Is Nidorino Good in HeartGold & SoulSilver Playthrough?
Nidoran-M evolves at level 16. AbilityPoison Point for contact poison chance. Nidorino is one Moon Stone away from one of the best mid-game Pokemon in HGSS.
Nidoran♂ (male) trades roughly evenly with Falkner's team.
Nidoran♂ (male) trades roughly evenly with Bugsy's team.
Nidoran♂ (male) trades roughly evenly with Whitney's team.
Nidorino trades roughly evenly with Morty's team.
Nidoking has the type edge here and should clean up Chuck's team.
Nidoking resists most of Jasmine's coverage and hits back hard.
Nidoking has the type edge here and should clean up Pryce's team.
Nidoking has the type edge here and should clean up Clair's team.
Nidoking has the type edge here and should clean up Brock's team.
Nidoking trades roughly evenly with Misty's team.
Nidoking resists most of Lt. Surge's coverage and hits back hard.
Nidoking has the type edge here and should clean up Erika's team.
Nidoking trades roughly evenly with Janine's team.
Nidoking has the type edge here and should clean up Sabrina's team.
Nidoking has the type edge here and should clean up Blaine's team.
Nidoking has the type edge here and should clean up Blue's team.
Nidoking has the type edge here and should clean up Will's team.
Nidoking has the type edge here and should clean up Koga's team.
Nidoking has the type edge here and should clean up Bruno's team.
Nidoking has the type edge here and should clean up Karen's team.
Nidoking has the type edge here and should clean up Lance's team.
Catch Nidoran♂ (male)
Catch Nidoran M on Route 35 (walking, Lv 12, common).
Recommended Moves
- After Bugsy
- TM14IceBlizzardPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM25ElectricThunderPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 10Goldenrod Department Store
- TM13IceIce BeamPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod Game Corner
- TM24ElectricThunderboltPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 15Goldenrod Game Corner
- TM28GroundDigPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 10National Park
- After Whitney
- HM04NormalStrengthPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15Gift from a Hiker on Route 42
- After Jasmine
- TM36PoisonSludge BombPower 135Accuracy 100%PP 10Route 43
- LV 37PoisonPoison JabPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 20
Evolve Nidoran♂ (male) to Nidorino
Nidoran♂ (male) evolves into Nidorino at Level 16. Your Nidoran♂ (male) should hit Level 16 before you reach Morty, at typical leveling pace.
Recommended Moves
- After Bugsy
- TM14IceBlizzardPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM25ElectricThunderPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 10Goldenrod Department Store
- TM13IceIce BeamPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod Game Corner
- TM24ElectricThunderboltPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 15Goldenrod Game Corner
- TM28GroundDigPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 10National Park
- After Whitney
- HM04NormalStrengthPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15Gift from a Hiker on Route 42
- After Jasmine
- TM36PoisonSludge BombPower 135Accuracy 100%PP 10Route 43
- LV 43PoisonPoison JabPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 20
Evolve Nidorino to Nidoking
Nidorino evolves into Nidoking with a Moon Stone. You can pick up the Moon Stone in Ruins of Alph. 1 other location is also available.
Recommended Moves
- After Bugsy
- TM28GroundDigPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10National Park
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM38FireFire BlastPower 120Accuracy 85%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- After Chuck
- TM01FightingFocus PunchPower 150Accuracy 100%PP 20Prize for defeating Chuck
- After Jasmine
- TM36PoisonSludge BombPower 135Accuracy 100%PP 10Route 43
- After Clair
- TM26GroundEarthquakePower 150Accuracy 100%PP 10Victory Road
- LV 43GroundEarth PowerPower 135Accuracy 100%PP 10
- LV 58BugMegahornPower 120Accuracy 85%PP 10
How to Get Nidorino in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Nidorino walks a few routes wild in the mid-teens to low 20s, common but later than the base form. Catch it straight from the grass or evolve a Nidoran-M at level 16, the same timing as the female line.
4 locations to catch Nidorino3 locations to catch Nidoran♂ (male)
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Badge 6
Badge 7
Badge 8Catch Nidoran♂ (male) at any of the 3 locations below, then level it up to 16 — it evolves into Nidorino.
Badge 3
Badge 4
Badge 5 Badge 6Where To Catch Nidorino in HGSS
Available earlier: catch Nidoran♂ (male) (before Badge 4) and evolve it at Lv 16. Wild Nidorino first appears at Safari Zone (after Badge 4).
- Step 2Nidorino ✓Safari Zone - SavannahLv.15-17FloorRate 30%NightRoute 13Lv.23GrassRate 30%Route 14Lv.23GrassRate 30%Route 15Lv.23GrassRate 30%or evolve from Nidoran♂ (male) (Step 1)
- Step 3Evolve into Nidoking
To plan your throws, open the HeartGold & SoulSilver catch rate calculator with Nidorino preloaded.
How to Get Shiny Nidorino in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Nidorino ranges over Route 13, Route 14, and Route 15, so breed it Masuda-style with a foreign-language parent at 1 in 1,638. Compare Shiny Nidorino odds across every game
HeartGold & SoulSilver Shiny Nidorino Calculator
2 MethodsThe best route is Masuda Method, about 1 in 1,639 on each try.
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 | 173-- | -- |
| 25%one in four | 472-- | -- |
| 50%coin flip | 1,136-- | -- |
| 90%very likely | 3,773-- | -- |
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 HeartGold & SoulSilver 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
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 6 more.
HGSS Nidorino Best Moveset
Preview of Nidoking with 72 Attack and 65 Speed, functional enough for a mid-stage but not competitive alone. AbilityPoison Point on contact gives something to the defensive side. Moon Stone finishes the job.
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
All 25 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
It raises its big ears to check its surroundings. If it senses anything, it attacks immediately.
Quick to anger, it stabs enemies with its horn to inject a powerful poison when it becomes agitated.
Nidorino HeartGold & SoulSilver Guide
- Where in the HeartGold & SoulSilver Safari Zone can I find Nidorino?
See the Locations section above for where to find Nidorino in HeartGold & SoulSilver.
Safari rules: You can only use Safari Balls. No battling. Two tactical items shift the catch/flee trade-off:
- Throw bait to keep Nidorino from fleeing (flee rate cut to 1/4) but it becomes harder to catch (catch factor halved).
- Throw a rock to make Nidorino easier to catch (catch factor doubled) but it flees twice as often.
- Each effect lasts 2-6 random turns; throwing one cancels the other.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, 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 HeartGold & SoulSilver, use Nidorino as a balanced. Physical side carries the damage. Not the fastest,
For HeartGold & SoulSilver, 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
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