How to Evolve Primeape into Annihilape in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

If you’ve ever wanted an angry dead monkey on your Pokemon team, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet have you covered with a new evolution for the iconic Pig Monkey Pokemon Primeape. Here’s how to evolve Primeape into Annihilape in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.

How to Evolve Primeape in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

To evolve Primeape into Annihilape in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, you’ll need to have Primeape use the move Rage Fist 20 times and then level up. Rage Fist doesn’t need to successfully hit the opposing Pokemon in order to count toward the necessary 20 uses; Primeape only needs to use the move for it to count. However, if Rage Fist fails due to a status condition like confusion or paralysis, its use will not count toward Primeape’s evolution.

Rage Fist has 10 PP, so a good way to keep track of how many times you’ve used Rage Fist is to keep an eye on its PP total in the battle menu. Fully deplete Rage Fist’s PP twice, and Primeape should be ready to evolve. After Primeape has used Rage Fist 20 times, it will succumb to its rage (i.e., die) and evolve into Annihilape after leveling up once. If you’re feeling impatient, you can speed things up by giving your Primeape a Rare Candy or some Exp. Candy.

When Does Primeape Learn Rage Fist?

Rage Fist is Primeape’s new signature move, and Primeape will naturally learn it once it reaches level 35. It’s a Ghost-type move that increases in power by 50 every time the user is struck by an attack. After six hits, Rage Fist will reach its maximum power level of 350. It’s an incredibly powerful move, and once Primeape evolves into Annihilape, Rage Fist will benefit from Annihilape’s Ghost typing to receive a STAB (same-type attack bonus) boost, making the move even stronger.

Related: How to Evolve Bramblin in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Where to Catch Primeape in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

If you want to evolve Primeape, you can catch one in many of the provinces in the Paldea region Pokemon Scarlet and Violet:

• South Province: Area Four
• West Province: Area One
• West Province: Area Three
• North Province: Area One

West Province: Areas One and Three between Medali and Cascaraffa are likely the earliest you’ll find Primeape walking around in the wild, though they don’t appear to spawn particularly often. Instead, the better option may be to find a Mankey around South Province: Areas One and Five or West Province: Area One in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet and evolve it into Primeape starting at level 28. But if you’re late in the game, you can find a static encounter Primeape with the Poison Tera type on Glaseado mountain beside a pool of water a little ways north of Montenevera.

If you have Pokemon Scarlet and Violet‘s Teal Mask DLC, you can also find Primeape wandering around the Kitakami Wilds and the Timeless Woods in the Kitakami region’s far north. If you’re lucky, you may even find and catch a wild Annihilape wandering around the same area, allowing you to bypass evolving Primeape altogether. Granted, wild Annihilape’s spawn rate is extremely rare, but if you’re patient, you may be able to spot one. I’ve seen one or two pop up near the Gracious Stones placard in Kitakami Wilds, so I recommend running around there for a while.

That’s it for how to evolve Primeape into Annihilape in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. It’s a bit of an odd evolution process compared to other Pokemon, but at the end of the day, it’s pretty easy. If you want to learn about some more new obtuse evolutions for old Pokemon, maybe check out how to evolve Bisharp next.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available on Nintendo Switch.