Mid-stage Pokemon like Rufflet rarely see competitive play outside of special formats. It's a waypoint on the road to Braviary, which is where the real potential kicks in. Relies on priority moves or Scarf to keep up. Ground and Ghost moves can't touch it, and only 3 types hit it super-effectively.
Rufflet's spread isn't flashy. Attack leads, Sp. Atk trails, 1 stats clear the bar. Common in the wild and worth 1 Attack EV, on a slow 1.25M XP grind.
If it spies a strong Pokémon, Rufflet can’t resist challenging it to a battle. But if Rufflet loses, it starts bawling.
A combative Pokémon, it’s ready to pick a fight with anyone. It has talons that can crush hard berries.
Rufflet Weakness
GoodRufflet's Normal/Flying typing leaves it vulnerable to Electric, Ice, and Rock moves. It shrugs off Ground and Ghost-type attacks completely.
Rufflet evolves into Braviary. It's a two-stage chain with the method shown below. A decent partner pool for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are average hatch time. The evolved forms gain up to 160 total stats over Rufflet.
How to Evolve
Breed Rufflet with 39 breeding partners from the Flying egg group.
Best Build
No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 8.
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Without TMs, Rufflet's movepool is bare bones. With them, you get coverage across 8 types on top of Thrash and Brave Bird for STAB. The natural kit handles basics, but TMs are doing the real work.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
decent spawn rates in mid-game routes across 20 locations. Rufflet's one of the easier catches on the list. Knock it out fast and save your time for harder targets.
Best Locations
Rufflet won't take long. 20 walking spots from Lv. 19-41 with solid rates across most of them. The top locations at each game stage are listed first.
Rufflet isn't fully evolved, so it's not built for competitive play. You'll want to evolve it into Braviary to unlock its full potential. At 350 BST, it's a stepping stone rather than a team anchor.
Rufflet can evolve into Braviary and Hisuian Braviary depending on the method. Rufflet is the base form in a 3-stage evolutionary line.
Run Sheer Force on Rufflet. It's the ability that defines how you build around it and the main reason it holds a competitive niche. Rufflet also gets Keen Eye and Hustle, but they don't compare.
Rufflet fills the balanced role. It's a physical attacker with base 83 Attack. At base 60 Speed, it won't be moving first often.
Rufflet appears in 9 games, including Black & White, Black 2 & White 2, and X & Y.
Introduced in Black & White, Rufflet has appeared in 9 games across 5 generations. Later debuts mean fewer total appearances, but it's been a consistent presence since its introduction.
- Gen IY
Yellow - Gen IRB
Red & Blue - Gen IIGS
Gold & Silver - Gen IIC
Crystal - Gen IIIRS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen IIIFRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen IIIE
Emerald - Gen IVPt
Platinum - Gen IVHGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen IVDP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen VBWDebut
Black & White - Gen VB2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen VIXY
X & Y - Gen VIORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen VIIUSUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen VIISM
Sun & Moon - Gen VIILGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen VIIISwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen VIIIPLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen VIIIBDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen IXSV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen IXLZA
Legends: Z-A