Between Intimidate and Electric typing, Luxray carves out a strong competitive niche. It lowers the opponent's Attack on switch-in, which gives it an edge most Pokemon in its stat range don't have. Been around since Gen 4.
Luxray's built around physical offense. Attack leads the charge, Speed pays for it. Tough to catch, worth 3 Attack EVs. Follows a 1.06M XP medium-slow curve.
It has eyes that can see through anything. It spots and captures prey hiding behind objects.
When its eyes gleam gold, it can spot hiding prey--even those taking shelter behind a wall.
Luxray Weakness
GoodGround-type moves hit Luxray for super-effective damage. Its Electric typing keeps the defensive matchups simple. With 80 HP and balanced defenses, Luxray can afford to eat a neutral hit or two.
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
Luxray is the final form in a three-stage chain from Shinx through Luxio. Breeding this form produces Shinx eggs (average hatch time). Evolving from Shinx gave Luxray the biggest boost in Attack (+55), bringing the total to 523 stats.
How to Evolve
Breed with Luxray to get Shinx eggs easily using 131 partners from the Ground egg group. Notable egg moves include Fire Fang, Howl, Ice Fang and 3 more.
Luxray's locked into one move per switch-in with Choice Scarf, trading flexibility for speed patching through item lock. Crunch is the go-to spam option, with Dark coverage keeping switch-ins honest.
Best Build
Best Luxray Moveset
- Crunch
- Ice Fang
- Thunder Fang
- Fire Fang
Recommended Teammates
Without breeding, Luxray misses out on Fire Fang and Howl. That's 6 egg moves adding depth that the base kit lacks. STAB comes from Thunder and Thunderbolt, with Normal and Dark coverage and more rounding things out.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
You're catching Shinx first, not Luxray. Shinx appears at solid rates in the encounters below. The step cards map the full 3-stage chain with evolution methods between each stage.
How to Obtain Luxray in Diamond & Pearl
To get Luxray, start by catching Shinx through walking encounters at Lv. 3-29. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.
Step 1Catch ShinxEFFORTLESSRoute 202DiamondGrassLv.3-4CommonEarlyRouteEFFORTLESSRoute 202PearlGrassLv.3-4CommonEarlyRouteEFFORTLESSRoute 203PearlGrassLv.4-5CommonEarlyRouteEFFORTLESSRoute 203DiamondGrassLv.4-5CommonEarlyRouteEASYRoute 204 - SouthPearlGrassLv.4-5UncommonEarlyRouteEASYRoute 204 - SouthDiamondGrassLv.4-5UncommonEarlyRouteEASYRoute 204 - NorthPearlGrassLv.6-7UncommonEarlyRouteEASYRoute 204 - NorthDiamondGrassLv.6-7UncommonEarlyRouteEASYFuego IronworksDiamondGrassLv.28UncommonMidPower-plantEASYFuego IronworksPearlGrassLv.28UncommonMidPower-plant
Step 2Catch or Evolve LuxioEASYFuego IronworksPearlGrassLv.29UncommonMidPower-plantEASYFuego IronworksDiamondGrassLv.29UncommonMidPower-plantor evolve from Shinx (Step 1)
Step 3Luxray ✓
Don't let Luxray's 523 base stat total fool you. Intimidate is what makes it tick — it punches way above its weight class. We rate it C-Tier as a wallbreaker.
Watch for Rhydon (Ground) when using Luxray. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Only 1 weakness means fewer dedicated counters to worry about.
Run Intimidate on Luxray. It's the ability that defines how you build around it and the main reason it holds a competitive niche. Luxray also gets Rivalry and Guts, but they don't compare.
Luxray fills the wallbreaker role. It's a mixed attacker — base 120 Attack and 95 Sp. Atk. Base 70 Speed is workable — faster than some, slower than many. And it's enough bulk to take a hit or two.
Luxray appears in 13 games, including Platinum, HeartGold & SoulSilver, and Diamond & Pearl.
Luxray first appeared in Diamond & Pearl and has been available in 13 games across 6 generations. Obtainable through wild encounters in most titles where it appears.
- Gen IY
Yellow - Gen IRB

Red & Blue - Gen IIGS

Gold & Silver - Gen IIC
Crystal - Gen IIIRS

Ruby & Sapphire - Gen IIIFRLG

FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen IIIE
Emerald - Gen IVPt
Platinum - Gen IVHGSS

HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen IVDPDebut

Diamond & Pearl - Gen VBW

Black & White - Gen VB2W2

Black 2 & White 2 - Gen VIXY

X & Y - Gen VIORAS

Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen VIIUSUM

Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen VIISM

Sun & Moon - Gen VIILGPE

Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen VIIISwSh

Sword & Shield - Gen VIIIPLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen VIIIBDSP

Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen IXSV

Scarlet & Violet - Gen IXLZA
Legends: Z-A