Sludge Bomb | 6.4 |
| Poison Sting + Sludge Bomb | 6.4 | |
| Bug | Bug Bite + Sludge Bomb | 6.4 |
| Fire | Poison Sting + Sludge Bomb | 6.4 |
| Water | Bug Bite + Sludge Bomb | 6.4 |
| Electric | Bug Bite + Sludge Bomb | 6.4 |
| Dragon | Bug Bite + Sludge Bomb | 6.4 |
| Ground | Bug Bite + Signal Beam | 5.5 |
| Poison | Bug Bite + Gyro Ball | 4.0 |
| Ghost | Bug Bite + Gyro Ball | 4.0 |
| Steel | Bug Bite + Signal Beam | 3.3 |
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 Whirlipede is actually for.
Counters: what beats Whirlipede
| Attacker | Type | Moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|---|
 Blacephalon | FireGhost | Incinerate + Mind Blown Legacy | 38.7 |
 Mewtwo | Psychic | Confusion + Psystrike Legacy | 33.3 |
 Reshiram | DragonFire | Fire Fang + Fusion Flare Legacy | 32.1 |
 Salamence | Dragon | Fire Fang + Fly | 29.6 |
 Chandelure | GhostFire | Fire Spin + Overheat | 29.4 |
 Moltres | Fire | Fire Spin + Fly | 29.2 |
 Cinderace | Fire | Fire Spin + Pyroball | 29.0 |
 Volcarona | BugFire | Fire Spin + Overheat | 28.7 |
 Darmanitan | Fire | Fire Fang + Overheat | 28.6 |
 Yveltal | Dark | Gust + Oblivion Wing Legacy | 28.5 |
Ranked by damage per second against Whirlipede's own defense, at level 40 with a 15 attack IV, one per evolution family.