Is Nidoking Good in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Playthrough?
Hits harder than Nidoqueen and covers nearly every type with reusable TMs. Earthquake, Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, Sludge Bomb gives Nidoking answers to basically every gym and E4 member. One of the best Grand Underground pickups in the game if you find Nidoran early.
Roark's team hits Nidoran♂ (male)'s weaknesses hard.
Nidorino has the type edge here and should clean up Gardenia's team.
Nidoking has the type edge here and should clean up Maylene's team.
Nidoking trades roughly evenly with Crasher Wake's team.
Nidoking trades roughly evenly with Fantina's team.
Nidoking has the type edge here and should clean up Byron's team.
Nidoking has the type edge here and should clean up Candice's team.
Nidoking has the type edge here and should clean up Volkner's team.
Nidoking has the type edge here and should clean up Aaron's team.
Nidoking trades roughly evenly with Bertha's team.
Nidoking has the type edge here and should clean up Flint's team.
Nidoking trades roughly evenly with Lucian's team.
Nidoking trades roughly evenly with Cynthia's team.
Catch Nidoran M on Route 201 (Poké Radar, Lv 2, rare).
Your Nidoran♂ (male) should hit Level 16 before you reach Gardenia, at typical leveling pace.
You can usually obtain this item before you reach Maylene.
How to Get Nidoking in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
You're catching Nidoran♂ (male) first, not Nidoking. Nidoran♂ (male) appears at decent rates in the encounters below. The step cards map the full 3-stage chain with evolution methods between each stage.
How to Obtain Nidoking in BDSP
To get Nidoking, start by catching Nidoran♂ (male) through walking and special encounters at Lv. 2-63. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.
Step 1Catch Nidoran♂ (male)Route 201Lv.3Using PokeRadarShining PearlRate 20%Route 201Lv.2Using PokeRadarBrilliant DiamondRate 2%Bogsunk CavernLv.58-63GrassPost-gameDazzling CaveLv.58-63CavePost-gameGrassland CaveLv.58-63CavePost-gameRiverbank CaveLv.58-63CavePost-gameStargleam CavernLv.58-63CavePost-gameStill-Water CavernLv.58-63CavePost-gameSunlit CavernLv.58-63CavePost-gameSwampy CaveLv.58-63GrassPost-game
Step 2Catch or Evolve NidorinoValor LakefrontLv.21-22Using PokeRadarShining PearlRate 20%Route 221Lv.29Using PokeRadarShining PearlRate 20%Valor LakefrontLv.22Using PokeRadarBrilliant DiamondRate 2%Route 221Lv.30Using PokeRadarBrilliant DiamondRate 2%Bogsunk CavernLv.58-63GrassPost-gameDazzling CaveLv.58-63CavePost-gameGrassland CaveLv.58-63CavePost-gameRiverbank CaveLv.58-63CavePost-gameStargleam CavernLv.58-63CavePost-gameStill-Water CavernLv.58-63CavePost-gameSunlit CavernLv.58-63CavePost-gameSwampy CaveLv.58-63GrassPost-gameor evolve from Nidoran♂ (male) (Step 1)
Step 3Nidoking ✓
Nidoking Weakness
Type-wise, Nidoking takes extra damage from Water, Ice, Ground, and Psychic. Electric moves do nothing thanks to a full immunity. 5 resistances help offset the weaknesses.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Water, Ice, Ground, Psychic |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Fighting, Bug, Rock, Fairy |
| 0.25x (Resist) | Poison |
| 0x (Immune) | Electric |
What is Nidoking Weak Against
AvgBest Pokemon Against Nidoking
 Marowak Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidoking View Marowak builds →Earthquake 2x78-93% Ice Beam 2x35-41% | ||
 Kadabra Psychic | B | |
 Mr. Mime PsychicFairy | B | |
 Bronzor SteelPsychic | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidoking View Bronzor builds →Dream Eater 2x39-46% Earthquake 2x26-31% | ||
 Floatzel Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidoking View Floatzel builds →Waterfall 2x78-93% Ice Beam 2x51-60% | ||
Marowak Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidoking View Marowak builds →Earthquake 2x78-93% Ice Beam 2x35-41% | ||
Kadabra Psychic | B | |
Mr. Mime PsychicFairy | B | |
Bronzor SteelPsychic | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidoking View Bronzor builds →Dream Eater 2x39-46% Earthquake 2x26-31% | ||
Floatzel Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidoking View Floatzel builds →Waterfall 2x78-93% Dig 2x53-62% Ice Beam 2x51-60% | ||
 Bronzong SteelPsychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidoking View Bronzong builds →Dream Eater 2x77-91% Earthquake 2x56-66% | ||
Marowak Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidoking View Marowak builds →Earthquake 2x75-89% Ice Beam 2x34-40% | ||
Kadabra Psychic | B | |
Mr. Mime PsychicFairy | B | |
Floatzel Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidoking View Floatzel builds →Waterfall 2x75-89% Dig 2x50-59% Ice Beam 2x49-57% | ||
Bronzong SteelPsychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidoking View Bronzong builds →Dream Eater 2x76-90% Earthquake 2x53-63% | ||
Marowak Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidoking View Marowak builds →Earthquake 2x73-87% Ice Beam 2x32-39% | ||
Kadabra Psychic | B | |
Mr. Mime PsychicFairy | B | |
Floatzel Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidoking View Floatzel builds →Waterfall 2x73-87% Dig 2x49-58% Ice Beam 2x48-56% | ||
Bronzong SteelPsychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidoking View Bronzong builds →Dream Eater 2x74-88% Earthquake 2x53-63% | ||
Marowak Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidoking View Marowak builds →Earthquake 2x74-88% Ice Beam 2x33-39% | ||
Kadabra Psychic | B | |
Mr. Mime PsychicFairy | B | |
 Mamoswine IceGround | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidoking View Mamoswine builds →Earthquake 2x109-129%KO Ice Fang 2x72-86% | ||
