Anyone familiar with the Pokemon series will know that every Pokemon has at least one type. Types are a way to classify their properties and unique skills. As of Generation VI, there are now 18 different types in the Pokemon universe, as seen in the image below.
Types determine how much damage certain Pokemon can dish out and take against other Pokemon. For instance, Grass types are weak against Fire types, while Fire types are weak against Water types. Any moves the Fire type does against the Water type will be super effective, meaning they’ll deal double the damage. But the Water types moves against the Fire type will be not very effective, dealing only half the damage.
Since certain Pokemon have two types, it can be possible to deal quadruple the damage to them. For example, a Flying type Pokemon would hit a Bug/Grass type Pokemon for 4x the damage! Use this to your advantage or be aware of this whenever you’re in combat.
Pokemon Type Chart – Strengths and Weaknesses
A user on Reddit created an awesome Pokemon Gen VI type chart many years ago that is still relevant. Click the image to enlarge it. If you’re on mobile, click here to see a mobile version.
And here is the Pokemon type chart laid out in simple text. Strong against means that type deals 2x damage, weak against means it does 0.5x damage, resistant to means it takes 0.5x damage, and vulnerable to means it takes 2x damage.
| Type | Strong Against | Weak Against | Resistant To | Vulnerable To |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Normal | Rock, Ghost, Steel | Ghost | Fighting | |
| Fighting | Normal, Rock, Steel, Ice, Dark | Flying, Poison, Psychic, Bug, Ghost, Fairy | Rock, Bug, Dark | Flying, Psychic, Fairy |
| Flying | Fighting, Bug, Grass | Rock, Steel, Electric | Fighting, Ground, Bug, Grass | Rock, Electric, Ice |
| Poison | Grass, Fairy | Poison, Ground, Rock, Ghost, Steel | Fighting, Poison, Grass, Fairy | Ground, Psychic |
| Ground | Poison, Rock, Steel, Fire, Electric | Flying, Bug, Grass | Poison, Rock, Electric | Water, Grass, Ice |
| Rock | Flying, Bug, Fire, Ice | Fighting, Ground, Steel | Normal, Flying, Poison, Fire | Fighting, Ground, Steel, Water, Grass |
| Bug | Grass, Psychic, Dark | Fighting, Flying, Poison, Ghost, Steel, Fire, Fairy | Fighting, Ground, Grass | Flying, Rock, Fire |
| Ghost | Ghost, Psychic | Normal, Dark | Normal, Fighting, Poison, Bug | Ghost, Dark |
| Steel | Rock, Ice, Fairy | Steel, Fire, Water, Electric | Normal, Flying, Poison, Rock, Bug, Steel, Grass, Psychic, Ice, Dragon, Fairy | Fighting, Ground, Fire |
| Fire | Bug, Steel, Grass, Ice | Rock, Fire, Water, Dragon | Bug, Steel, Fire, Grass, Ice | Ground, Rock, Water |
| Water | Ground, Rock, Fire | Water, Grass, Dragon | Steel, Fire, Water, Ice | Grass, Electric |
| Grass | Ground, Rock, Water | Flying, Poison, Bug, Steel, Fire, Grass, Dragon | Ground, Water, Grass, Electric | Flying, Poison, Bug, Fire, Ice |
| Electric | Flying, Water | Ground, Grass, Electric, Dragon | Flying, Steel, Electric | Ground |
| Psychic | Fighting, Poison | Steel, Psychic, Dark | Fighting, Psychic | Bug, Ghost, Dark |
| Ice | Flying, Ground, Grass, Dragon | Steel, Fire, Water, Ice | Ice | Fighting, Rock, Steel, Fire |
| Dragon | Dragon | Steel, Fairy | Fire, Water, Grass, Electric | Ice, Dragon, Fairy |
| Fairy | Fighting, Dragon, Dark | Poison, Steel, Fire | Fighting, Bug, Dragon, Dark | Poison, Steel |
| Dark | Ghost, Psychic | Fighting, Dark, Fairy | Ghost, Psychic, Dark | Fighting, Bug, Fairy |
For the most part, the type strengths and weaknesses are quite intuitive. It’s definitely in your benefit to learn these charts and damage multipliers, especially if you plan on battling other players in Sword and Shield.