Utility
Support
490Average
80Moderate
CTier

Ground moves don't affect Altaria at all — that's the advantage of Dragon/Flying typing. Natural Cure clears status conditions when it switches out. Known as the Humming Pokemon. Flexible enough to run physical or special sets.

Bulk defines Altaria's stat line. Sp. Def and Defense anchor the defensive side, but Attack can't keep up offensively. Tough to catch and worth 2 Sp. Def EVs.

Base Stats
490Above
HP75
C
Attack70
C
Defense90
B
Sp. Atk70
C
Sp. Def105
B
Speed80
C
Total490
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Altaria yields +2 SpD
HPAtkDefSpASpD+2Spe
Details
Catch45ChallengingErratic600,000 XP1.1m / 3'07"20.6kg / 45.4 lbs172Base XP
Pokedex Entries

ALTARIA dances and wheels through the sky among billowing, cotton-like clouds. By singing melodies in its crystal-clear voice, this POKéMON makes its listeners experience dreamy wonderment.

Ruby

ALTARIA sings in a gorgeous soprano. Its wings are like cotton clouds. This POKéMON catches updrafts with its buoyant wings and soars way up into the wild blue yonder.

Sapphire

Altaria Weakness

Good

Type-wise, Altaria takes extra damage from Ice, Rock, and Dragon. Watch out for Ice attacks, those deal 4x damage. Ground moves do nothing thanks to a full immunity. 5 resistances help offset the weaknesses. With 75 HP and balanced defenses, Altaria can afford to eat a neutral hit or two.

Gen III Type Chart
  • Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
  • Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
4xCriticali
2xWeaki
¼xResisti
0xImmunei
3Weak
5Resist
1Immune
Scorei+1
Stealth Rock25% on switch
4x Ice — Ice Beam, Freeze-Dry, Ice Shard
Abilities
Natural CureCures any major status ailment upon switching out.
Cloud NineHANegates all effects of weather, but does not prevent the weather itself.

Evolved from Swablu. Altaria is the final form in this two-stage line. A decent partner pool for breeding via two egg groups. Eggs are average hatch time. HP grew the most through evolution (+30 over Swablu), and Altaria peaks at 490 total stats.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Stat Comparison 2 Stages
Swablu
NormalFlying
Altaria
DragonFlying
HP
45
75+30
ATK
40
70+30
DEF
60
90+30
SP.ATK
40
70+30
SP.DEF
75
105+30
SPE
50
80+30
BST
310D-Tier
490B-Tier+180
ROLE
Balanced
Balanced
TYPE
Utility
Mixed
Breeding
Very Easy

Breed with Altaria to get Swablu eggs easily using 27 partners from the Dragon and Flying egg groups. Notable egg moves include Agility, Haze, Pursuit and 1 more.

Egg Groups
DragonFlying
Gender
50.0%50.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
4moves
Breed With (best first)
gyaradostogeticcharizardkingdrasceptileflygonmiloticaltariaarbokseadraseviperpelipper

The special wall spread is where Altaria earns its spot. Leftovers for passive recovery each turn, Calm nature for the right lean, and Rest handles sustain. Natural Cure does the rest without needing a move slot.

Best Build

Wall
Ability
Natural Cure
Item
LeftoversSUSTAIN
Nature
Calm+SPD
EVs

Best Altaria Moveset

  • RestRecovery
  • Perish Song
  • Fire Blast
  • Heal Bell

Breeding's the move. Agility and Haze give Altaria options it can't learn any other way, and coverage across 9 types already covers a decent range on top of Sky Attack and Fly. The egg moves push it further.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Astonish
3010015Ghost
Lv 1
Growl
10040Normal
Lv 1
Peck
3510035Flying
Lv 1
Sing
5515Normal
Lv 8
Astonish
3010015Ghost
Lv 11
Sing
5515Normal
Lv 18
Fury Attack
158520Normal
Lv 21
Safeguard
25Normal
Lv 28
Mist
30Ice
Lv 31
Take Down
908520Normal
Lv 35
Dragon Breath
6010020Dragon
Lv 40
Dragon Dance
20Dragon
Lv 45
Refresh
20Normal
Lv 54
Perish Song
5Normal
Lv 59
Sky Attack
140905Flying

