Is Volbeat Good in Platinum Playthrough?
Route 229 at level 49, postgame. Bug-type with AbilityIlluminate increasing wild encounters. Not useful in battle. A collector's catch, not a team pick.
Volbeat has the type edge here and should clean up Roark's team.
Volbeat resists most of Gardenia's coverage and hits back hard.
Volbeat trades roughly evenly with Fantina's team.
Volbeat has the type edge here and should clean up Maylene's team.
Volbeat has the type edge here and should clean up Crasher Wake's team.
Volbeat trades roughly evenly with Byron's team.
Volbeat has the type edge here and should clean up Candice's team.
Volbeat trades roughly evenly with Volkner's team.
Aaron's team hits Volbeat's weaknesses hard.
Volbeat has the type edge here and should clean up Bertha's team.
Flint's team hits Volbeat's weaknesses hard.
Volbeat has the type edge here and should clean up Lucian's team.
Volbeat has the type edge here and should clean up Jupiter's team.
Volbeat has the type edge here and should clean up Mars's team.
Volbeat trades roughly evenly with Saturn's team.
Volbeat trades roughly evenly with Cynthia's team.
Catchable
Catch Volbeat on Route 229 (walking, Lv 49, uncommon).
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 49)
- LV 49BugBug BuzzPower 135Accuracy 100%PP 10
- LV 49BugSignal BeamPower 113Accuracy 100%PP 15
- LV 49NormalDouble-EdgePower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15
- After Fantina
- TM89BugU-turnPower 105Accuracy 100%PP 20Veilstone Game Corner
- TM22GrassSolar BeamPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10Veilstone Department Store
- TM24ElectricThunderboltPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 15Veilstone Game Corner
- After Maylene
- TM06PoisonToxicPower —Accuracy 85%PP 10Route 212
- After Byron
- TM01FightingFocus PunchPower 150Accuracy 100%PP 20Oreburgh Gate
- Post-Game
- TM42NormalFacadePower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Survival Area
Platinum Volbeat Locations
Volbeat turns up at a single late spot on Route 229, uncommon and sitting at level 49. Its mirror Illumise walks the same route, so the two firefly bugs share one patch of endgame grass.
1 location to catch Volbeat
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Badge 8Best Locations to Catch Volbeat in Platinum
How to Get Shiny Volbeat in Platinum
Volbeat flickers through the grass on Route 229, so run a Poké Radar chain to 40 there for a shiny. Compare Shiny Volbeat odds across every game
Shiny Volbeat Evolution
Does Not EvolvePlatinum Shiny Volbeat 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.
Planning a longer hunt? Set up Volbeat in the Platinum Shiny Odds Calculator to compare every method side by side.
Volbeat Weakness
Fire, Flying, and Rock moves hit Volbeat for super-effective damage. Standard number of weaknesses for the Bug typing.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Fire, Flying, Rock |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Grass, Fighting, Ground |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Volbeat Weak Against
AvgBest Pokemon Against Volbeat
 Heatran FireSteel | S | |
Obtain MethodStark Mountain Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Volbeat View Heatran builds →Overheat 2x179-211%KO Ancient Power 2x52-61% | ||
 Rampardos Rock | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Cranidos (Oreburgh City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Volbeat View Rampardos builds →Head Smash 2x300-353%KO Fire Blast 2x58-69% | ||
 Moltres Fire | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Volbeat View Moltres builds →Overheat 2x172-203%KO Air Slash 2x94-111%KO Ancient Power 2x50-59% | ||
 Infernape FireFighting | A | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Chimchar (Route 201 Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Volbeat View Infernape builds →Overheat 2x148-175%KO Stone Edge 2x90-106%KO Aerial Ace 2x55-65% | ||
 Skarmory Steel | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Volbeat View Skarmory builds →Fly 2x98-116%KO Rock Slide 2x55-65% | ||
 Houndoom DarkFire | C | |
 Staraptor Normal | B | |
 Drifblim Ghost | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Drifloon (Valley Windworks Interact Encounter) | ||
 Ninetales Fire | C | |
 Arcanine Fire | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Volbeat View Arcanine builds →Overheat 2x143-169%KO Aerial Ace 2x56-67% | ||
 Camerupt FireGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Volbeat View Camerupt builds →Eruption 2x159-188%KO Stone Edge 2x86-102%KO | ||
 Rhydon GroundRock | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Volbeat View Rhydon builds →Stone Edge 2x163-192%KO Fire Blast 2x44-52% | ||
 Altaria Dragon | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Volbeat View Altaria builds →Sky Attack 2x136-161%KO Fire Blast 2x62-73% | ||
 Rapidash Fire | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Volbeat View Rapidash builds →Flare Blitz 2x156-184%KO Bounce 2x74-88% | ||
Volbeat Evolutions
Breeding is the whole story for Volbeat. A decent partner pool through two egg groups, eggs are quick to hatch, and you won't need to evolve anything. It's got 5 egg moves worth looking into. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed Volbeat with 48 breeding partners from the Bug and Human-Like egg groups. Pass egg moves like Baton Pass, Bug Buzz, Encore and 2 more to offspring.
Pt Volbeat Best Moveset
Doubling Sp. Atk with MoveTail Glow would be devastating on any Pokemon with better stats. The moveset can boost 47 Sp. Atk to 94, which is functional but not threatening at 85 Speed.
Best Build
Volbeat best EVs are HP and Defense
Wall Moveset
- Encore
- Roost
- Bug Bite
- Toxic
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Coverage runs deep. Volbeat can hit 11 types beyond STAB, including Normal and Psychic. The offense anchors on Bug Buzz and Signal Beam while TMs handle everything else.
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
36 of 38 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
It communicates with others by lighting up its rear at night. It loves ILLUMISE’s sweet aroma.
Volbeat Platinum Guide
For Platinum, it depends on your team. Volbeat rates C-Tier. Not a powerhouse, but the Bug coverage might be exactly what you're missing.
Yes. Volbeat is a post-game Pokemon. You need to defeat the Elite Four and enter the Hall of Fame first. Volbeat becomes available after the main story is complete in Platinum.
In Platinum, use Volbeat as a support. Splits damage between physical and special. Speed is middling,
For Platinum, run Careful on Volbeat. +Sp. Def is what matters, and the -Sp. Atk cut doesn't hurt this set. Fits the support role.
For Platinum, build your team around Umbreon, Hitmonchan, and Dusknoir. These have the highest co-usage rates with Volbeat in competitive formats. They cover each other's weaknesses.
Game Availability
Available in 14 titles since its debut in Ruby & Sapphire, Volbeat spans 7 generations of Pokemon games. It's accessible through wild encounters in a solid number of games.
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 6ORAS
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 Volbeat.
Keep playing · PlatinumPlatinum Tier ListThe best Pokemon ranked tier by tierSee Platinum Tier List