Is Salamence Good in Diamond & Pearl Playthrough?
600 BST with AbilityIntimidate lowering Attack on switch-in. Dragon/Flying from Hoenn, transfer-only. The physical/special split lets Salamence run physical MoveOutrage alongside special MoveDraco Meteor. Competes with Garchomp for the Dragon slot. Both are elite.
Bagon has the type edge here and should clean up Roark's team.
Bagon has the type edge here and should clean up Gardenia's team.
Bagon has the type edge here and should clean up Maylene's team.
Bagon trades roughly evenly with Crasher Wake's team.
Shelgon has the type edge here and should clean up Fantina's team.
Shelgon trades roughly evenly with Byron's team.
Shelgon has the type edge here and should clean up Candice's team.
Shelgon trades roughly evenly with Volkner's team.
Salamence resists most of Aaron's coverage and hits back hard.
Salamence has the type edge here and should clean up Bertha's team.
Salamence has the type edge here and should clean up Flint's team.
Salamence has the type edge here and should clean up Lucian's team.
Salamence has the type edge here and should clean up Mars's team.
Salamence resists most of Jupiter's coverage and hits back hard.
Salamence resists most of Saturn's coverage and hits back hard.
Salamence has the type edge here and should clean up Cynthia's team.
Catch Bagon
Catch Bagon on Route 210 (Poké Radar, Lv 25-26, common).
Recommended Moves
- After Gardenia
- TM38FireFire BlastPower 120Accuracy 85%PP 5Lake Verity
- TM35FireFlamethrowerPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 15Veilstone Game Corner
- LV 31DragonDragon BreathPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 20
- After Candice
- TUTORDragonDraco MeteorPower 210Accuracy 90%PP 5Route 210
- LV 46DarkCrunchPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15
- After Volkner
- TM59DragonDragon PulsePower 135Accuracy 100%PP 10Victory Road
- LV 50DragonDragon ClawPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15
- LV 55NormalDouble-EdgePower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15
- Post-Game
- TM42NormalFacadePower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Survival Area
Evolve Bagon to Shelgon
Bagon evolves into Shelgon at Level 30. Your Bagon should hit Level 30 before you reach Fantina, at typical leveling pace.
Recommended Moves
- After Gardenia
- TM38FireFire BlastPower 120Accuracy 85%PP 5Lake Verity
- TM35FireFlamethrowerPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 15Veilstone Game Corner
- LV 32DragonDragon BreathPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 20
- After Candice
- TUTORDragonDraco MeteorPower 210Accuracy 90%PP 5Route 210
- After Volkner
- TM59DragonDragon PulsePower 135Accuracy 100%PP 10Victory Road
- LV 50DarkCrunchPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15
- LV 55DragonDragon ClawPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15
- LV 61NormalDouble-EdgePower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15
- Post-Game
- TM42NormalFacadePower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Survival Area
Evolve Shelgon to Salamence
Shelgon evolves into Salamence at Level 50. Your Shelgon should hit Level 50 before you reach Aaron, at typical leveling pace.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 50)
- LV 50FlyingFlyPower 135Accuracy 95%PP 15
- After Gardenia
- TM68NormalGiga ImpactPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Veilstone Game Corner
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Veilstone Department Store
- TM38FireFire BlastPower 120Accuracy 85%PP 5Lake Verity
- After Candice
- TUTORDragonDraco MeteorPower 210Accuracy 90%PP 5Route 210
- After Volkner
- TM59DragonDragon PulsePower 135Accuracy 100%PP 10Victory Road
- LV 61DragonDragon ClawPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15
- LV 70NormalDouble-EdgePower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15
- Post-Game
- TM42NormalFacadePower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Survival Area
How to Get Salamence in Diamond & Pearl
Salamence caps a Pearl-rooted line and never spawns wild. Level a Shelgon to 50, a long climb that begins with the Poke Radar Bagon that Diamond players can only get through a trade.
Wild Salamence may be holding when caught:
Dragon Fang (5% chance) An item to be held by a Pokemon. It is a hard and sharp fang that ups the power of Dragon-type moves.Catch Bagon at any of these 1 spot to eventually evolve into Salamence.
Badge 2How to Obtain Salamence in DP
- Step 2Evolve into ShelgonBREEDINGAvailableLeave Salamence with a compatible partner at the Pokemon Day Care to receive a Bagon egg.
- Step 3Salamence ✓
How to Get Shiny Salamence in Diamond & Pearl
Salamence tops the Bagon line, so chain that shiny on Route 210 at 1 in 200 and raise it into the dragon. Compare Shiny Salamence odds across every game
Diamond & Pearl Shiny Salamence Calculator
3 MethodsThe best route is PokeRadar Chain at full boosts, about 1 in 200 on each try. Tune it below.
PokeRadar Chain: Chain shaking-grass patches without breaking the combo. The rate peaks at a chain of 40.
Masuda Method: Breed with a parent from a different-language game. Works on any breedable line.
Full Odds: Walk through grass, surf, or fish. Every encounter is its own independent shiny roll.
How many you have done, or plan to do.
| Chance | Encounters | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 10%lucky few | 22-- | -- |
| 25%one in four | 58-- | -- |
| 50%coin flip | 139-- | -- |
| 90%very likely | 460-- | -- |
Time assumes -- at your pace and does not change your shiny odds.
