Players, Intermediate
Type charts: why the printed multiplier is not the whole battle
A type-only chart multiplies defensive type interactions. Abilities, move effects, forms, battle transformations and historical rules can change the practical answer.
For intermediate readers, read 8 Nov 2026.
Compute the defensive interaction
For a dual-type defender, calculate the incoming move’s interaction against each defensive type, then multiply. A double weakness becomes four times damage before other modifiers; a resistance can cancel a weakness. A type immunity remains zero in a pure chart calculation. This is why looking at only the first listed type is unreliable.
Then apply the missing layers
The pure chart does not know the actual ability, held item, weather, field effects, move-specific exceptions or transformed battle state. Our species pages label their calculation as modern and default-form. They do not pretend that a number alone is a complete damage calculation or a guarantee about the next turn.
Choose the correct era
Types and matchups have changed across game generations. A modern table is useful for current-style rules but cannot be silently reused for every historical game. Record the version first, and choose a version-aware calculator or primary rules source when an exact battle outcome matters.
Historical eras change the arithmetic
The historical reference separates Generation I from Generations II to V. Dark and Steel arrive in Generation II; Fairy arrives in Generation VI, when Steel no longer resists Ghost and Dark. The Generation I chart shows Ghost against Psychic as no effect, unlike the later super-effective relationship. That chart fact does not mean every Ghost move uses ordinary damage arithmetic; fixed-damage moves need their own rules. Stellar in Scarlet/Violet preserves original defensive types rather than replacing them.
3 checks before you act
- Compute the defensive interaction
- Then apply the missing layers
- Choose the correct era
Read next
Sources read for this page
- ReadPokéAPI field definitionsread 7 Nov 2026
- ReadOfficial Terastal explanationread 7 Nov 2026
- ReadPokémon Database historical chartsread 7 Nov 2026
- ReadOfficial Stellar Tera explanationread 7 Nov 2026