Is Nidorino Good in Diamond & Pearl Playthrough?
Nidorino evolves into Nidoking via Moon Stone at any level. Instant evolution, same as the female counterpart. The convenience only matters for postgame and Battle Tower.
Nidoran♂ (male) trades roughly evenly with Roark's team.
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 has the type edge here and should clean up 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 has the type edge here and should clean up Mars's team.
Nidoking has the type edge here and should clean up Jupiter's team.
Nidoking has the type edge here and should clean up Saturn's team.
Nidoking trades roughly evenly with Cynthia's team.
Catch Nidoran♂ (male)
Catch Nidoran M on Route 201 (Poké Radar, Lv 2, rare).
Recommended Moves
- After Gardenia
- TM14IceBlizzardPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 5Lake Acuity
- TM25ElectricThunderPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 10Lake Valor
- TM13IceIce BeamPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 10Route 216
- TM24ElectricThunderboltPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 15Veilstone Game Corner
- TM28GroundDigPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 10Maniac Tunnel
- HM04NormalStrengthPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15Lost Tower
- LV 37PoisonPoison JabPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 20
- After Candice
- TM36PoisonSludge BombPower 135Accuracy 100%PP 10Galactic HQ B2F in Veilstone City
- Post-Game
- TM42NormalFacadePower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Survival Area
Evolve Nidoran♂ (male) to Nidorino
Nidoran♂ (male) evolves into Nidorino at Level 16. Your Nidoran♂ (male) should hit Level 16 before you reach Gardenia, at typical leveling pace.
Recommended Moves
- After Gardenia
- TM14IceBlizzardPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 5Lake Acuity
- TM25ElectricThunderPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 10Lake Valor
- TM13IceIce BeamPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 10Route 216
- TM24ElectricThunderboltPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 15Veilstone Game Corner
- TM28GroundDigPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 10Maniac Tunnel
- HM04NormalStrengthPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15Lost Tower
- After Candice
- TM36PoisonSludge BombPower 135Accuracy 100%PP 10Galactic HQ B2F in Veilstone City
- LV 43PoisonPoison JabPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 20
- Post-Game
- TM42NormalFacadePower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Survival Area
Evolve Nidorino to Nidoking
Nidorino evolves into Nidoking with a Moon Stone. You can usually obtain this item before you reach Maylene.
Recommended Moves
- After Gardenia
- TM28GroundDigPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10Maniac Tunnel
- TM68NormalGiga ImpactPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Veilstone Game Corner
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Veilstone Department Store
- After Fantina
- TM84PoisonPoison JabPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 20Route 212
- After Byron
- TM26GroundEarthquakePower 150Accuracy 100%PP 10Wayward Cave (secret entrance under bike path)
- TM01FightingFocus PunchPower 150Accuracy 100%PP 20Oreburgh Gate
- After Candice
- TM36PoisonSludge BombPower 135Accuracy 100%PP 10Galactic HQ B2F in Veilstone City
- LV 43GroundEarth PowerPower 135Accuracy 100%PP 10
- Post-Game
- TM42NormalFacadePower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Survival Area
How to Get Nidorino in Diamond & Pearl
Nidorino only chains out of the Poke Radar in two spots, level 21 to 30. Pearl makes it the common version while Diamond turns it rare, mirroring the male Nidoran split.
2 locations to catch Nidorino1 location to catch Nidoran♂ (male)
Badge 3
Badge 4
Badge 5Catch Nidoran♂ (male) at any of the 1 location below, then level it up to 16 — it evolves into Nidorino.
Where To Catch Nidorino in DP
Available earlier: catch Nidoran♂ (male) at the very start and evolve it at Lv 16. Wild Nidorino first appears at Valor Lakefront (after Badge 3).
- Step 2Nidorino ✓Valor LakefrontLv.21-22Using PokeRadarPearlRate 20%Route 221Lv.29Using PokeRadarPearlRate 20%Valor LakefrontLv.22Using PokeRadarDiamondRate 2%Route 221Lv.30Using PokeRadarDiamondRate 2%or evolve from Nidoran♂ (male) (Step 1)
- Step 3Evolve into NidokingBREEDINGAvailableLeave a compatible parent at the Pokemon Day Care to receive a Nidoran♂ (male) egg.
To plan your throws, open the Diamond & Pearl catch rate calculator with Nidorino preloaded.
