Is Salamence Good in Legends: Z-A Playthrough?
Team Flare Nouveau Grisham uses Salamence on his endgame team at level 62, and Mega Salamence takes that 600 BST pseudo-legendary ceiling even higher. Dragon and Flying coverage tears through most encounters, and the Mega form's Attack makes every hit devastating. Arrives late at level 61 from Hyperspace, but nothing else matches the combination of Speed and power at that stage.
How to Get Salamence in Legends: Z-A
1 encounter spots for Salamence at moderate rates starting from endgame routes. Best and Earliest sort options below help narrow down your approach based on odds vs. Accessibility.
Salamence Weakness
Ice, Rock, Dragon, and Fairy moves hit Salamence for super-effective damage. Ice hits land at 4x, so they're the biggest threat. The upside? Ground-type moves can't touch it at all. 5 resistances help offset the weaknesses. Salamence's physical bulk (base 130 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 4x (Critical) | Ice |
| 2x (Weak) | Rock, Dragon, Fairy |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Fire, Water, Fighting, Bug |
| 0.25x (Resist) | Grass |
| 0x (Immune) | Ground |
What is Salamence Weak Against
GoodBest Pokemon Against Salamence
 Vanillish Ice | D | |
 Carbink RockFairy | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Salamence View Carbink builds →Moonblast 2x41-49% Power Gem 2x35-41% | ||
 Barbaracle RockWater | C | |
 Gabite DragonGround | C | |
 Altaria Dragon | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Salamence View Altaria builds →Dragon Pulse 2x46-54% Moonblast 2x35-41% | ||
 Glaceon Ice | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Salamence View Glaceon builds →Ice Beam 4x164-193%KO Disarming Voice 2x25-29% | ||
 Avalugg Ice | B | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Salamence View Avalugg builds →Icicle Crash 4x105-124%KO | ||
 Vanilluxe Ice | C | |
 Gardevoir PsychicFairy | B | |
 Froslass IceGhost | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Salamence View Froslass builds →Ice Beam 4x110-129%KO Draining Kiss 2x21-25% | ||
In Legends: Z-A, Volcanion's Sludge Bomb hits Salamence for 53-63%.
B | ||
Recommended Build AbilityWaterabsorb ItemChoice Specs NatureModest Moves
Damage vs Salamence View Volcanion builds →Flamethrower26-31% Sludge Bomb53-63% | ||
B | ||
Recommended Build AbilityFlashfire ItemLeftovers NatureTimid Moves View Heatran builds →
| ||
C | ||
Recommended Build AbilityRegenerator ItemHeavy-Duty Boots NatureBold Moves
Damage vs Salamence View Amoonguss builds →Giga Drain4-5% | ||
C | ||
Recommended Build AbilityBulletproof ItemRocky Helmet NatureImpish Moves
Damage vs Salamence View Chesnaught builds →Knock Off12-15% | ||
Salamence Evolutions
End of the line. Salamence caps a three-stage chain that started at Bagon. Breeding produces the base form, and eggs are takes forever to hatch. Sp.Atk grew the most through evolution (+80 over Bagon), and Salamence peaks at 700 total stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
LZA Salamence Best Moveset
Held ItemSalamencite activates AbilityAerilate converting Normal moves to Flying at 145 Attack, 130 Defense, and 120 Speed. Dragon and Flying TermStab fires on fast cooldowns with elite physical power. The moveset is raw physical dominance at high speed, with converted Normal moves adding a third offensive type.
Best Build
Salamence best EVs are Attack and Speed
Physical Setup Sweeper Moveset
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- Dual Wingbeat
- Dragon Claw
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Need something that threatens multiple types? Salamence's movepool delivers. Coverage across 11 types plus STAB from Draco Meteor and Outrage gives it answers for most defensive cores you'll run into.
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
Base Stats
It's uncontrollable if enraged. It flies around spouting flames, scorching fields and mountains.
Salamence Legends: Z-A Guide
For Legends: Z-A, we rate Salamence B-Tier: a solid option in Legends: Z-A for the right team. At 700 BST, it fits the sweeper role. Dragon Dance with Heavy-Duty Boots is the standard set.
Mega Evolution isn't available in Legends: Z-A, but Salamence does have a Mega form in Gen 6-7 games (X/Y, ORAS, Sun/Moon). Mega Salamence hits 800 BST.
In Legends: Z-A, watch for Cloyster (Ice), Aerodactyl (Rock), and Dragonite (Dragon) when using Salamence. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Cloyster is the most dangerous since Ice moves deal 4x damage. Fairy-type attackers are also a problem. Salamence has enough bulk to absorb a hit, but don't push the matchup. Pivot to a teammate that resists.
Aerilate turns the bearer's normal moves into flying moves and strengthens them to 1.3× their power. That's the one you want on Salamence. It's the only ability Salamence has.
Base 120 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. On offense, Salamence is a physical attacker with base 145 Attack. Defensively? Tanky enough to absorb a few hits. Best used as a sweeper.
Game Availability
Since debuting in Ruby & Sapphire, Salamence has appeared in 16 titles over 8 generations. Along the way, it received a Mega form in Generation 6, keeping it relevant across different competitive metas.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RSDebut
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 6ORASMega
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