In Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, many Pokemon that we’re introduced to in early titles in the franchise have made their return to be captured, traded, and battled with. Of all of these Pokemon that have once again appeared in the Pokemon world, it can be strangely difficult to find the Bug type Pokemon Pineco and its evolution Forretress in the early game. This is not because Pineco is particularly rare, but instead because the Pokemon had a particular method of catching it that can be difficult for players to pick up on, as it’s only mentioned once in the game that it is possible.
So if it’s for the sake of completing the Pokedex, or for adding a cool typing to the team, here is how to catch and evolve a Pineco in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet.
Pineco and Forretress
Pineco is a Bug type Pokemon that was introduced during the second generation of Pokemon games that took place in the Johto region. It evolves into the Bug and Steel type Forretress, which is one of the first Pokemon to have the Steel typing, as the Steel type was also introduced in the generation 2 Pokemon games.
Forretress is a defensive Pokemon that can take a few physical hits before it goes down. Its Steel typing prevents it from taking super effective damage from most of the types it would normally be weak against from its Bug typing, at the cost of having a 4x weakness to Fire type moves. This great typing makes Forretress a decent option for a bulky Pokemon during the story of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet as well as for some Tera Raids, and skilled players may even be able to find a use for it in competitive battles. Regardless of the desired reason to catch a Pineco and a Forretress, players will need to begin by investigating some forests.
Pineco Location
Pineco is found in the trees that dot the landscape of the Paldea Region, with the easiest being the densely forested area of the Tagtree Thicket, home to Atticus of Team Star. Players can begin by looking through the lens of their Rotom Ohone cameras at the largest trees, checking the upper branches for any Pokemon that are spending time in the boughs of the trees.
Among the Grafaiai that can also be found this way, players will occasionally see a Pineco that has attached itself to the branches of the tree.
Once discovered, players will need to take a running start on either Koraidon or Miraidon once they have unlocked the ability to dash. While dashing, players can deliberately collide with the tree that the Pineco is stuck to. Done correctly, the Pineco will be dislodged, falling to the ground where it will be accessible by the player to catch.
Players can also target the Pineco on the tree by using the ZL button and then throwing out their lead Pokemon with the ZR button. This will also result in the Pineco falling out of the tree.
Evolving Pineco
Evolving Pineco into a Forretress is as easy as leveling it to level 31 using any available means, such as battle or feeding it some candies that can be obtained as rewards in the game. Once players have done this, they will have both of these interesting Pokemon in their collection.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet is available now on Nintendo Switch.