Is Onix Good in Black 2 & White 2 Playthrough?
Rock/Ground with AbilitySturdy. Wild in caves during the story. No evolution into Steelix without trading a Metal Coat. Enormous Defense but the offenses are too low to threaten anything. Handles Elesa through Ground immunity and not much else.
Onix has the type edge here and should clean up Cheren's team.
Onix has the type edge here and should clean up Roxie's team.
Onix has the type edge here and should clean up Burgh's team.
Onix has the type edge here and should clean up Elesa's team.
Clay's team hits Onix's weaknesses hard.
Steelix trades roughly evenly with Skyla's team.
Steelix trades roughly evenly with Drayden's team.
Steelix trades roughly evenly with Marlon's team.
Steelix trades roughly evenly with Shauntal's team.
Steelix trades roughly evenly with Grimsley's team.
Steelix trades roughly evenly with Caitlin's team.
Steelix trades roughly evenly with Marshal's team.
Steelix trades roughly evenly with Iris's team.
Catch Onix on Relic Passage (walking, Lv 30, rare).
Most players are ready to trade before reaching Skyla.
How to Get Onix in Black 2 & White 2
The chain to Onix requires a trade evolution through a trade. Catch Onix in the wild and level through the stages, but line up the trade first. The rest of the chain runs on levels alone.
Where To Catch Onix in B2W2
To get Onix, start by catching Onix through walking encounters at Lv. 18-57. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.
Step 1Onix ✓Relic Passage - Room 3Lv.18CaveRate 5%AnyRelic Passage - Room 1Lv.30CaveRate 5%AnyRelic Passage - Room 2Lv.30CaveRate 5%AnyVictory Road - 2FLv.43-44CaveRate 20%AnyVictory Road - N's CastleLv.47CaveRate 20%AnyShaking spotVictory Road - 4FLv.49-50CaveRate 20%AnyUnderground Ruins - All areasLv.57FloorRate 20%AnyClay Tunnel - Room 1Lv.57CaveRate 5%AnyClay Tunnel - Room 2Lv.57CaveRate 5%AnyClay Tunnel - Room 3Lv.57CaveRate 5%AnyTwist Mountain - 1FLv.57CaveRate 5%AnyTwist Mountain - 2FLv.57CaveRate 5%AnyTwist Mountain - 3FLv.57CaveRate 5%AnyTwist Mountain - B1FLv.57CaveRate 5%Any
Step 2Catch or Evolve into SteelixUnderground Ruins - All areasLv.57Dust clouds in cavesRate 20%AnyShaking spotClay Tunnel - Room 1Lv.57Dust clouds in cavesRate 5%AnyShaking spotClay Tunnel - Room 2Lv.57Dust clouds in cavesRate 5%AnyShaking spotClay Tunnel - Room 3Lv.57Dust clouds in cavesRate 5%AnyShaking spotTwist Mountain - 1FLv.57Dust clouds in cavesRate 5%AnyShaking spotTwist Mountain - 2FLv.57Dust clouds in cavesRate 5%AnyShaking spotTwist Mountain - 3FLv.57Dust clouds in cavesRate 5%AnyShaking spotTwist Mountain - B1FLv.57Dust clouds in cavesRate 5%AnyShaking spotor evolve from Onix (Step 1)
Onix Weakness
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 |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Onix Weak Against
FragileBest Pokemon Against Onix
 Jellicent WaterGhost | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Jellicent builds →Bubble Beam 4x222-261%KO Energy Ball 4x176-209%KO | ||
 Alomomola Water | B | |
 Azumarill Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Azumarill builds →Bubble Beam 4x176-209%KO Rock Smash 2x13-17% | ||
 Psyduck Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Psyduck builds →Water Pulse 4x165-196%KO Rock Smash 2x17-22% | ||
 Oshawott Water | D | |
Obtain MethodAspertia City Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Oshawott builds →Razor Shell 4x76-91% Rock Smash 2x17-22% | ||
 Lilligant Grass | C | |
 Leafeon Grass | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Leafeon builds →Razor Leaf 4x88-103%KO Rock Smash 2x22-28% | ||
 Whimsicott Grass | C | |
Alomomola Water | B | |
Jellicent WaterGhost | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Jellicent builds →Bubble Beam 4x210-248%KO Energy Ball 4x169-200%KO | ||
Lilligant Grass | C | |
 Sunflora Grass | C | |
Leafeon Grass | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Leafeon builds →Razor Leaf 4x94-111%KO Dig 2x43-51% Rock Smash 2x24-29% | ||
 Maractus Grass | C | |
Alomomola Water | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Alomomola builds →Aqua Jet 4x57-69% Wake-Up Slap 2x26-31% | ||
Sunflora Grass | C | |
 Roserade GrassPoison | B | |
Lilligant Grass | C | |
 Heracross BugFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Heracross builds →Close Combat 2x101-119%KO Dig 2x45-54% | ||
Leafeon Grass | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Leafeon builds →Razor Leaf 4x85-100%KO Dig 2x41-49% Rock Smash 2x22-26% | ||
 Samurott Water | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Oshawott (Aspertia City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Samurott builds →Surf 4x370-436%KO Dig 2x39-45% Revenge 2x28-34% | ||