TM Moves

Src
TM40
Aerial Ace
6020Flying
TM45
Attract
10015Normal
TM32
Double Team
15Normal
TM02
Dragon Claw
8010015Dragon
TM26
Earthquake
10010010Ground
TM42
Facade
7010020Normal
TM38
Fire Blast
120855Fire
TM35
Flamethrower
9510015Fire
HM02
Fly
709515Flying
TM21
Frustration
10020Normal
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM15
Hyper Beam
150905Normal
TM13
Ice Beam
9510010Ice
TM23
Iron Tail
1007515Steel
TM17
Protect+4
10Normal
TM18
Rain Dance
5Water
TM44
Rest
10Psychic
TM27
Return
10020Normal
TM05
Roar-6
20Normal
HM06
Rock Smash
2010015Fighting
TM20
Safeguard
25Normal
TM43
Secret Power
7010020Normal
TM22
Solar Beam
12010010Grass
TM47
Steel Wing
709025Steel
TM11
Sunny Day
5Fire
TM46
Thief
6010025Dark
TM06
Toxic
8510Poison

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Agility
30Psychic
Egg
Haze
30Ice
Egg
Pursuit
4010020Dark
Egg
Rage
2010020Normal

Tutor Moves

Altaria can't learn any Tutor moves

Reminder Moves

Src
Rem
Mirror Move
20Flying

Finding Altaria at moderate rates takes patience. 2 spots are available in endgame routes, but the rate difference between them matters. Lock in the top one from the sorted list below.

Where To Catch Altaria in Ruby & Sapphire

Swablu is your first catch on the way to Altaria. You'll find walking encounters from Lv. 15-60 across 6 total spots in the chain.

  1. Swablu
    Step 1Catch Swablu
    Route 114
    RubyGrassLv.15-17CommonEarlyRoute
    EFFORTLESS
    Route 114
    SapphireGrassLv.15-17CommonEarlyRoute
    EFFORTLESS
    Route 115
    RubyGrassLv.23-25CommonMidRoute
    EFFORTLESS
    Route 115
    SapphireGrassLv.23-25CommonMidRoute
    EFFORTLESS
  2. Altaria
    Step 2Altaria
    Sky Pillar - 5F
    SapphireGrassLv.54-60RarePostBuilding
    CHALLENGING
    Sky Pillar - 5F
    RubyGrassLv.54-60RarePostBuilding
    CHALLENGING
    or evolve from Swablu (Step 1)
  • Natural Cure changes the entire equation for Altaria. The 490 BST doesn't tell the full story. Ranked C-Tier as a support.

  • Altaria's biggest threats include Cloyster (Ice), Aerodactyl (Rock), and Salamence (Dragon), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Cloyster is the most dangerous since Ice moves deal 4x damage.

  • Swablu evolves into Altaria at level 35. Altaria is the fully evolved form. At 490 BST, it's got solid stats to work with.

  • Natural Cure is what you want on Altaria. Every competitive set worth running is built with that ability in mind. The alternatives (Cloud Nine) work on paper but Natural Cure is what makes Altaria worth using.

  • Base 80 Speed is workable — faster than some, slower than many. On offense, Altaria is leaning toward the physical side (base 70 Attack). Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two. Best used as a support.

  • Altaria appears in 16 games, including Ruby & Sapphire, FireRed & LeafGreen, and Emerald.

Available in 16 titles since its debut in Ruby & Sapphire, Altaria spans 7 generations of Pokemon games. It's accessible through wild encounters in most mainline games.