Status conditions: what each one does
The battle engine has five status conditions. A Pokémon can only have one at a time, and the one it already has blocks the others until it is cured or wears off.
| Condition | What it does |
|---|---|
| Poison | Damage every turn that grows the longer it lasts: 1/16 of max HP, then 2/16, 3/16 and so on. |
| Burn | 1/16 of max HP every turn, and the burned Pokémon's Attack is cut in half while it lasts. |
| Paralysis | Speed is cut in half, and each turn there is a 25% chance the Pokémon cannot move at all. |
| Sleep | The Pokémon cannot move for a random 1 to 3 turns, then wakes up on its own. |
| Freeze | The Pokémon cannot move until it thaws: a 20% chance each turn, or automatically if it uses Flame Wheel, Flare Blitz, Sacred Fire or Scald. |
Three different chances
Landing a status takes three things to go right, and they are separate. The move has to hit (its accuracy), then the status has to take, then the target must not be immune. When this page says a move "always" inflicts a status, it means the status always takes once the move hits a target that can have it. A move with less than 100% accuracy can still miss, and an immune type is never affected.
Moves that cause each condition
- Poison: Toxic (always, once it hits), Sludge, Sludge Bomb, Sludge Wave.
- Burn: Will-O-Wisp and Inferno (always, once they hit), Ember, Flamethrower, Fire Blast, Fire Punch and other Fire moves.
- Paralysis: Thunder Wave, Stun Spore and Glare (always, once they hit), Thunderbolt, Body Slam and others.
- Sleep: Hypnosis, Sing, Sleep Powder, Spore and others.
- Freeze: Ice Beam, Blizzard, Ice Punch and other Ice moves.
Which types are immune
- Steel and Poison types cannot be poisoned.
- Fire types cannot be burned.
- Electric types cannot be paralyzed.
- Ice types cannot be frozen.
- Grass types are immune to the powder moves Sleep Powder, Spore and Stun Spore only.
What cures each condition
- Antidote or Pecha Berry: poison.
- Rawst Berry: burn.
- Cheri Berry: paralysis.
- Chesto Berry: sleep.
- Aspear Berry: freeze.
- Lum Berry: any of the five.
In a battle, open your Backpack, choose the item and the condition clears right away.
Questions or corrections? Discuss it on the forums: Battle Status Conditions Guide. More in game mechanics.