Overview
The King’s Rock is a crown-shaped evolution item introduced alongside the Johto region that evolves Poliwhirl into Politoed and standard Kanto Slowpoke into Johto Slowking. Each evolution consumes one King’s Rock alongside the required species Candy. Because both Poliwhirl and Slowpoke belong to split evolution families, players must select the specific evolution button showing the King’s Rock icon rather than the standard Candy-only branch. Galarian Slowpoke does not use a King’s Rock; evolving it into Galarian Slowking requires completing a separate Buddy task.
How to get it
Spin PokéStops and Gyms or open Gifts from friends at Trainer Level 10 or higher for a small chance at a standard Johto evolution item.
Complete a seven-day PokéStop or Gym spin streak to receive one guaranteed item from the five standard Johto evolution items at random.
Complete specific Field, Timed, or Special Research tasks that award a King’s Rock directly.
How to use it
Open the summary screen of an eligible Poliwhirl or standard Slowpoke and select the evolution button displaying the King’s Rock icon.
Verify the target evolution and Candy cost—100 Poliwag Candy for Politoed or 50 Slowpoke Candy for Slowking—then confirm to consume both the Candy and one King’s Rock.
Worth knowing
Check the regional form before spending resources: only standard Kanto Slowpoke uses a King’s Rock, whereas Galarian Slowpoke requires an Adventure Together Buddy task instead.
Using a King’s Rock changes the Pokémon’s species and recalculates its CP and HP, but does not alter its IVs—check the appraisal before evolving.
Compatible evolutions
Each supported evolution consumes one King’s Rock alongside the standard, undiscounted Candy cost for that Pokémon family. Regional forms use different evolution mechanics.
| From | To | Candy |
|---|---|---|
| Poliwhirl | Politoed | 100 |
| Slowpoke | Slowking | 50 |
Alternative and regional evolutions
Both compatible Pokémon have parallel evolutions that do not require an item: Poliwhirl can evolve into Poliwrath for 100 Poliwag Candy, and standard Slowpoke can evolve into Slowbro for 50 Slowpoke Candy. In addition, Galarian Slowpoke does not use a King’s Rock for either of its evolutions.
Under standard rules, evolving Galarian Slowpoke into Galarian Slowking requires 50 Slowpoke Candy and catching 30 Psychic-type Pokémon while that Galarian Slowpoke is set as your Buddy (whereas Galarian Slowbro normally requires 50 Slowpoke Candy and catching 30 Poison-type Pokémon as your Buddy). Always verify which form of Slowpoke you are viewing before setting a Buddy or spending a King’s Rock.
How to obtain a King’s Rock
Once a Trainer reaches Level 10, spinning Photo Discs at PokéStops and Gyms or opening Gifts from friends carries a small chance of awarding one of the five original Johto evolution items: Sun Stone, King’s Rock, Metal Coat, Dragon Scale, or Upgrade. Completing a seven-day PokéStop or Gym spin streak guarantees one random evolution item from that five-item pool, though you cannot choose which one drops. Field Research, Timed Research, and Special Research can also award a named King’s Rock directly.
Unlike the main-series games, where Poliwhirl and Slowpoke must be traded while holding a King’s Rock, Pokémon GO consumes the item and Candy directly when you press the evolution button.
Choosing the right evolution button
To get Politoed, open a Poliwhirl’s summary screen and choose the evolution button displaying the King’s Rock icon, which costs 100 Poliwag Candy and one King’s Rock. If you are starting from a base-stage Poliwag, evolving it into Poliwhirl first costs 25 Poliwag Candy, bringing the full investment to 125 Poliwag Candy and one King’s Rock at standard rates. Poliwrath (100 Poliwag Candy, no item) is a separate final branch, not an intermediate stage on the way to Politoed.
To get Johto Slowking, open a standard Kanto Slowpoke’s summary screen and select the branch showing the King’s Rock icon (50 Slowpoke Candy and one King’s Rock). Evolving Slowpoke into Slowbro first does not lead to Slowking; Slowbro and Slowking are parallel branches. Registering both in your Pokédex requires two separate Slowpoke and 100 Slowpoke Candy in total.
The King’s Rock is consumed together with the required Candy as soon as you confirm the evolution. In Pokémon GO, it cannot be held in battle, does not grant attacks a chance to cause flinching, and does not require trading the Pokémon to trigger evolution.
