Grimer, a Poison-type Pokémon introduced in Generation I, is known for its amorphous, sludge-like body. This unique Pokémon has a fascinating origin and a straightforward evolution process. If you’re looking to evolve your Grimer into Muk, here’s everything you need to know.

Grimer is a slimy, purple Pokémon born from sludge exposed to the moon’s X-rays. It thrives in polluted areas, such as dirty streams, seabeds, and industrial waste sites. Grimer’s body is composed of congealed sludge, which continuously oozes bacteria-rich fluids. This makes it extremely potent and capable of rendering soil barren, preventing any plant growth​.
Evolution Process
Grimer evolves into Muk, another Poison-type Pokémon, through leveling up. To evolve Grimer into Muk, it needs to reach level 38. This requirement applies to most main series Pokémon games, including recent titles like Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Unlike some Pokémon that need special items or conditions to evolve, Grimer’s evolution is straightforward, based purely on reaching a specific level​.
Alolan Grimer
In Pokémon Sun and Moon, a regional variant called Alolan Grimer was introduced. Alolan Grimer has a different color scheme, featuring a green body with yellow and blue highlights. This form was brought to Alola to help manage the region’s waste problem. Alolan Grimer evolves into Alolan Muk at level 38, just like its Kantonian counterpart. However, Alolan Muk is a dual Poison/Dark-type Pokémon, offering different strategic options for battles​​.
Tips for Evolving Grimer
- Leveling Up: To quickly level up your Grimer, focus on battling wild Pokémon and trainers. Using Exp. Share can also help distribute experience points among your party, ensuring Grimer gains levels even if it doesn’t participate directly in battles.
- Candies in Pokémon Go: If you’re playing Pokémon Go, you’ll need 50 Grimer candies to evolve Grimer into Muk. You can earn these candies by catching Grimers, walking with Grimer as your buddy, and transferring extra Grimers to Professor Willow​​.
- Training Locations: In games like Pokémon Sword and Shield, good training spots include areas with high-level wild Pokémon. Max Raid Battles can also yield significant experience points, helping Grimer level up faster.
Moves and Abilities
Grimer learns various moves as it levels up, which can be useful in battles:
- Poison Gas: A move that poisons the opponent.
- Sludge: A reliable Poison-type move with decent power.
- Mud-Slap: A Ground-type move that can lower the opponent’s accuracy.
- Sludge Bomb: A powerful Poison-type move learned at higher levels​.
Muk, its evolved form, retains many of these moves and gains access to even stronger options like Gunk Shot and Acid Armor. Muk also has higher stats, making it more formidable in battles.
Strategic Use in Battles
Muk’s high HP and Attack stats make it a bulky and strong attacker. Its Poison typing provides immunity to Poison status and resistance to Fighting, Poison, Bug, Grass, and Fairy moves. Alolan Muk’s Dark typing offers additional resistances to Psychic and Ghost moves, making it a versatile option in competitive play.
Evolving Grimer into Muk is a simple yet rewarding process. By focusing on leveling up or gathering candies, you can transform your Grimer into a powerful Muk, ready to take on tougher challenges in your Pokémon journey. Whether you’re playing the main series games or enjoying Pokémon Go, this evolution is a valuable addition to your team.