Sunflora Grass | C | |
 Roselia GrassPoison | C | |
Lilligant Grass | C | |
 Sawsbuck NormalGrass | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Sawsbuck builds →Horn Leech 4x109-130%KO Jump Kick 2x45-55% | ||
Lilligant Grass | C | |
 Tangrowth Grass | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Tangrowth builds →Energy Ball 4x326-385%KO Brick Break 2x35-42% Bulldoze 2x28-34% | ||
Sunflora Grass | C | |
Samurott Water | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Oshawott (Aspertia City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Samurott builds →Surf 4x379-447%KO Blizzard 2x160-189%KO Dig 2x38-45% Revenge 2x28-34% | ||
 Ferrothorn GrassSteel | S | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Ferrothorn builds →Power Whip 4x163-192%KO Iron Head 2x55-65% Bulldoze 2x28-34% Rock Smash 2x19-23% | ||
Lilligant Grass | C | |
Tangrowth Grass | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Tangrowth builds →Energy Ball 4x328-386%KO Brick Break 2x35-41% Bulldoze 2x29-34% | ||
Sunflora Grass | C | |
Samurott Water | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Oshawott (Aspertia City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Samurott builds →Surf 4x382-450%KO Blizzard 2x161-189%KO Dig 2x38-45% Revenge 2x29-34% | ||
Ferrothorn GrassSteel | S | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Ferrothorn builds →Power Whip 4x159-188%KO Iron Head 2x54-64% Bulldoze 2x27-32% Rock Smash 2x20-23% | ||
Tangrowth Grass | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Tangrowth builds →Solar Beam 4x498-586%KO Earthquake 2x45-54% Focus Blast 2x166-195%KO | ||
 Virizion GrassFighting | B | |
Obtain MethodRoute 11 Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Virizion builds →Solar Beam 4x420-495%KO Close Combat 2x76-90% | ||
Roserade GrassPoison | B | |
Lilligant Grass | C | |
Samurott Water | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Oshawott (Aspertia City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Onix View Samurott builds →Hydro Pump 4x491-577%KO Ice Beam 2x129-153%KO Dig 2x37-44% Revenge 2x28-33% | ||
In Black 2 & White 2, Gyarados can KO Onix with Waterfall (179-210%). Landorus threatens a KO with Earthquake (97-114%).
 Gyarados Water | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityIntimidate ItemLeftovers NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Onix View Gyarados builds →Waterfall 4x179-210%KO Earthquake 2x74-87% Ice Fang 2x48-57% | ||
 Landorus Ground | B | |
Recommended Build AbilitySheerforce ItemLife Orb NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Onix View Landorus builds →Earthquake 2x97-114%KO U Turn23-27% Stone Edge16-19% | ||
Onix Evolutions
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
B2W2 Onix Best Moveset
160 Defense is massive but 35 HP and 45 Sp. Def make it meaningless against any special attacker. AbilitySturdy guarantees one turn, and the moveset fires Rock/Ground TermStab at 45 Attack that can't threaten anything. The defensive potential needs Steelix's stats and typing to materialize.
Best Build
Onix best EVs are Attack and Speed
Physical Stallbreaker Moveset
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Dragon Tail
- Explosion
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
The natural movepool does the job, but Block and Defense Curl from the egg pool give Onix something extra.
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
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Transfer Moves
Base Stats
Opening its large mouth, it ingests massive amounts of soil and creates long tunnels.
Onix Black 2 & White 2 Guide
At 385 BST, Onix is firmly in pre-evolution territory. Evolve it into Steelix before bringing it to any serious fight.
In Black 2 & White 2, 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.
No. Onix only evolves into Steelix through a real trade. There is no in-game alternative in Black 2 & White 2. Trade needs a Game Boy Advance link cable and a second GBA running another Gen 3 game (FireRed, LeafGreen, Ruby, Sapphire, or Emerald). Trade Onix to a friend, then have them trade it back. The 2026 Switch re-release supports the same trade through local wireless on the Pokemon Center 2F Wireless Club, with no cables required. The Metal Coat must be held during the trade. Bring one over from a sibling Gen 3 game if needed.
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.
Game Availability
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 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 7LGPE
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