Mixed
Pivot
123Speed · Very Fast

Noivern Best Moveset

123 Speed at 97 Sp. Atk on Flying/Dragon with AbilityInfiltrator bypassing Substitute and screens. Held ItemChoice Specs with NatureTimid pushes the special Dragon and Flying TermStab to real damage. The moveset outspeeds nearly everything and ignores defensive screens. B-Tier because 123 Speed + Infiltrator creates a unique offensive identity.

SABCDEFBBBBX & Y / ORASVIXY/ORASPEAKSun & Moon / USUMVIISM/USUMSword & Shield / BDSPVIIISS/BDSPScarlet & Violet / Legends Z-AIXSV/LZACURRENT
Gen VI — X & Y / ORASB

123 Speed made Noivern the fastest non-legendary Dragon in Gen VI (X & Y). Switcheroo disrupted walls, and Infiltrator bypassed Substitute. Between tiers on debut. Fast but frail.

Fairy type added to the gameMega Evolution became available

Best Moves

SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE
TM35
Flamethrower
Fire90COMMONCoverage
Tutor
Draco Meteor
Dragon130COMMONSTAB
Lv 75
Boomburst
Normal140COMMONCoverage
Lv 53
Air Slash
Flying75COMMONSTAB
Lv 70
Dragon Pulse
Dragon85COMMONSTAB
Lv 62
Hurricane
Flying110RARESTAB
TM30
Shadow Ball
Ghost80RARECoverage

Best Build

Experimental
Special Sweeper
Ability
Infiltrator
Item
Choice SpecsPOWER
Best Nature for Noivern
Timid+SPE

Noivern best EVs are Sp. Atk and Speed

EVs

Special Sweeper Moveset

  • FlamethrowerCoverage
  • Draco MeteorSTAB
  • BoomburstCoverage
  • Air SlashSTAB
Gen VII — Sun & Moon / USUMB

Consistent role in Gen VII (Sun & Moon). Taunt plus Roost from 123 Speed kept Noivern ahead of slower walls. Two gens of the same niche.

Z-Moves became available
SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE
Lv 75
Boomburst
Normal140COMMONCoverage
TM35
Flamethrower
Fire90COMMONCoverage
Tutor
Draco Meteor
Dragon130COMMONSTAB
Lv 70
Dragon Pulse
Dragon85COMMONSTAB
Lv 53
Air Slash
Flying75RARESTAB
Lv 62
Hurricane
Flying110RARESTAB
Experimental
Special Sweeper
Ability
Infiltrator
Item
Choice SpecsPOWER
Best Nature for Noivern
Timid+SPE
EVs

Special Sweeper Moveset

  • BoomburstCoverage
  • FlamethrowerCoverage
  • Draco MeteorSTAB
  • Dragon PulseSTAB
Gen VIII — Sword & Shield / BDSPB

Three gens at the same level in Gen VIII (Sword & Shield). Boomburst hit hard through Infiltrator. 123 Speed was still elite, but 97 Sp. Atk wasn't enough to break walls.

Gigantamax became availableDynamax became available
SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE
Lv 36
Air Slash
Flying75COMMONSTAB
TR2
Flamethrower
Fire90COMMONCoverage
Xfer
Draco Meteor
Dragon130COMMONSTAB
TM56
U-turn
Bug70RARECoverage
Lv 62
Boomburst
Normal140RARECoverage
Lv 1
Dragon Pulse
Dragon85RARESTAB
Lv 44
Roost
FlyingRARESTAB
Lv 56
Hurricane
Flying110RARESTAB
Experimental
Pivot
Ability
Infiltrator
Item
Heavy Duty Boots
Best Nature for Noivern
Timid+SPE
EVs

Pivot Moveset

  • Air SlashSTAB
  • FlamethrowerCoverage
  • Draco MeteorSTAB
  • U Turn
Gen IX — Scarlet & Violet / Legends Z-AB

Four gens of consistency in Gen IX (Scarlet & Violet). Fast Dragon with Roost and utility. Never climbed higher, never fell lower. Found its floor and stayed.

Terastallization became available
SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE
Lv 62
Boomburst
Normal140COMMONCoverage
TM169
Draco Meteor
Dragon130COMMONSTAB
TM125
Flamethrower
Fire90COMMONCoverage
Egg
Defog
FlyingRARESTAB
Lv 56
Hurricane
Flying110RARESTAB
TM60
U-turn
Bug70RARECoverage
Lv 36
Air Slash
Flying75RARESTAB
Experimental
Special Sweeper
Ability
Infiltrator
Item
Choice SpecsPOWER
Best Nature for Noivern
Timid+SPE
EVs

Special Sweeper Moveset

  • BoomburstCoverage
  • Draco MeteorSTAB
  • FlamethrowerCoverage
  • DefogUtility

Noivern Weakness

Noivern's Flying/Dragon typing leaves it vulnerable to Ice, Rock, Dragon, and Fairy. Ice hits land at 4x, so they're the biggest threat. It shrugs off Ground-type attacks completely. 5 resistances help offset the weaknesses.

