Is Steelix Good in Black 2 & White 2 Playthrough?
Steel/Ground with AbilitySturdy. Wild in caves during the story. Enormous Defense absorbs physical hits. Handles Elesa through Ground, Drayden through Steel resistance, and Iris's Archeops through Rock resistance. The 4x weakness to Water and Ground makes Clay and Marlon dangerous.
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 Steelix in Black 2 & White 2
The chain to Steelix requires a trade evolution through a trade. Catch Onix at decent rates and level through the stages, but line up the trade first. The rest of the chain runs on levels alone.
Where To Catch Steelix in B2W2
To get Steelix, start by catching Onix through walking encounters at Lv. 18-57. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.
Step 1Catch OnixRelic 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 2Steelix ✓Underground 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)
Steelix Weakness
Steelix is weak to Fire, Water, Fighting, and Ground. On the flip side, it's immune to Electric and Poison-type moves entirely. With 9 resistances, the defensive profile is strong. Steelix's physical bulk (base 200 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Fire, Water, Fighting, Ground |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Normal, Flying, Psychic, Bug, Ghost, Dragon, Dark, Steel |
| 0.25x (Resist) | Rock |
| 0x (Immune) | Electric, Poison |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Steelix Weak Against
ExcellentBest Pokemon Against Steelix
 Jellicent WaterGhost | B | |
 Alomomola Water | B | |
 Azumarill Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Steelix View Azumarill builds →Bubble Beam 2x55-65% Rock Smash 2x10-13% | ||
 Riolu Fighting | C | |
 Growlithe Fire | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Steelix View Growlithe builds →Flame Wheel 2x25-30% Rock Smash 2x13-17% | ||
Jellicent WaterGhost | B | |
 Dewott Water | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Oshawott (Aspertia City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Steelix View Dewott builds →Razor Shell 2x29-35% Rock Smash 2x10-13% | ||
Alomomola Water | B | |
Azumarill Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Steelix View Azumarill builds →Aqua Tail 2x26-31% Rock Smash 2x8-10% | ||
 Pignite FireFighting | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Tepig (Aspertia City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Steelix View Pignite builds →Flame Charge 2x22-27% Rock Smash 2x19-23% | ||
 Sandslash Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Steelix View Sandslash builds →Dig 2x37-45% Rock Smash 2x14-17% | ||
 Darumaka Fire | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Steelix View Darumaka builds →Fire Punch 2x32-38% Dig 2x23-28% Rock Smash 2x12-15% | ||
 Flareon Fire | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Steelix View Flareon builds →Fire Fang 2x37-45% Dig 2x30-36% Rock Smash 2x16-19% | ||
 Arcanine Fire | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Steelix View Arcanine builds →Fire Fang 2x32-38% Dig 2x27-32% Rock Smash 2x14-17% | ||
Jellicent WaterGhost | B | |
 Heracross BugFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Steelix View Heracross builds →Close Combat 2x60-71% Dig 2x27-32% | ||
Sandslash Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Steelix View Sandslash builds →Dig 2x36-43% Brick Break 2x22-27% | ||
Darumaka Fire | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Steelix View Darumaka builds →Flare Blitz 2x49-57% Dig 2x22-27% Brick Break 2x21-25% | ||
Alomomola Water | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Steelix View Alomomola builds →Aqua Jet 2x16-20% Wake-Up Slap 2x14-17% | ||
Jellicent WaterGhost | B | |
 Darmanitan Fire | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Steelix View Darmanitan builds →Flare Blitz 2x66-78% Hammer Arm 2x37-44% Dig 2x29-35% | ||
Heracross BugFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Steelix View Heracross builds →Close Combat 2x60-71% Dig 2x27-32% | ||
 Excadrill GroundSteel | A | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Steelix View Excadrill builds →Earthquake 2x53-63% Brick Break 2x27-32% | ||
 Samurott Water | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Oshawott (Aspertia City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Steelix View Samurott builds →Surf 2x107-126%KO Dig 2x23-27% Revenge 2x18-22% | ||
Sandslash Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Steelix View Sandslash builds →Dig 2x34-40% Brick Break 2x23-27% | ||
Darmanitan Fire | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Steelix View Darmanitan builds →Flare Blitz 2x67-79% Superpower 2x44-53% Dig 2x31-36% | ||
Heracross BugFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Steelix View Heracross builds →Close Combat 2x62-73% Dig 2x28-33% | ||
Excadrill GroundSteel | A | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Steelix View Excadrill builds →Earthquake 2x55-65% Brick Break 2x28-33% | ||
