Is Nidorino Good in Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire Playthrough?
Moon Stone it immediately. Nidorino's a pass-through stage, and Nidoking on the other side handles most of what Hoenn throws your way.
Roxanne's typing presses Nidoran♂ (male)'s defenses.
Nidoran♂ (male) has the type edge here and should clean up Brawly's team.
Nidorino trades roughly evenly with Wattson's team.
Nidoking has the type edge here and should clean up Flannery's team.
Nidoking trades roughly evenly with Norman's team.
Nidoking trades roughly evenly with Winona's team.
Nidoking trades roughly evenly with Tate & Liza's team.
Nidoking trades roughly evenly with Wallace's team.
Nidoking has the type edge here and should clean up Sidney's team.
Nidoking trades roughly evenly with Phoebe's team.
Nidoking trades roughly evenly with Glacia's team.
Nidoking trades roughly evenly with Drake's team.
Nidoking trades roughly evenly with Steven's team.
Nidorino cannot be caught in this game. It must be traded in from a compatible game where it appears in the wild. Cross-region trading typically becomes available after defeating the Elite Four. Alternatively, transfer the pre-evolution and level it up to Lv 16.
You can pick up the Moon Stone in Jagged Pass. 1 other location is also available.
How to Get Nidorino in Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire
Nidorino can't be caught in Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire. Transfer Nidoran♂ (male) from Red & Blue, Yellow, or Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee and evolve through the 3-stage chain to get it. The step cards below map the full chain.
How to Obtain Nidorino in ORAS
Step 1Obtain Nidoran♂ (male)CARTRIDGE TRADEfrom X & YAvailableCatch in X & Y via Walking · Route 11 · Horde battle, then trade to the current game via link cable.LATER APPEARANCEfrom Red & BlueNot TradeableAppears in Red & Blue via Walking · Route 22. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom YellowNot TradeableAppears in Yellow via Walking · Route 9. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom Gold & SilverNot TradeableAppears in Gold & Silver via Walking · Route 35. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom CrystalNot TradeableAppears in Crystal via Walking · National Park. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom FireRed & LeafGreenNot TradeableAppears in FireRed & LeafGreen via Walking · Safari Zone. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.LATER APPEARANCEfrom Diamond & PearlNot TradeableAppears in Diamond & Pearl via Pokeradar · Route 201. Forward-only transfer — no path back to this game from a later one.
Step 2Nidorino ✓
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
 Latios DragonPsychic | B | |
Obtain MethodSouthern Island Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidorino View Latios builds →Psychic 2x151-177%KO Bulldoze 2x48-58% | ||
 Latias DragonPsychic | B | |
Obtain MethodSouthern Island Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidorino View Latias builds →Psychic 2x131-155%KO Bulldoze 2x45-54% | ||
 Torterra GrassGround | C | |
 Sandslash Ground | C | |
 Graveler RockGround | C | |
Latios DragonPsychic | B | |
Obtain MethodSouthern Island Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidorino View Latios builds →Psychic 2x151-178%KO Bulldoze 2x48-57% | ||
 Metagross SteelPsychic | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Beldum (Mossdeep City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidorino View Metagross builds →Zen Headbutt 2x137-161%KO Bulldoze 2x69-81% | ||
Latias DragonPsychic | B | |
Obtain MethodSouthern Island Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidorino View Latias builds →Psychic 2x130-154%KO Bulldoze 2x44-52% | ||
 Gardevoir PsychicFairy | B | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Nidorino View Gardevoir builds →Future Sight 2x194-229%KO | ||
 Bronzong SteelPsychic | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidorino View Bronzong builds →Future Sight 2x134-159%KO Bulldoze 2x48-57% | ||
Latios DragonPsychic | B | |
Obtain MethodSouthern Island Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidorino View Latios builds →Psychic 2x149-176%KO Earthquake 2x79-94% | ||
Metagross SteelPsychic | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Beldum (Mossdeep City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidorino View Metagross builds →Zen Headbutt 2x133-157%KO Earthquake 2x110-130%KO | ||
Latias DragonPsychic | B | |
Obtain MethodSouthern Island Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidorino View Latias builds →Psychic 2x129-152%KO Earthquake 2x71-84% | ||
Gardevoir PsychicFairy | B | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Nidorino View Gardevoir builds →Future Sight 2x192-226%KO | ||
Bronzong SteelPsychic | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidorino View Bronzong builds →Future Sight 2x131-155%KO Earthquake 2x78-92% | ||
Latios DragonPsychic | B | |
Obtain MethodSouthern Island Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidorino View Latios builds →Dream Eater 2x167-197%KO Earthquake 2x79-93% | ||
 Excadrill GroundSteel | S | |
 Deoxys Psychic | A | |
Obtain MethodSky Pillar Interact Encounter Available Move Moves
Damage vs Nidorino View Deoxys builds →Psycho Boost 2x265-311%KO | ||
Metagross SteelPsychic | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Beldum (Mossdeep City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidorino View Metagross builds →Zen Headbutt 2x134-158%KO Earthquake 2x111-131%KO | ||
Latias DragonPsychic | B | |
Obtain MethodSouthern Island Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidorino View Latias builds →Dream Eater 2x145-171%KO Earthquake 2x72-85% | ||
In Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, Garchomp's Earthquake hits Nidorino for 83-98%. Alakazam threatens a KO with Psychic (86-101%).
 Garchomp DragonGround | S | |
Recommended Build AbilityRough Skin ItemRocky Helmet NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Nidorino View Garchomp builds →Earthquake 2x83-98% | ||
 Alakazam Psychic | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityMagic Guard ItemFocus Sash NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Nidorino View Alakazam builds →Psychic 2x86-101%KO Focus Blast19-22% Shadow Ball25-30% Dazzling Gleam13-15% | ||
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 200 partners from the Ground and Monster egg groups. Notable egg moves include Amnesia, Beat Up, Chip Away and 11 more.
ORAS Nidorino Best Moveset
72 Attack at 65 Speed. The moveset fires Poison TermStab at mid-stage power with no way to justify a slot. AbilityHustle boosts but hurts accuracy. Nidoking one evolution away adds Ground typing and AbilitySheer Force.
Best Build
Nidorino best EVs are Defense and Sp. Def
Bulky Support Moveset
- Sludge Bomb
- Poison Jab
- Venoshock
- Poison Tail
Moves List
Coverage runs deep. Nidorino can hit 12 types beyond STAB, including Flying and Fighting. 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
Transfer Moves
Base Stats
Nidorino has a horn that is harder than a diamond. If it senses a hostile presence, all the barbs on its back bristle up at once, and it challenges the foe with all its might.
Nidorino Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire Guide
In Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, 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 Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, Nidorino fills the balanced role. It's a mixed attacker with base 72 Attack and 55 Sp. Atk. At base 65 Speed, it won't be moving first often.
In Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, 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