Noivern Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
4x (Critical)Ice
2x (Weak)Rock, Dragon, Fairy
0.5x (Resist)Fire, Water, Fighting, Bug
0.25x (Resist)Grass
0x (Immune)Ground

What is Noivern Weak Against

Good
4Weak
5Resist
1Immune
Score-1
4xCritical
¼xResist
0xImmune

What is Noivern Strong Against

4Strong
1Resisted
0Immune
Score+3
½xResisted
0xImmune
None

Best Pokemon Against Noivern

Rillaboom's Knock Off hits Noivern for 44-52%.

Evolution

Evolved from Noibat. Noivern is the final form in this two-stage line. Plenty of partners for breeding via two egg groups. Eggs are average hatch time. Speed grew the most through evolution (+68 over Noibat), and Noivern peaks at 535 total stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Stat Comparison 2 Stages
Noibat
FlyingDragon
Noivern
FlyingDragon
HP
40
85+45
ATK
30
70+40
DEF
35
80+45
SP.ATK
45
97+52
SP.DEF
40
80+40
SPE
55
123+68
BST
245D-Tier
535B-Tier+290
ROLE
Balanced
Pivot
TYPE
Utility
Special

Breeding

Very Easy

Breed with Noivern to get Noibat eggs easily using 72 partners from the Dragon and Flying egg groups.

Egg Groups
Gender
50.0%50.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Breed With (best first)
gyaradostogekisstogeticcharizardkingdrasceptileflygonmilotichawluchaaltariascraftydragalge

How to Get Noivern

All 7 games

moderate rates for Noivern across 8 locations in endgame routes. Nothing complicated. Check the sorted list below, compare the top few options, and head to whichever is closest.

Where To Catch Noivern in SV

The path to Noivern starts with Noibat at Lv. 7-65 via walking encounters. 2 catchable stages total, with locations listed for each one below.

  1. Noibat
    Step 1Catch Noibat
    West Province (Area Two) - Cave
    Lv.15-35Overworld
    Rate 42%
    Apple Hills
    Lv.7-60Overworld
    Day
    Crystal Pool
    Lv.7-60Overworld
    Day
    Fellhorn Gorge
    Lv.7-60Overworld
    Day
    Kitakami Hall
    Lv.7-60Overworld
    Day
    Kitakami Wilds
    Lv.7-60Overworld
    Day
    Mossfell Confluence
    Lv.7-60Overworld
    Day
    Oni Mountain
    Lv.7-60Overworld
    Day
    Onis Maw
    Lv.7-60Overworld
    Day
    Revelers Road
    Lv.7-60Overworld
    Day
    North Province (Area One) - Cave
    Lv.34-52Overworld
    Rate 36%
    North Province (Area Two) - Cave
    Lv.34-52Overworld
    Rate 36%
    North Province (Area One) - Rocky
    Lv.34-52Overworld
    Rate 6%
    North Province (Area Two) - Rocky
    Lv.34-52Overworld
    Rate 6%
  2. Noivern
    Step 2Noivern
    North Province (Area One) - Cave
    Lv.48-65Overworld
    Rate 12%
    North Province (Area Two) - Cave
    Lv.48-65Overworld
    Rate 12%
    North Province (Area One) - Rocky
    Lv.48-65Overworld
    Rate 8%
    North Province (Area Two) - Rocky
    Lv.48-65Overworld
    Rate 8%
    or evolve from Noibat (Step 1)

Base Stats

Speed and Sp. Atk carry most of Noivern's stat budget. Attack's the obvious dump stat. Tough to catch and yields 2 Speed EVs. Follows a medium-fast 1M XP curve.

Base Stats
High
HP85
C
Attack70
C
Defense80
C
Sp. Atk97
B
Sp. Def80
C
Speed123
A
Total535
Details
Catch Rate
Challenging45 / 255
Growth Rate
Medium Fast1M XP
Height1.5 m
Weight85.0 kg
Base XP187
Abilities
Frisk
Reveals an opponent's held item upon entering battle.
Infiltrator
Bypasses light screen, reflect, and safeguard.
TelepathyHidden Ability
Protects against friendly Pokémon's damaging moves.
EV Yield
HPAtkDefSpASpDSpe+2
Speed training target
Pokedex Entry

Ultrasonic waves emitted by a Noivern can pulverize a large boulder. This Pokémon has a cruel disposition.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A

Noivern Guide

  • We rate Noivern B-Tier: a solid choice for the right team. At 535 BST, it fits the pivot role. Base 123 Speed stands out.

  • Watch for Lapras (Ice), Golem (Rock), and Kingdra (Dragon) when using Noivern. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Lapras is the most dangerous since Ice moves deal 4x damage. Fairy-type attackers are also a problem.

  • Frisk reveals an opponent's held item upon entering battle. That's the one you want on Noivern. Telepathy is the hidden ability. Niche, but it has its uses. Infiltrator works too if your team needs something different.

  • Base 123 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. On offense, Noivern is a mixed attacker with base 70 Attack and 97 Sp. Atk. Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two. Best used as a pivot.

  • Run Boomburst, Draco Meteor, Flamethrower, and Defog on Noivern. Boomburst is the most common pick at 0% usage. This set covers the pivot role with a mix of damage and utility.

Game Availability

Noivern joined the series in X & Y and has been available in 7 titles so far. With 5 generations of appearances, it's established itself despite the later start.

Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Want to tell us more?
What was most useful?
What could be improved?
Thanks for your feedback