Is Nidorino Good in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Playthrough?
Moon Stone it into Nidoking. Don't wait.
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 Nidorino in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
Nidorino appears at decent spawn rates across 20 spots in mid-game routes. Sort by Best below if you want the highest rate, or Earliest if you want the quickest access point in your playthrough.
Where To Catch Nidorino in BDSP
Nidoran♂ (male) is your first catch on the way to Nidorino. You'll find walking and special encounters from Lv. 2-63 across 38 total spots in the chain.
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 2Nidorino ✓Valor 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 3Evolve into Nidoking
Nidorino Weakness
Ground and Psychic moves hit Nidorino for super-effective damage. It resists 5 types, giving it decent defensive coverage. Only 2 weaknesses makes it relatively easy to build around defensively.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Ground, Psychic |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Grass, Fighting, Poison, Bug, Fairy |
What is Nidorino Weak Against
GoodBest Pokemon Against Nidorino
 Marowak Ground | C | |
 Kadabra Psychic | B | |
 Mr. Mime PsychicFairy | B | |
 Bronzor SteelPsychic | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidorino View Bronzor builds →Dream Eater 2x53-64% Earthquake 2x35-42% | ||
 Girafarig NormalPsychic | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidorino View Girafarig builds →Dream Eater 2x126-148%KO Earthquake 2x75-89% | ||
Marowak Ground | C | |
 Bronzong SteelPsychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidorino View Bronzong builds →Dream Eater 2x111-131%KO Earthquake 2x77-91% | ||
Kadabra Psychic | B | |
Mr. Mime PsychicFairy | B | |
Girafarig NormalPsychic | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidorino View Girafarig builds →Dream Eater 2x121-143%KO Earthquake 2x70-83% | ||
Marowak Ground | C | |
Bronzong SteelPsychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidorino View Bronzong builds →Dream Eater 2x108-128%KO Earthquake 2x77-91% | ||
Kadabra Psychic | B | |
Mr. Mime PsychicFairy | B | |
Girafarig NormalPsychic | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidorino View Girafarig builds →Dream Eater 2x122-144%KO Earthquake 2x72-85% | ||
Kadabra Psychic | B | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Nidorino View Kadabra builds →Future Sight 2x184-216%KO | ||
Marowak Ground | C | |
Bronzong SteelPsychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidorino View Bronzong builds →Future Sight 2x130-153%KO Earthquake 2x78-92% | ||
 Garchomp DragonGround | S | |
 Steelix SteelGround | B | |
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Garchomp can KO Nidorino with Earthquake (106-125%). Alakazam threatens a KO with Psychic (130-153%).
Garchomp DragonGround | S | |
Recommended Build AbilityRough Skin ItemLeftovers NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Nidorino View Garchomp builds →Earthquake 2x106-125%KO | ||
 Alakazam Psychic | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityMagic Guard ItemLife Orb NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Nidorino View Alakazam builds →Shadow Ball38-45% Psychic 2x130-153%KO Focus Blast29-34% Energy Ball21-25% | ||
Nidorino Evolutions
Nidorino is partway through a three-stage line between Nidoran♂ (male) and Nidoking. The chain involves an evolution item, so it's not a straightforward grind. So far, Defense got the biggest boost (+17 from Nidoran M). The final form adds another 140 stats on top. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Nidorino 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 Nidorino Best Moveset
72 Attack at 65 Speed with more offensive presence than the female line but still short of competitive. Hidden AbilityHustle adds unreliable power. The moveset has Poison TermStab but one evolution from Nidoking's A-tier AbilitySheer Force offense.
Best Build
Nidorino best EVs are HP and Sp. Atk
Special Tank Moveset
- Sludge Bomb
- Toxic Spikes
- Earth Power
- Disable
Moves List
Coverage runs deep. Nidorino can hit 12 types beyond STAB, including Flying and Normal. The offense anchors on Sludge Bomb and Poison Jab while TMs handle everything else.
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
It has a violent disposition and stabs foes with its horn, which oozes venom upon impact.
Nidorino Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Guide
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Nidorino isn't fully evolved, so it's not built for competitive play. You'll want to evolve it into Nidoking to unlock its full potential. At 365 BST, it's a stepping stone rather than a team anchor.
Poison Point has a 30% chance of poisoning attacking Pokémon on contact. That's the one you want on Nidorino. Hustle is the hidden ability. Niche, but it has its uses. Rivalry works too if your team needs something different.
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Nidorino fills the balanced role. It's a special attacker with base 55 Sp. Atk. At base 65 Speed, it won't be moving first often.
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Nidorino does the job early-game if you need a Poison type on your team. Evolve it into Nidoking before the later gyms and it holds up fine through the story.
Game Availability
Nidorino has been part of the series since Red & Blue, appearing in 19 titles across all 10 generations. As a Gen 1 original, it's one of the most consistently available Pokemon in the franchise.
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