Samurott Water | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Oshawott (Aspertia City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Steelix View Samurott builds →Surf 2x108-127%KO Dig 2x24-28% Revenge 2x17-21% | ||
Sandslash Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Steelix View Sandslash builds →Earthquake 2x42-50% Brick Break 2x22-26% | ||
Darmanitan Fire | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Steelix View Darmanitan builds →Flare Blitz 2x67-78% Superpower 2x44-52% Dig 2x29-35% | ||
Heracross BugFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Steelix View Heracross builds →Close Combat 2x59-71% Dig 2x27-33% | ||
Excadrill GroundSteel | A | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Steelix View Excadrill builds →Earthquake 2x55-65% Brick Break 2x27-33% | ||
Samurott Water | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Oshawott (Aspertia City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Steelix View Samurott builds →Surf 2x107-125%KO Dig 2x23-27% Revenge 2x18-21% | ||
Sandslash Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Steelix View Sandslash builds →Earthquake 2x41-49% Brick Break 2x21-25% | ||
 Volcarona BugFire | A | |
Obtain MethodRelic Castle Interact Encounter | ||
 Chandelure GhostFire | B | |
 Gurdurr Fighting | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Steelix View Gurdurr builds →Focus Punch 2x64-75% Dig 2x23-27% | ||
 Gyarados Water | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Steelix View Gyarados builds →Aqua Tail 2x45-53% Earthquake 2x33-39% Fire Blast 2x56-66% Rock Smash 2x14-16% | ||
Heracross BugFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Steelix View Heracross builds →Close Combat 2x59-70% Earthquake 2x33-39% | ||
In Black 2 & White 2, Volcarona can KO Steelix with Fire Blast (99-116%). Excadrill's Earthquake hits Steelix for 52-61%.
Volcarona BugFire | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityFlame Body ItemLum Berry NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Steelix View Volcarona builds →Giga Drain22-27% Fire Blast 2x99-116%KO | ||
Excadrill GroundSteel | A | |
Recommended Build AbilitySandforce ItemChoice Scarf NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Steelix View Excadrill builds →Earthquake 2x52-61% Rapid Spin4-5% Rock Slide3-4% | ||
 Machamp Fighting | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityNoguard ItemLeftovers NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Steelix View Machamp builds →Bullet Punch4-5% Stone Edge5-5% | ||
Steelix Evolutions
Getting Steelix requires a trade, not just grinding levels. The chain starts at Onix. Breed this form to get Onix eggs (average hatch time). HP grew the most through evolution (+40 over Onix), and Steelix peaks at 510 total stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
B2W2 Steelix Best Moveset
200 Defense makes Steelix one of the hardest Pokemon to break physically in the format. Steel/Ground typing resists 8 types, and the moveset answers Normal, Rock, and Electric attackers by absorbing their hits indefinitely. AbilitySturdy guarantees one turn. 85 Attack fires back while 30 Speed goes last.
Best Build
Steelix best EVs are HP and Sp. Def
Hazard Setter Moveset
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Gyro Ball
- Explosion
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Breeding opens up real options for Steelix. Block and Defense Curl come exclusively from egg moves, and they're worth the effort. The rest of the kit covers basics through Iron Tail and Earthquake and coverage across 9 types.
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
Reminder Moves
Transfer Moves
Base Stats
The iron it ingested with the soil it swallowed transformed its body and made it harder than diamonds.
Steelix Black 2 & White 2 Guide
In Black 2 & White 2, Sheer Force changes the entire equation for Steelix. The 510 BST doesn't tell the full story. Ranked B-Tier as a trick room. Stealth Rock with Leftovers is the standard set.
Mega Evolution isn't available in Black 2 & White 2, but Steelix does have a Mega form in Gen 6-7 games (X/Y, ORAS, Sun/Moon). Mega Steelix hits 610 BST.
In Black 2 & White 2, Steelix's biggest threats include Charizard (Fire), Starmie (Water), and Machamp (Fighting), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Ground-type attackers are also a problem. At base 30 Speed, Steelix won't outrun any of these threats so switching to a resist is usually the safer play.
Steelix is obtained by trade-evolving Onix. Catch or evolve a Onix first, then trade. 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.
Sheer Force is what you want on Steelix. Every competitive set worth running is built with that ability in mind. The alternatives (Rock Head, Sturdy) work on paper but Sheer Force is what makes Steelix worth using.
Game Availability
Since debuting in Gold & Silver, Steelix has appeared in 18 titles over 9 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 2GSDebut
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 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