Key Takeaway
First, you need to level up your Primeape until it learns the move Rage Fist. It learns Rage Fist at level 35. After that, you need to make your Primeape use Rage Fist 20 times. Then, the next time Primeape levels up, it will evolve into Annihilape.
Annihilape is a new pocket monster in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. It evolves from Primeape but not in a conventional way. You need to teach Primeape a specific move first, and then have it use this move a bunch of times.
Table Of Contents
The Move You Need to Teach Primeape Before It Can Evolve
The move that you need to teach Primeape is Rage Fist. Rage Fist is a Ghost-type physical damage-dealing move with a base power of 50 and an accuracy of 100. Primeape can learn Rage Fist when it reaches level 35.
After your Primeape learns Rage Fist, you need to use it 20 times. Next, you need to wait until Primeape levels up once more. Upon leveling up, it will begin to evolve automatically—like through a normal level-up evolution.
Rage Fist, Explained
Every time that Primeape takes damage, the base power of Rage Fist increases by 50. For example, after Primeape gets hit once, the base power of Rage Fist goes from 50 to 100. In this way, it is kind of like the move Rage, but significantly more viable. It can keep increasing in power like this until Rage Fist reaches 350 base power—which takes six hits.
Also, the self-hits through confusion count towards this base power increase. When taking damage from a multi-hit move, each individual hit triggers Rage Fist’s effect. For example, if you get hit twice by an opponent using Fury Attack, Rage Fist’s base power will increase from 50 to 150 (two increases).
Where to Find Mankey and Primeape
Since Annihilape does not naturally spawn in any currently known locations, the only way you can get it is by evolving a Primeape. Thankfully, it and its prior stage—Mankey—can be found in multiple areas around the Paldea region.
Mankey Locations in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet
Mankey can be found in two main places: South Province (Area Five) and West Province (Area One). It can be found at any time of the day. Also, it is very common in grass biomes and common in mountain biomes. These spots can be accessed relatively early in your playthrough.
Primeape Locations in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet
It takes a bit longer to find where Primeapes spawn. However, there are multiple spots where you can catch one. Here’s a breakdown of all locations where Primeape can spawn:
- West Province (Area Three)—the best spot
- North Province (Area One)
- East Province (Area Three)
- North Province (Area Two)
This species does not appear as often as its previous form. In grass biomes, it is uncommon and in mountain biomes it is rare. Although, it can also be found at any time of the day.
Is Annihilape Any Good?
Yes, Annihilape is a pretty good physically offensive Pokémon. It has the potential to sweep entire teams by itself. Overall, it’s better in combat than Primeape. Therefore, if you have a Primeape, it is worth evolving it into an Annihilape. This is especially true since evolving Primeape isn’t too tedious.
Annihilape’s Typing
Annihilape is Fighting and Ghost-type—which is a viable and uncommon type combination. It retains the STAB (same type attack bonus) that Primeape has, which allows it to hit hard with Fighting-type moves. The addition of Ghost typing lets it both gain another great offensive STAB and also allows it to be a great counter against other Fighting-type Pokémon.
Annihilape’s Stats
Here are Annihilape’s base stats:
- HP – 110
- Attack – 115
- Defense – 80
- Special Attack – 50
- Special Defense – 90
- Speed – 90
For comparison, here are Primeape’s base stats:
- HP – 65
- Attack – 105
- Defense – 60
- Special Attack – 60
- Special Defense – 70
- Speed – 95
The biggest stat change that happens is that Annihilape gets way more base HP than Primeape. Since this allows it to take a lot more damage, this change is objectively excellent. It also works well in concert with Rage Fist’s effects. Annihilape also gets a small boost to its Attack, Defense, and Special Defense base stats—all of which are useful.
With that said, it loses a bit of base Special Attack and Speed upon evolving. The Special Attack loss is not a big deal, as you should only use Annihilape for a physical offense. While the Speed drop isn’t the best, it only goes down a tiny bit, so the loss here doesn’t cause huge issues.
Annihilape’s Level-up Moveset (Compared to Primeape’s)
When it evolves, Annihilape gains the chance to learn Shadow Punch right away—which is a solid STAB move despite being overall inferior to Rage Fist. Apart from that, Annihilape’s moveset via leveling up is the exact same as Primeape’s. The levels at which they learn said moves are also the same. Though, it should be mentioned that you can get Annihilape to remember the move Counter after it evolves.
Overall, you can give Annihilape the same moveset that you would give a Primeape—but make sure you let it keep Rage Fist, as that is arguably its best offensive move. Combine that with Close Combat (learned at level 39) and you’ve got excellent dual STAB moves. Add a couple of other moves of your choice and you’re all set to sweep enemy teams!
