Bisharp’s evolution is one the best additions to the Pokédex in generation nine, though getting your hands on Kingambit takes a considerable amount of effort. What you need to do isn’t immediately clear, leading many trainers to miss out on the powerful ‘mon. So, allow us to tell you how to evolve Bisharp.
However, before we dive into that, allow us to help you fill out your Pokédex with our how to evolve Primeape, how to evolve Finizen, how to evolve Inkay, how to evolve Pawmo, and how to evolve Charcadet guides. We can also tell you how Pawniard, Bisharp, and Kingambit fare in comparison to other dark Pokémon and steel Pokémon.
Here’s what you need to know about Bisharp’s evolution.
Who is Bisharp?
Bisharp is a second-stage ‘mon that originates from Unova and is quite the leader, fronting a group of Pawniard after fighting for its position as the leader of the group. It’s quite the ferocious arrangement, as Bisharp orders its buddies to immobilize its prey before Bisharp itself goes in for the final blow.
Who is Bisharp’s evolution?
Until generation nine, Bisharp was the final stage of the gen 5 Pokémon evolution line. However, in Paldea, it’s possible to evolve Bisharp into Kingambit, a Pokémon that resembles a Samurai. While Kingambit is worth the effort, you need to prepare yourself for a slog if you want to get one.
Where can I catch Pawniard?
If you want to catch a Pawniard in the Switch games, you can find them in:
- Sword and Shield – Route 8, Giant’s Cap, Motostoke Outskirts, Giant’s Mirror, Stony Wilderness, Motostoke Riverbank, West Lake Axewell, Giant’s Seat, Dusty Bowl, Hammerlocke Hills
- Scarlet and Violet – South Province (Area Five), East Province (Area Three), North Province (Area Two), Tera Raid Battles
How do I evolve Pawniard?
Let’s get you Bisharp before you worry about how to evolve it. The most popular method of acquiring a Bisharp is to evolve Pawniard. Luckily, you just need to reach level 52 for the stage one ‘mon to evolve. Okay, so it takes a considerable amount of battling with Pawniard, but at least you don’t have to go on a quest for stones, unlike with the Ralts’ evolution line, Shellder’s evolution, Gloom’s evolution, Cetoddle’s evolution, Misdreavous’ evolution, and Floette’s evolution.
Where can I catch Bisharp?
As a gen 9 Pokémon, Kingambit is only available in Scarlet and Violet. You can find Bisharp in the following areas in Paldea:
- North Province (Area Two)
- Area Zero
- Tera Raid Battles (it won’t have a leader’s crest)
Should you be after a Bisharp in Sword and Shield despite not being able to evolve it into Kingambit, you should look in the following areas:
- Lake of Outrage
- Giant’s Seat
- Motorstoke Riverbank
- West Lake Axewell
- Stony Wilderness
- Giant’s Mirror
- Dusty Bowl
- Hammerlock Hills
How do I evolve Bisharp?
Unfortunately, evolving Bisharp into Kingambit isn’t as easy. In fact, it’s more of a luck-of-the-draw situation to some degree. You see, you need to defeat three Bisharp that are holding a leader’s crest, and the finishing blow in battle must come from your Bisharp. Not every Bisharp in the wild carries this item, so you might have to fight a fair few of them before you get three of them. Once you do, you need to level up your Bisharp for it to evolve.
We do have one bit of advice that may help speed up the process, if you have the switcheroo move you can give a leader’s crest to the opposing Bisharp, and it still counts towards your total.
How to tell if a Bisharp has a leader crest?
To ensure a Bisharp has a leader crest, you need to look for one that’s surrounded by a group of Pawniard. If there is a Bisharp at the center of that group, they’ll have a leader’s crest – just remember that you need to either capture the Bisharp or use the thief ability to get hold of the item.
Remember, if a Bisharp is alone, they won’t automatically have a leader crest, so you either need to follow our advice with the switcheroo move or go on the hunt for a group of Pawniard.
Can you evolve Bisharp with the leader crest?
No, you can’t evolve Bisharp without three leader crests. To get Kingambit, you need to follow the steps above – no shortcuts with this evolution, unfortunately.
How do I evolve Bisharp in Pokémon Go?
Kingambit isn’t available in Pokémon Go just yet, but you can evolve Pawniard into Bisharp with 50 Pawniard candies. We’ll update this guide with information on Bisharp’s evolution as soon as it’s available, though we suspect its release is still some time away as the majority of Paldea natives are still absent from the game.
Now that you know how to evolve Bisharp, check out our Salandit evolution, Rockruff evolution, Scyther evolution, Happiny evolution, Clefairy evolution, Budew evolution, and Girafarig evolution guides to fill out that Pokédex. Or, if you want to know how to beat the Pawniard evolution line in battle, check out our steel Pokémon weakness and dark Pokémon weakness articles.