How to Evolve Slakoth

Evolving Slakoth requires straightforward level progression. Slakoth evolves into Vigoroth exactly at level 18. You do not need any evolutionary stones, friendship points, time-of-day conditions, or trading mechanics to trigger this first stage.

Once you have Vigoroth, it evolves into Slaking at level 36. Modern titles featuring the passive Exp. Share allow Slakoth to reach these milestones quickly while sitting safely in your party. In older generations like Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald, equipping the Exp. Share item is necessary to bypass Slakoth's sluggish early-game performance.

Rare Candies or Exp. Candies provide the fastest route if you want to skip grinding entirely. Pushing Vigoroth to level 36 with candies triggers the evolution screen immediately, granting you access to Slaking's massive base stat pool.

Understanding this evolution line requires looking closely at its abilities. Slakoth possesses Truant, an ability that forces the Pokémon to loaf around every other turn. This makes early-game leveling frustrating if Slakoth is your active battler, as opponents get free turns to attack or heal.

Hitting level 18 provides a massive mechanical relief. Vigoroth drops Truant completely and gains Vital Spirit. This ability prevents Vigoroth from falling asleep, rendering moves like Spore, Sleep Powder, and Yawn entirely useless against it. Vigoroth can attack every single turn, making it highly reliable for mid-game playthroughs.

The trap triggers at level 36. Evolving into Slaking brings Truant back. While Slaking boasts a legendary-equivalent 670 Base Stat Total (BST), the forced loafing turns give opponents free opportunities to set up entry hazards, boost their stats, or use Protect to completely negate your damage.

Because Slaking inherits Truant, many competitive players choose to halt the evolution process at Vigoroth. Pressing 'B' during the level 36 evolution screen or giving Vigoroth an Everstone prevents it from becoming Slaking. This strategy relies heavily on the Eviolite item.

Eviolite boosts the Defense and Special Defense of not-fully-evolved Pokémon by 50%. Vigoroth has a respectable 80 HP, 80 Defense, and 55 Special Defense. With an Eviolite equipped, Vigoroth transforms into a bulky setup sweeper that attacks every turn, entirely avoiding the Truant penalty.

A standard Eviolite Vigoroth runs Bulk Up, Slack Off, Return (or Body Slam), and Taunt. This set allows it to boost its Attack and Defense simultaneously while healing off damage. In NFE (Not Fully Evolved) formats, Vigoroth serves as a top-tier physical wallbreaker and sweeper.

If you commit to reaching level 36 and evolving into Slaking, you must build your team around mitigating Truant. In Singles formats, Slaking operates strictly as a hit-and-run wallbreaker. You equip it with a Choice Band, fire off a STAB Return, Double-Edge, or Giga Impact, and immediately switch out on the loafing turn.

This hit-and-run strategy pairs well with pivoting moves like U-turn or Volt Switch from your teammates. Slaking's 160 base Attack and 100 base Speed allow it to outspeed and OHKO a massive portion of the unboosted metagame. However, clever opponents will anticipate the attack and switch to a Ghost-type or use Protect.

Slaking truly shines in Doubles formats where teammates can manipulate its ability. Pairing Slaking with Galarian Weezing activates Neutralizing Gas, which suppresses Truant entirely. Alternatively, a partner using Skill Swap, Doodle, or Entrainment can replace Truant with a beneficial ability, unleashing Slaking's 670 BST without restrictions.

While working toward level 36, equipping Slakoth and Vigoroth with the right moves accelerates the process. Early on, Slakoth relies on Scratch and Yawn. Yawn forces wild Pokémon to fall asleep on the next turn, allowing you to safely switch to a stronger team member to secure the knockout and share the experience.

Upon evolving into Vigoroth at level 18, its movepool opens up significantly. Slash, learned at level 23, provides a high critical-hit ratio STAB attack that carries you through the mid-game. Combining this with Bulk Up, learned via TM or at level 33, allows Vigoroth to steamroll Gym Leaders without needing to heal constantly.

If you delay the Slaking evolution past level 36, Vigoroth learns Focus Punch at level 43. This is highly synergistic with its Vital Spirit ability and natural speed. Most players, however, prefer evolving immediately at 36 and relying on TMs like Earthquake and Brick Break to round out Slaking's offensive coverage.

Disclaimer: Pokedex.me is an unofficial fan-site. Our competitive ratings reflect current community usage stats and metagame trends.

Overall Rating: 6.5/10. Slaking is a statistical anomaly that demands too much babysitting for standard Singles play. Its reliance on Choice Band hit-and-run tactics makes it predictable and highly vulnerable to Protect spam and setup sweepers.

Competitive Role: Slaking functions as a Niche Wallbreaker, while Vigoroth serves as a Bulky Setup Sweeper. Slaking is built for players who enjoy high-risk, high-reward prediction games or specific Doubles gimmicks.

• Pros: Unmatched 670 BST for a non-legendary; 160 Attack guarantees massive damage; wide physical movepool including Earthquake and Night Slash.
• Cons: Truant is arguably the worst ability in the game; gives opponents free turns; heavily reliant on specific teammates like Weezing to function optimally.

Evolving Slakoth all the way to Slaking is best reserved for casual playthroughs or dedicated VGC ability-swap teams. For standard competitive singles, keeping Vigoroth with an Eviolite yields much more consistent results.