How to Get Shiny Nidorino in Diamond & Pearl
Nidorino appears on Route 221 and around the Valor Lakefront, where a PokeRadar chain lands its shiny. Compare Shiny Nidorino odds across every game
Diamond & Pearl Shiny Nidorino Calculator
3 MethodsThe best route is PokeRadar Chain at full boosts, about 1 in 200 on each try. Tune it below.
PokeRadar Chain: Chain shaking-grass patches without breaking the combo. The rate peaks at a chain of 40.
Masuda Method: Breed with a parent from a different-language game. Works on any breedable line.
Full Odds: Walk through grass, surf, or fish. Every encounter is its own independent shiny roll.
How many you have done, or plan to do.
| Chance | Encounters | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 10%lucky few | 22-- | -- |
| 25%one in four | 58-- | -- |
| 50%coin flip | 139-- | -- |
| 90%very likely | 460-- | -- |
Time assumes -- at your pace and does not change your shiny odds.
How is this calculated?
Every encounter has the same shiny chance, the Shiny Odds Per Try shown above. Each one is a separate roll that does not care how many you have already done, so the more you hunt, the higher your overall chance of at least one shiny. The formula below turns your odds and your number of tries into that combined chance.
chance after N tries = 1 − (1 − p)^N, where p = 1 / odds per try
Example at 1 in 8,192 (classic full odds): about 864 encounters for a 10 percent chance, 5,678 for 50 percent, and 18,862 for 90 percent.
The table above flips that around: it shows how many encounters it takes to reach a 10, 25, 50, and 90 percent chance at your current odds. Turning on boosts like the Shiny Charm, sandwiches, or chains improves your odds, so the encounter numbers drop.
These are estimates, not promises. Most games have no pity counter, meaning no guaranteed shiny no matter how many you hunt, so even Very Likely is not guaranteed: some hunters find one early, others go well past that point.
For time estimates and charm math, open the Diamond & Pearl shiny odds calculator with Nidorino already selected.
Nidorino Weakness
Ground and Psychic moves hit Nidorino for super-effective damage. It resists 4 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 type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Nidorino Weak Against
AvgBest Pokemon Against Nidorino
 Marowak Ground | C | |
 Exeggutor GrassPsychic | C | |
 Gliscor Ground | B | |
 Sandslash Ground | B | |
 Kadabra Psychic | A | |
 Bronzor SteelPsychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidorino View Bronzor builds →Dream Eater 2x53-64% Earthquake 2x35-42% | ||
 Donphan Ground | B | |
 Mr. Mime Psychic | C | |
 Lunatone RockPsychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidorino View Lunatone builds →Dream Eater 2x132-155%KO Earthquake 2x58-68% | ||
 Gabite DragonGround | C | |
 Girafarig NormalPsychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidorino View Girafarig builds →Dream Eater 2x126-148%KO Earthquake 2x75-89% | ||
 Graveler RockGround | C | |
 Quagsire WaterGround | C | |
Obtain MethodGreat Marsh Surfing | ||
 Gastrodon WaterGround | C | |
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 Field and Monster egg groups. Notable egg moves include Amnesia, Beat Up, Confusion and 5 more.
DP Nidorino Best Moveset
72 Attack and 65 Speed are passable for an unevolved Pokemon but still fall short of anything competitive. The moveset previews Nidoking's physical-plus-special style without the stats to back it. Nidoking is where the coverage works.
Best Build
Nidorino best EVs are Attack and Speed
Physical Sweeper Moveset
- Poison Jab
- Rest
- Sucker Punch
- Head Smash
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Coverage runs deep. Nidorino can hit 11 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
32 of 33 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Transfer Moves
Base Stats
It has a violent disposition and stabs foes with its horn, which oozes poison upon impact.
Nidorino Diamond & Pearl Guide
In Diamond & 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.
In Diamond & Pearl, use Nidorino as a balanced. Physical side carries the damage. Not the fastest,
For Diamond & Pearl, run Jolly on Nidorino. +Speed is what matters, and the -Sp. Atk cut doesn't hurt this set. Fits the balanced role.
Game Availability
Nidorino has been part of the series since Red & Blue, appearing in 19 titles across all 9 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 7Let's Go
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
Explore
Where to go next after Nidorino.
Keep playing · Diamond & PearlDiamond & Pearl Tier ListThe best Pokemon ranked tier by tierSee Diamond & Pearl Tier List