Bronzong SteelPsychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidoking View Bronzong builds →Dream Eater 2x74-88% Earthquake 2x53-63% | ||
Marowak Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidoking View Marowak builds →Earthquake 2x74-88% Ice Beam 2x33-39% | ||
Kadabra Psychic | B | |
 Jynx IcePsychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidoking View Jynx builds →Dream Eater 2x99-117%KO Ice Beam 2x89-106%KO Water Pulse 2x41-48% | ||
Mr. Mime PsychicFairy | B | |
Bronzong SteelPsychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidoking View Bronzong builds →Future Sight 2x89-105%KO Earthquake 2x53-63% | ||
Marowak Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidoking View Marowak builds →Earthquake 2x74-87% Ice Beam 2x32-37% | ||
Kadabra Psychic | B | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Nidoking View Kadabra builds →Future Sight 2x127-149%KO | ||
 Garchomp DragonGround | S | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidoking View Garchomp builds →Earthquake 2x110-130%KO Surf 2x46-54% | ||
 Rhydon GroundRock | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidoking View Rhydon builds →Earthquake 2x110-130%KO Avalanche 2x45-53% Surf 2x30-35% | ||
S | ||
Recommended Build AbilityFlashfire ItemLeftovers NatureTimid Moves View Heatran builds →
| ||
A | ||
Recommended Build AbilityMagic Guard ItemLeftovers NatureBold Moves
Damage vs Nidoking View Clefable builds →Moonblast14-16% Knock Off13-16% | ||
B | ||
Recommended Build AbilitySturdy ItemRocky Helmet NatureBold Moves View Skarmory builds →
| ||
B | ||
Recommended Build AbilityMagnetpull ItemLeftovers NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Nidoking View Magnezone builds →Flash Cannon30-36% | ||
C | ||
Recommended Build AbilityDrizzle ItemDamprock NatureRelaxed Moves
Damage vs Nidoking View Pelipper builds →U Turn6-7% Hurricane32-37% | ||
Nidoking Evolutions
Getting Nidoking requires an evolution item, not just grinding levels. The chain starts at Nidoran♂ (male). Breed this form to get Nidoran♂ (male) eggs (average hatch time). Attack grew the most through evolution (+45 over Nidoran M), and Nidoking peaks at 505 total stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Nidoking to get Nidoran M eggs using 131 partners from the Ground and Monster egg groups. Notable egg moves include Amnesia, Beat Up, Confusion and 10 more.
BDSP Nidoking Best Moveset
Same A-tier as the original Gen 4, but hidden AbilitySheer Force redefines the moveset completely. Every attack with a secondary effect gains 30% power while losing that effect, and Poison/Ground TermStab at 102 Attack and 85 Speed through that boost creates offensive pressure the original set couldn't reach.
Best Build
Nidoking best EVs are Sp. Atk and Speed
Special Sweeper Moveset
- Earth Power
- Ice Beam
- Sludge Wave
- Flamethrower
Moves List
Hard to wall, honestly. Nidoking threatens 14 types beyond its own STAB, with Fighting and Normal standing out. Pair that with Earthquake and Sludge Wave and switchins need to think twice.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- Egg
- Inherited via breeding.
- Tutor
- NPC tutor (cost: items, BP, money).
- Reminder
- An NPC reteaches any move this Pokemon could have learned by leveling up.
- Transfer
- Carried over from an older game using Pokemon HOME.
- Event
- Given out through Mystery Gift events.
Visual Signals
CAT (Category)
How the move deals damage and which stats it uses.
A small dot on the icon's corner marks the move as contact. That triggers abilities like Static, Flame Body, Rough Skin, or Iron Barbs, plus items like Rocky Helmet and Sticky Barb.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM, Egg, and Tutor sort by tier by default (best first). On Level-Up, click the Tier header to do the same.
PWR (Power)
Base damage. Numbers shown in a type color include STAB (base × 1.5). Hover any colored number to see the math.
— means no power (status moves) or variable power.
Sorting & Filter
Click any column header to sort. Level-Up opens with Lv 1 at the top. TM, Egg, and Tutor open with the highest-tier moves at the top.
Search filters by move name or type. The Filter button limits the list to STAB, Physical, Special, or Status moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
One swing of its mighty tail can snap a telephone pole as if it were a matchstick.
Nidoking Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Guide
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Sheer Force changes the entire equation for Nidoking. The 505 BST doesn't tell the full story. Ranked B-Tier as an attacker. Earthpower with Life Orb is the standard set.
Sheer Force is what you want on Nidoking. Every competitive set worth running is built with that ability in mind. The alternatives (Poison Point, Rivalry) work on paper but Sheer Force is what makes Nidoking worth using.
Base 85 Speed is workable. Faster than some, slower than many. On offense, Nidoking is a special attacker with base 85 Sp. Atk. Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two. Best used as an attacker.
For Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, the core moveset is Earthpower, Ice Beam, Sludgewave, and Flamethrower. Earthpower leads at 0% usage. This set covers the attacker role with a mix of damage and utility.
Game Availability
One of the original 151, Nidoking has appeared in 19 games — most mainline games. From Red & Blue through the latest titles, it's rarely been left out of a regional Pokedex.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves