Clobbopus, Pokemon Sword and Shield's cute, boxing glove-wearing octopus, is quite the weak little cephalopod - that is, it's weak until it evolves into Grapploct, but getting it there isn't as simple as leveling it up. That's because Clobbopus is one of Pokemon's many monsters that require players to take some peculiar and unspecified actions in order for them to evolve.
While the Pokemon series has long featured Pokemon with unique evolution requirements, Pokemon Sword and Shield alone added a substantial mix of methods to the list. Evolving Galarian Farfetch'd into Sirfetch'd, for example, requires the Pokemon to score a certain number of critical hits in a single battle, and Applin evolves into different forms when given particular items exclusive to Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield. These complex requirements could leave unwary trainers scratching their heads when it comes to bringing out the full potential of their Pokemon, and Clobbopus is no exception.
Known as the Tantrum Pokemon, Clobbopus is an orange-spotted, octopus-like creature with ball-like hands - perfect for clobbering enemies. It can be caught fairly late in the game, once the player reaches Route 9 (accessed by heading south from Circhester's right-most exit). While they show up occasionally in patches of grass in Route 9's midsection, it's easiest to find Clobbopus in the tall grass just west of Spikemuth, at the southern end of Route 9 (see the map below). Unlike the tiny, Ice/Bug-type Pokemon, Snom, Clobbopus are easy to spot, with large, light-colored heads sticking out of the grass.
Once a Clobbopus is caught, players can level it up as much as they want, but it won't evolve unless it knows a certain move: Taunt. While Clobbopus can evolve at any level, it won't learn Taunt naturally until level 35. Players can make Clobbopus evolve early by teaching it Taunt via TR37, which can occasionally be bought for 2,000 Watts from Pokemon Sword and Shield's Wild Area vendors. If players have a Clobbopus that's over level 35 but doesn't know Taunt, it can be re-taught to the Pokemon by speaking with the "move reminder" NPC, located behind the left-side counter in all Pokemon Centers.
After Clobbopus learns Taunt, all players need to do is get it to level up one more time. This can be done by giving it high-quality curry cooked at a Pokemon Camp, by giving it experience-boosting Candy items, or by earning experience in battle. While evolving Pokemon like Galarian Linoone and the aforementioned Snom requires leveling up at particular times of day, Clobbopus will evolve into Grapploct if it knows Taunt at any time of day. Once it evolves, Grapploct will immediately be able to learn its signature move, Octolock, which prevents the opponent from fleeing and lowers their Defense and Special Defense once every turn.
Pokemon Sword and Shield released on November 15, 2019 for Nintendo Switch.