The stat bars tell the story: Defense carries everything and HP's dead weight. But this Compass Pokemon still yields 1 Defense EV per fight on a medium-fast 1M XP curve.
Once the people of Hisui discovered that its red nose always points north, they grew to rely on it greatly when traveling afar. The nose seems to work in a similar way to ancient compasses.
Nosepass's Rock typing leaves it vulnerable to Water, Grass, Fighting, Ground, and Steel. The Rock typing picks up 4 resistances to work with. Nosepass's physical bulk (base 135 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Water, Grass, Fighting, Ground, Steel |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Normal, Fire, Poison, Flying |
Archaludon's Flash Cannon hits Nosepass for 77-91%. Annihilape deals 39-46% with Drain Punch.
 Archaludon SteelDragon | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityStamina ItemAssault Vest NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Nosepass View Archaludon builds →Flash Cannon 2x77-91% Dragon Pulse40-48% | ||
 Dondozo Water | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityUnaware ItemLeftovers NatureImpish Moves View Dondozo builds →
| ||
 Annihilape FightingGhost | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityDefiant ItemSitrus Berry NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Nosepass View Annihilape builds →Drain Punch 2x39-46% | ||
 Krookodile GroundDark | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityMoxie ItemChoice Scarf NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Nosepass View Krookodile builds →Earthquake 2x61-72% Knock Off20-24% Close Combat 2x48-57% | ||
 Whimsicott GrassFairy | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityPrankster ItemCovert Cloak NatureBold Moves
Damage vs Nosepass View Whimsicott builds →Moonblast25-30% | ||
To get Probopass from Nosepass, you need an evolution item. The evolution method matters here. The evolved forms gain up to 150 total stats over Nosepass. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed Nosepass easily with 84 breeding partners from the Mineral egg group.
Stealth Rock is the priority every time Nosepass comes in. Impish nature and spread EVs keep it alive long enough to get layers down, while Eviolite provides a bulk boost that only works before full evolution. Sturdy rounds it out.
Best Build
Nosepass best EVs are Defense and Sp. Def
Wall Moveset
- Body Press
- Stealth Rock
- Iron Defense
- Thunder Wave
Recommended Teammates
Utility Moveset
- Pain Split
- Protect
- Unknown
- Stealth Rock
Recommended Teammates
Doubles Bulky Support Moveset
- Wide Guard
- Body Press
- Taunt
- Helping Hand
Recommended Teammates
Support Moveset
- Pain Split
- Thunder Wave
- Block
- Taunt
Recommended Teammates
Legends: Arceus uses different battle mechanics.
Competitive build content is not applicable for this game. Select a main series game for builds.
Support Moveset
- Toxic
- Pain Split
- Stealth Rock
- Volt Switch
Recommended Teammates
Utility Moveset
- Unknown
- Pain Split
- Protect
Recommended Teammates
Moves
The level-up pool is slim, so TMs matter here. Nosepass's coverage across 8 types all comes from technical machines, built on top of Meteor Beam and Stone Edge for same-type damage. Earth Power and Stone Edge are the payoff moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
The offense anchors on Stone Edge and Power Gem, with coverage across 7 types adding reach. It's a workable movepool for Nosepass that handles most situations. Earth Power and Stone Edge give it enough punch where it matters.
You'll want to breed for Block and Double-Edge on Nosepass. These egg moves aren't just nice to have. Combined with STAB from Stone Edge and Power Gem, they expand what Nosepass can actually threaten in practice.
You'll want to breed for Block and Double-Edge on Nosepass. These egg moves aren't just nice to have. Combined with STAB from Head Smash and Stone Edge, they expand what Nosepass can actually threaten in practice.
Nosepass doesn't appear in Scarlet & Violet. Transfer it from Ruby, Emerald, or Legends: Arceus to add it to your collection. Check the source games below for encounter details.
A few locations for Nosepass with decent spawn rates across mid-game routes. The sort toggle below swaps between best odds and earliest access, so you can approach it based on where you are in the game.
Best Locations to Catch Nosepass in Legends: Arceus
high spawn rates in early-game routes across 2 locations. Nosepass's one of the easier catches on the list. Knock it out fast and save your time for harder targets.
Best Locations to Catch Nosepass in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
decent spawn rates across 2 locations for Nosepass in mid-game routes. Scroll the sorted list below and pick whichever spot sits closest to your current route. The rate differences between locations are worth comparing.
Best Locations to Catch Nosepass in Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon
At 375 BST, Nosepass is firmly in pre-evolution territory. Evolve it into Probopass before bringing it to any serious fight.
Watch for Milotic (Water), Venusaur (Grass), and Hitmonlee (Fighting) when using Nosepass. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Ground and Steel-type attackers are also a problem. With 5 weakness types, most competitive teams carry at least one counter. At base 30 Speed, Nosepass won't outrun any of these threats so switching to a resist is usually the safer play.
Sturdy prevents being KOed from full HP, leaving 1 HP instead. That's the one you want on Nosepass. Sand Force is the hidden ability. Niche, but it has its uses. Magnet Pull works too if your team needs something different.
Nosepass is leaning toward the physical side (base 45 Attack). Enough bulk to take a hit or two, too. Speed tells the real story. Base 30 Speed is low. Priority moves or Trick Room are the way to go.
For a casual playthrough, Nosepass works as a placeholder. Rock coverage is useful early. The real payoff is Probopass. That's where the stats start mattering.
Since Ruby & Sapphire, Nosepass has been in 15 games. Requiring an item-based evolution to obtain means it's consistently available but requires more effort than simply catching it in the wild.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RSDebut
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves