The stat bars tell the story: Defense carries everything and Sp. Atk's dead weight. But this Rock Snake Pokemon still yields 1 Defense EV per fight on a medium-fast 1M XP curve.
This chain of immense stones resembles a giant serpent. Tremors shake the earth above as it burrows deep beneath the ground, feeding on boulders as it goes.
Onix's Rock/Ground typing leaves it vulnerable to Water, Grass, Ice, Fighting, Ground, and Steel. Water and Grass hits land at 4x, so they're the biggest threat. It shrugs off Electric-type attacks completely. The Rock/Ground typing picks up 5 resistances to work with. Onix's physical bulk (base 160 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 4x (Critical) | Water, Grass |
| 2x (Weak) | Ice, Fighting, Ground, Steel |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Normal, Fire, Flying, Rock |
| 0.25x (Resist) | Poison |
| 0x (Immune) | Electric |
Archaludon can KO Onix with Flash Cannon (225-264%). Annihilape deals 63-74% with Drain Punch.
 Archaludon SteelDragon | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityStamina ItemAssault Vest NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Onix View Archaludon builds →Flash Cannon 2x225-264%KO Dragon Pulse119-141%KO | ||
 Dondozo Water | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityUnaware ItemLeftovers NatureImpish Moves View Dondozo builds →
| ||
 Annihilape FightingGhost | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityDefiant ItemSitrus Berry NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Onix View Annihilape builds →Drain Punch 2x63-74% | ||
 Krookodile GroundDark | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityMoxie ItemChoice Scarf NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Onix View Krookodile builds →Earthquake 2x97-114%KO Knock Off32-37% Close Combat 2x77-91% | ||
 Whimsicott GrassFairy | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityPrankster ItemCovert Cloak NatureBold Moves
Damage vs Onix View Whimsicott builds →Moonblast73-87% | ||
To get Steelix from Onix, you need a trade. The evolution method matters here. The evolved forms gain up to 125 total stats over Onix. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed Onix easily with 84 breeding partners from the Mineral egg group.
Sturdy isn't flashy, but it matters. Combined with Weakness Policy for a massive attack boost after eating a super-effective hit and max Attack and Speed EVs, Onix fills the physical attacker slot reliably. Adamant nature finishes the spread.
Best Build
Onix best EVs are Attack and Speed
Physical Sweeper Moveset
- Earthquake
- Explosion
- Body Press
- Stone Edge
Physical Setup Sweeper Moveset
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Body Press
- Dragon Dance
Physical Tank Moveset
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
- Rock Tomb
- Sunny Day
Recommended Teammates
Legends: Arceus uses different battle mechanics.
Competitive build content is not applicable for this game. Select a main series game for builds.
Special Sweeper Moveset
- Rest
- Ancient Power
- Earthquake
- Flash Cannon
Recommended Teammates
Special Sweeper Moveset
- Rest
- Ancient Power
- Earthquake
- Flash Cannon
Recommended Teammates
Moves
The level-up pool tells the story here. Onix learns Iron Tail and Stone Edge naturally, plus enough variety that TMs feel like bonuses. Normal and Dragon coverage extends the reach beyond that.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
A compact toolkit overall. The offense runs through Stone Edge and High Horsepower for Onix, with Normal and Steel coverage doing what it can. Don't expect versatility from this one.
The natural movepool does the job, but Block and Defense Curl from the egg pool give Onix something extra.
The natural movepool does the job, but Block and Defense Curl from the egg pool give Onix something extra.
Onix doesn't appear in Legends: Z-A. Transfer it from Red, Yellow, or FireRed to add it to your collection. Check the source games below for encounter details.
Onix starts showing up in mid-game routes at decent spawn rates across 4 encounter spots. The list below is sorted so you can pick what fits your current progress without scrolling through everything.
Best Locations to Catch Onix in Legends: Arceus
Walking encounters at walking across 4 spots for Onix. Sorted by progression so you can see what's reachable at your current point in the game.
Onix's scattered across 44 spots in early-game routes with high spawn rates. Check the list below for the closest location to wherever you are in the game. This one's quick.
Best Locations to Catch Onix in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
Onix appears in 44 walking locations at Lv. 8-56 across Shining Pearl and Brilliant Diamond. Not all encounters show up in every version, so check which ones match your game.
Onix is available from early-game routes onward at high spawn rates. 14 encounter spots give you plenty of options. Grab one early and it'll be ready to evolve or train by mid-game.
Best Locations to Catch Onix in Sword & Shield
14 walking encounters at Lv. 8-35 for Onix across Shield and Sword. A few locations are version-exclusive, so your copy of the game affects what's available.
At 385 BST, Onix is firmly in pre-evolution territory. Evolve it into Steelix before bringing it to any serious fight.
Watch for Starmie (Water), Exeggutor (Grass), and Cloyster (Ice) when using Onix. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Starmie is the most dangerous since Water moves deal 4x damage. Fighting, Ground, and Steel-type attackers are also a problem. With 6 weakness types, most competitive teams carry at least one counter.
Rock Head protects against recoil damage. That's the one you want on Onix. Weak Armor is the hidden ability. Niche, but it has its uses. Sturdy works too if your team needs something different.
Onix is a physical attacker with base 45 Attack. Enough bulk to take a hit or two, too. Speed tells the real story. Base 70 Speed is workable. Faster than some, slower than many.
For a casual playthrough, Onix works as a placeholder. Rock/Ground coverage is useful early. The real payoff is Steelix. That's where the stats start mattering.
Present since Red & Blue, Onix appears in 21 games spanning 10 generations. Gen 1 originals like Onix have the longest track record of availability in the series.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 1RBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
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