Nothing fancy in Drifloon's spread. It leans mixed with HP out front. And you'll get 1 HP EV per KO for it. Follows a standard growth curve.
It is whispered that any child who mistakes Drifloon for a balloon and holds on to it could wind up missing.
Because of the way it floats aimlessly, an old folktale calls it a “signpost for wandering spirits.”
Electric, Ice, Rock, Ghost, and Dark moves hit Drifloon for super-effective damage. The upside? Normal, Fighting, and Ground-type moves can't touch it at all.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Electric, Ice, Rock, Ghost, Dark |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Grass, Poison |
| 0.25x (Resist) | Bug |
| 0x (Immune) | Normal, Fighting, Ground |
Flutter Mane can KO Drifloon with Shadow Ball (160-188%). Raging Bolt threatens a KO with Thunderbolt (179-211%).
 Flutter Mane GhostFairy | S | |
Recommended Build AbilityProtosynthesis ItemBooster Energy NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Drifloon View Flutter Mane builds →Moonblast95-112%KO Shadow Ball 2x160-188%KO Dazzling Gleam80-94% | ||
 Raging Bolt ElectricDragon | S | |
Recommended Build AbilityProtosynthesis ItemAssault Vest NatureModest Moves
Damage vs Drifloon View Raging Bolt builds →Thunderclap 2x140-164%KO Dragon Pulse84-99% Thunderbolt 2x179-211%KO | ||
 FoongusRecovers HP on switch via Regenerator, puts to sleep with Spore, wears down with Toxic GrassPoison | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityRegenerator ItemEviolite NatureBold Moves
Damage vs Drifloon View Foongus builds →Sludge Bomb18-21% Giga Drain15-18% | ||
 Raikou Electric | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityPressure ItemHeavy-Duty Boots NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Drifloon View Raikou builds →Scald48-56% Thunderbolt 2x160-189%KO Volt Switch 2x125-148%KO | ||
 Weavile DarkIce | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityPressure ItemHeavy-Duty Boots NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Drifloon View Weavile builds →Knock Off 2x160-188%KO Ice Shard 2x98-116%KO | ||
Drifloon is the base form in a two-stage line leading to Drifblim. Check the evolution method below. Plenty of partners for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are slow to hatch. The evolved forms gain up to 150 total stats over Drifloon. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed Drifloon easily with 63 breeding partners from the Indeterminate egg group.
The recommended build leans into Drifloon's strengths as a special attacker. Grassyseed provides extra utility, and spread EVs back that up. Unburden rounds out the package.
Best Build
Drifloon best EVs are Sp. Atk and Speed
Utility Moveset
- Shadow Ball
- Acrobatics
- Thunderbolt
- Will O Wisp
Recommended Teammates
Pivot Moveset
- Minimize
- Baton Pass
- Substitute
- Destiny Bond
Recommended Teammates
Support Moveset
- Destiny Bond
- Curse
- Will O Wisp
- Haze
Recommended Teammates
Doubles Support Moveset
- Destiny Bond
- Helping Hand
- Tailwind
- Will O Wisp
Recommended Teammates
Legends: Arceus uses different battle mechanics.
Competitive build content is not applicable for this game. Select a main series game for builds.
No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 8.
Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.
No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 8.
Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.
Moves
The level-up pool is slim, so TMs matter here. Drifloon's coverage across 7 types all comes from technical machines, built on top of Fly and Phantom Force for same-type damage. Self-Destruct and Explosion are the payoff moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
The offense anchors on Shadow Ball and Hex, with Psychic and Fire coverage and more adding reach. It's a workable movepool for Drifloon that handles most situations. Self-Destruct and Psychic give it enough punch where it matters.
Don't skip the egg moves. Drifloon picks up Body Slam and Clear Smog only through breeding, and both fill gaps the natural movepool can't. STAB runs through Shadow Ball and Hex while Dark and Normal coverage and more adds range.
Don't skip the egg moves. Drifloon picks up Clear Smog and Defog only through breeding, and both fill gaps the natural movepool can't. STAB runs through Shadow Ball and Hex while coverage across 7 types adds range.
A solid number of locations for Drifloon with decent spawn rates across early-game routes. The sort toggle below swaps between best odds and earliest access, so you can approach it based on where you are in the game.
Best Locations to Catch Drifloon in Scarlet & Violet
Drifloon shows up in 20 walking spots from Lv. 14-32. Plenty of options, and the list is sorted so the highest-rate locations at each progression stage come first.
decent spawn rates for Drifloon across 4 locations in mid-game routes. Nothing complicated. Check the sorted list below, compare the top few options, and head to whichever is closest.
Best Locations to Catch Drifloon in Legends: Arceus
4 walking spots from walking for Drifloon. Sorted by game progression with rates on each row, so you can compare without scrolling through everything.
Drifloon can't be caught in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl. Bring it over from Diamond, Platinum, or Sword instead. The encounter info below covers the source games.
Easy grab on Drifloon with high spawn rates across 80 locations in early-game water routes. Two different catch methods are in play here. The sorted list below shows the full spread so you can pick the most convenient spot.
Best Locations to Catch Drifloon in Sword & Shield
Before you go hunting for Drifloon, check which of the 80 spots belong to your version. Shield and Sword each have different surfing and walking encounters at Lv. 11-45.
Get Drifloon to Drifblim at level 28. At 348 BST, Drifloon is just the starting point.
Level 28 gets you Drifblim. Not the fastest evolution, so consider Exp. Share or route grinding to speed it up.
For a casual playthrough, Drifloon works as a placeholder. Ghost/Flying coverage is useful early. The real payoff is Drifblim. That's where the stats start mattering.
Across 13 games, Drifloon has solid availability. First showed up in Scarlet & Violet. The latest games to include it are Platinum and HeartGold & SoulSilver.
Debuting in Diamond & Pearl, Drifloon appears in 13 games across 7 generations. A reliable presence in a solid number of games, typically found through catching or hatching as a base form.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 4DPDebut
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves