Rock type Pokémon take double damage from five attack types and brush off four. High Defense stats do nothing to change those multipliers. Water and Grass moves cut straight through them, Fighting cracks the shell, and Steel gets through the biggest bulk in the game. The numbers below cover both sides of the matchup, on attack and on defence.
Where Rock attacks land for double damage
Rock moves deal 2x damage to four types: Fire, Ice, Flying and Bug. Stone Edge, Rock Slide and Accelerock all carry that multiplier.
The Flying matchup does the most work in practice. Rock is one of the few types that punishes Flying type Pokémon without needing a setup turn, and Rock Slide reaches both targets in a double battle.
| Rock move hits | Multiplier |
|---|---|
| Fire, Ice, Flying, Bug | 2x |
| Normal, Water, Electric, Grass, Poison, Psychic, Ghost, Dragon, Dark, Fairy | 1x |
| Fighting, Ground, Steel | 0.5x |
Accuracy matters as much as the multiplier. Stone Edge lands 80 percent of the time for 100 base power, while Rock Slide trades 25 power for a reliable 90 percent, and most competitive teams pick the second one.
What is Rock type weak to?
Water, Grass, Fighting, Ground and Steel moves each hit a Rock type for 2x. Five weaknesses is a heavy load, and only Ice and Grass carry more among the defensive types.
Grass causes the most damage on the ladder because a large share of Rock Pokémon carry Ground as their second type. Anything holding a Water resist still folds to Water type attacks once the rain goes up.
| Attack type | Damage to Rock |
|---|---|
| Water, Grass, Fighting, Ground, Steel | 2x |
| Electric, Ice, Psychic, Bug, Ghost, Dragon, Dark, Fairy | 1x |
| Normal, Fire, Poison, Flying | 0.5x |
Those four resistances are the reason Rock survives the early game. A Geodude walls most Normal attackers outright, and physical Fire type damage loses half its power on contact.
Rock type weaknesses stacked by dual typing
Second types change the maths. A 2x weakness paired with another 2x becomes 4x, and the strongest Rock Pokémon usually pay for their bulk somewhere.
| Typing | Example | 4x weakness |
|---|---|---|
| Rock / Ground | Golem | Water, Grass |
| Rock / Steel | Aggron | Fighting, Ground |
| Rock / Flying | Aerodactyl | Steel |
| Rock / Water | Omastar | Grass |
| Rock / Dark | Tyranitar | Fighting |
| Rock / Ice | Amaura | Fighting, Steel |
| Rock / Fairy | Carbink | Steel |
Immunities cut the other way. Golem ignores Electric, Aerodactyl ignores Ground, and Tyranitar ignores Psychic, so a single wrong move choice can waste a turn.
Best counters for Rock type Pokémon
A Water starter clears most Rock gyms without much thought. Grass leads do the same job and take less risk from Ground coverage.
Close Combat and Drain Punch handle the bulkier walls, and Fighting type Pokémon hit Tyranitar and Aggron for 4x. Earthquake covers the rest, though a Rock/Flying target sits above it.
Steel moves get overlooked here. Iron Head reaches 4x on Aerodactyl, Amaura and Carbink, which is why Steel type matchups matter more against Rock than the raw chart suggests.
Weather swings the fight further. Rain doubles Water damage on a target already taking 2x, and Sandstorm from a Tyranitar raises Rock Special Defense by fifty percent, so the same Surf reads very differently depending on who set the weather first.
Types that resist Rock moves
Fighting, Ground and Steel each take half damage from Rock. Steel resists on both ends of the exchange, which makes it the worst target for a Rock attacker to click into.
Ground types pose the same problem in reverse. Rock moves lose half their power against them while Ground type attacks come back at double, and speed usually decides that trade.
Bug is the softest of the four super effective targets. Rock hits it for 2x, and Bug attacks come back at neutral, so Bug type Pokémon rarely trade well into a Rock lead.
Rock also blocks nothing outright. Every one of the eighteen attacking types lands for at least half damage, so switching a Rock Pokémon in never removes a threat the way a Ground immunity or a Ghost immunity does. The complete matchup chart covers the remaining pairings.
FAQs
What is the strongest counter to Rock type Pokémon?>
Grass and Water moves both deal 2x damage, and reach 4x against Rock/Ground Pokémon like Golem and Rhyperior. Grass carries slightly less risk because Ground coverage does not threaten it back.
Is Rock type weak to Electric?
No. Electric attacks deal neutral 1x damage to Rock. Rock/Ground Pokémon such as Golem and Rhydon are immune to Electric entirely, so the move deals nothing.
What does Rock type resist?
Rock takes half damage from Normal, Fire, Poison and Flying attacks. That resistance set is the reason Rock Pokémon hold up well against early route encounters and physical Fire attackers.
Why is Rock weak to Steel?
Steel moves deal 2x damage to Rock and Rock deals 0.5x back. The exchange favours Steel both ways, and reaches 4x against Rock/Flying, Rock/Ice and Rock/Fairy Pokémon.
How many weaknesses does Rock type have?
Five. Water, Grass, Fighting, Ground and Steel all deal double damage. Only Grass and Ice carry more defensive weaknesses among the eighteen types.