How is this calculated?
Every encounter has the same shiny chance, the Shiny Odds Per Try shown above. Each one is a separate roll that does not care how many you have already done, so the more you hunt, the higher your overall chance of at least one shiny. The formula below turns your odds and your number of tries into that combined chance.
chance after N tries = 1 − (1 − p)^N, where p = 1 / odds per try
Example at 1 in 8,192 (classic full odds): about 864 encounters for a 10 percent chance, 5,678 for 50 percent, and 18,862 for 90 percent.
The table above flips that around: it shows how many encounters it takes to reach a 10, 25, 50, and 90 percent chance at your current odds. Turning on boosts like the Shiny Charm, sandwiches, or chains improves your odds, so the encounter numbers drop.
These are estimates, not promises. Most games have no pity counter, meaning no guaranteed shiny no matter how many you hunt, so even Very Likely is not guaranteed: some hunters find one early, others go well past that point.
Want exact numbers for your session? Calculate your shiny odds in Diamond & Pearl with Salamence preloaded.
Salamence Weakness
Ice, Rock, and Dragon 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. With 95 HP and balanced defenses, Salamence can afford to eat a neutral hit or two.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 4x (Critical) | Ice |
| 2x (Weak) | Rock, Dragon |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Fire, Water, Fighting, Bug |
| 0.25x (Resist) | Grass |
| 0x (Immune) | Ground |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Salamence Weak Against
GoodBest Pokemon Against Salamence
 Jynx IcePsychic | C | |
 Glaceon Ice | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Hearthome City Gift) | ||
 Abomasnow GrassIce | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Salamence View Abomasnow builds →Ice Beam 4x144-169%KO Rock Slide 2x38-44% | ||
 Weavile DarkIce | B | |
 Rhydon GroundRock | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Salamence View Rhydon builds →Stone Edge 2x100-118%KO Avalanche 4x81-96% Dragon Pulse 2x26-31% | ||
 Mamoswine IceGround | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Salamence View Mamoswine builds →Ice Fang 4x131-154%KO Stone Edge 2x67-79% | ||
 Omastar RockWater | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Omanyte (Oreburgh City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Salamence View Omastar builds →Ice Beam 4x115-135%KO Ancient Power 2x54-64% | ||
 Giratina GhostDragon | S | |
Obtain MethodTurnback Cave Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Salamence View Giratina builds →Dragon Pulse 2x72-85% Stone Edge 2x53-63% | ||
 Lunatone RockPsychic | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Salamence View Lunatone builds →Ice Beam 4x97-115%KO Stone Edge 2x50-59% | ||
 Armaldo RockBug | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Anorith (Oreburgh City Gift) | ||
 Garchomp DragonGround | S | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Salamence View Garchomp builds →Dragon Claw 2x80-95% Stone Edge 2x67-79% | ||
 Probopass RockSteel | C | |
 Kabutops RockWater | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Kabuto (Oreburgh City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Salamence View Kabutops builds →Stone Edge 2x90-106%KO Ice Beam 4x73-85% | ||
 Sudowoodo Rock | C | |
Salamence Evolutions
End of the line. Salamence caps a three-stage chain that started at Bagon. Breeding produces the base form, and eggs take forever to hatch. Sp.Atk grew the most through evolution (+70 over Bagon), and Salamence peaks at 600 total stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Salamence to get Bagon eggs using 30 partners from the Dragon egg group. Notable egg moves include Dragon Dance, Dragon Rage, Dragon Rush and 5 more.
DP Salamence Best Moveset
135 Attack and 110 Sp. Atk at 100 Speed behind AbilityIntimidate make Salamence one of the most dangerous mixed attackers in the game. MoveDragon Dance boosts Attack and Speed for physical sweeping, or the moveset can go mixed with special Fire and Dragon coverage. 25% from MoveStealth Rock is manageable.
Best Build
Salamence best EVs are Attack and Speed
Physical Setup Sweeper Moveset
- Dragon Dance
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Need something that threatens multiple types? Salamence's movepool delivers. Coverage across 11 types plus STAB from Draco Meteor and Dragon Rush 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
38 of 39 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Transfer Moves
Base Stats
As a result of its long-held dream of flying, its cellular structure changed, and wings grew out.
Salamence Event Distributions
In Diamond & Pearl, Salamence is a one-time Mystery Gift event Pokemon rather than a repeat giveaway.
Strongest Class Gift SalamenceDiamondPearlNot shiny
Salamence Diamond & Pearl Guide
Mega Evolution isn't available in Diamond & Pearl, but Salamence does have a Mega form in Gen 6-7 games (X/Y, ORAS, Sun/Moon). Mega Salamence hits 700 BST.
In Diamond & Pearl, use Salamence as a sweeper. Splits damage between physical and special. It outspeeds most threats, Outrage is the primary attack.
For Diamond & Pearl, run Jolly on Salamence. +Speed is what matters, and the -Sp. Atk cut doesn't hurt this set. Fits the sweeper role.
Game Availability
Since debuting in Ruby & Sapphire, Salamence has appeared in 16 titles over 7 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 7Let's Go
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
Explore
Where to go next after Salamence.
Keep playing · Diamond & PearlDiamond & Pearl Tier ListThe best Pokemon ranked tier by tierSee Diamond & Pearl Tier List