Venomoth punches above its weight class thanks to Tinted Lens. It makes resisted hits deal full damage, which is enough to make up for stats that don't impress on their own. Only weak to Fire, Flying, Psychic, and Rock. Known as the Poison Moth Pokemon.
Sp. Atk and Speed carry most of Venomoth's stat budget. Defense's the obvious dump stat. Moderately hard to find and yields 2 Sp. Atk and Speed EVs. Follows a medium-fast 1M XP curve.
When it attacks, it flaps its large wings violently to scatter its poisonous powder all around.
The powder on its wings is poisonous if it is dark in hue. If it is light in hue, it causes paralysis.
Venomoth Weakness
AvgFire, Flying, Psychic, and Rock-type moves hit Venomoth for super-effective damage. 4 resistances help offset the weaknesses. Venomoth leans toward special offense (base 90 Sp.Atk) instead of trying to wall anything.
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
Evolved from Venonat. Venomoth is the final form in this two-stage line. A decent partner pool for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are average hatch time. Sp.Atk grew the most through evolution (+50 over Venonat), and Venomoth peaks at 450 total stats.
How to Evolve
Breed with Venomoth to get Venonat eggs easily using 47 partners from the Bug egg group. Notable egg moves include Agility, Baton Pass, Bug Bite and 5 more.
Tintedlens helps Venomoth stick around while dealing real damage. Black Sludge for Poison-type passive recovery, max Sp. Atk and Speed EVs for the right balance, and Bugbuzz as the main threat. Not the fastest, but it doesn't need to be.
Best Build
Best Venomoth Moveset
- Bug Buzz
- Sleep Powder
- Roost
- Sludge Bomb
Recommended Teammates
Don't skip the egg moves. Venomoth picks up Agility and Baton Pass only through breeding, and both fill gaps the natural movepool can't. STAB runs through Bug Buzz and Sludge Bomb while coverage across 7 types adds range.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Transfer Moves
decent spawn rates for Venomoth across 4 locations in early-game routes. Nothing complicated. Check the sorted list below, compare the top few options, and head to whichever is closest.
Where To Catch Venomoth in HeartGold & SoulSilver
The path to Venomoth starts with Venonat at Lv. 8-32 via walking and headbutt encounters. 2 catchable stages total, with locations listed for each one below.
Step 1Catch VenonatEFFORTLESSRoute 24HeartGoldGrassLv.8CommonEarlyRouteNightEFFORTLESSRoute 24SoulSilverGrassLv.8CommonEarlyRouteNightEFFORTLESSRoute 25HeartGoldGrassLv.8CommonEarlyRouteNightEFFORTLESSRoute 25SoulSilverGrassLv.8CommonEarlyRouteNightEASYNational Park - Bug Catching ContestHeartGoldGrassLv.10-16UncommonEarlyFacilityBefore post-gameEASYNational Park - Bug Catching ContestSoulSilverGrassLv.10-16UncommonEarlyFacilityBefore post-gameEASYRoute 25HeartGoldGrassLv.10UncommonEarlyRouteMorning/dayEASYRoute 25SoulSilverGrassLv.10UncommonEarlyRouteMorning/dayEASYRoute 43HeartGoldGrassLv.15-17UncommonEarlyRouteNightEASYRoute 43SoulSilverGrassLv.15-17UncommonEarlyRouteNightCHALLENGINGRoute 24HeartGoldGrassLv.8RareEarlyRouteMorningCHALLENGINGRoute 24SoulSilverGrassLv.8RareEarlyRouteMorningEASYNational Park - Bug Catching ContestHeartGoldGrassLv.25-32UncommonMidFacilityPost-game (Tue)EASYNational Park - Bug Catching ContestSoulSilverGrassLv.25-32UncommonMidFacilityPost-game (Tue)CHALLENGINGRoute 43HeartGoldGrassLv.16RareMidRouteMorningCHALLENGINGRoute 43SoulSilverGrassLv.16RareMidRouteMorningLEGENDARYLake of RageHeartGoldHeadbutting treesLv.17-19LimitedMidWaterLEGENDARYLake of RageSoulSilverHeadbutting treesLv.17-19LimitedMidWaterLEGENDARYRoute 43HeartGoldHeadbutting treesLv.17-19LimitedMidRouteLEGENDARYRoute 43SoulSilverHeadbutting treesLv.17-19LimitedMidRoute
Step 2Venomoth ✓EASYRoute 25HeartGoldGrassLv.8UncommonEarlyRouteNightEASYRoute 25SoulSilverGrassLv.8UncommonEarlyRouteNightCHALLENGINGRoute 24HeartGoldGrassLv.14RareEarlyRouteNightCHALLENGINGRoute 24SoulSilverGrassLv.14RareEarlyRouteNightor evolve from Venonat (Step 1)
Tinted Lens changes the entire equation for Venomoth. The 450 BST doesn't tell the full story. Ranked C-Tier.
Venonat evolves into Venomoth at level 31. Venomoth is the fully evolved form. It sits at 450 BST in its evolved form.
Tinted Lens is what you want on Venomoth. Every competitive set worth running is built with that ability in mind. The alternatives (Shield Dust, Wonder Skin) work on paper but Tinted Lens is what makes Venomoth worth using.
Base 90 Speed is workable — faster than some, slower than many. On offense, Venomoth is a special attacker with base 90 Sp. Atk. Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two.
Venomoth appears in 19 games, including Yellow, Red & Blue, and Gold & Silver.
One of the original 151, Venomoth has appeared in 19 games — most mainline games. From Red & Blue through the latest titles, it's rarely been left out of a regional Pokedex.
- Gen IY
Yellow - Gen IRBDebut
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 VBW
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