Electric moves don't affect Nidoking at all — that's the advantage of Poison/Ground typing. It sits at a decent but contested Speed tier. Known as the Drill Pokemon. Flexible enough to run physical or special sets.
Attack and Sp. Atk carry most of Nidoking's stat budget. Sp. Def's the obvious dump stat. Tough to catch and yields 3 Attack EVs. Follows a 1.06M XP medium-slow curve.
It uses its thick arms, legs and tail to attack forcefully. Melee combat is its specialty.
Nidoking Weakness
AvgType-wise, Nidoking takes extra damage from Water, Ice, Ground, and Psychic. Electric moves do nothing thanks to a full immunity. 4 resistances help offset the weaknesses.
- Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
- Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
- Special stat split into Sp.Atk and Sp.Def
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.
How to Evolve
Breed with Nidoking to get Nidoran M eggs using 66 partners from the Ground and Monster egg groups. Notable egg moves include Amnesia, Beat Up, Confusion and 4 more.
Nothing fancy here. Nidoking builds around Leftovers for passive recovery each turn, a nature nature for the right stat lean, and flexible EVs EVs. An ability does its job quietly.
Best Build
Best Nidoking Moveset
- Earthquake
- Ice Beam
- Lovely Kiss
- Thunder
Recommended Teammates
Hard to wall, honestly. Nidoking threatens 11 types beyond its own STAB, with Fighting and Normal standing out. Pair that with Earthquake and Mud-Slap and switchins need to think twice.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Reminder Moves
No wild encounters for Nidoking. The 3-stage chain runs through Nidoran♂ (male), which you can catch at solid rates from the locations below. Evolve through a special method once you've got the levels.
How to Obtain Nidoking in Crystal
Nidoran♂ (male) is your first catch on the way to Nidoking. You'll find walking encounters from Lv. 12-23 across 5 total spots in the chain.
Step 1Catch Nidoran♂ (male)EFFORTLESSNational ParkGrassLv.12CommonEarlyFacilityMorning/dayEFFORTLESSRoute 35GrassLv.12CommonEarlyRouteSwarm active
Step 2Catch or Evolve NidorinoEFFORTLESSRoute 13GrassLv.23CommonMidRouteEFFORTLESSRoute 14GrassLv.23CommonMidRouteEFFORTLESSRoute 15GrassLv.23CommonMidRouteor evolve from Nidoran♂ (male) (Step 1)- Step 3Nidoking ✓
Sheer Force changes the entire equation for Nidoking. The 505 BST doesn't tell the full story. Ranked B-Tier as an attacker.
Base 85 Speed is workable — faster than some, slower than many. On offense, Nidoking is a mixed attacker — base 102 Attack and 85 Sp. Atk. Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two. Best used as an attacker.
Nidoking appears in 19 games, including Yellow, Red & Blue, and Gold & Silver.
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.
- Gen IY
Yellow - Gen IRBDebut
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 IVDP
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