What does Drilbur evolve into?

Get Drilbur to Excadrill at level 31. At 328 BST, Drilbur is just the starting point.

At what level does Drilbur evolve?

Level 31 gets you Excadrill . Not the fastest evolution, so consider Exp. Share or route grinding to speed it up.

Should I use Drilbur?

For Sword & Shield, you can run Drilbur through the first few routes without issues. 328 BST won't carry you far though. Get it to Excadrill as fast as you can.

Where can you catch Drilbur?

You can find Drilbur in Sword & Shield. The Locations section has the full breakdown of routes and encounter details. It also appears in 8 other games across the series.

Drilbur - Weakness, Evolution, Moveset, EVs & Stats

Physical

Balanced

DTier

68Speed · Below Avg

Stats & Training

Attack and Speed carry most of Drilbur's stat budget. Sp. Atk's the obvious dump stat. Common in the wild and yields 1 Attack EV. Follows a medium-fast 1M XP curve.

Base Stats

Avg

HP60

Attack85

Defense40

Sp. Atk30

Sp. Def45

Speed68

Total328

Details

Catch Rate

Moderate120 / 255

Growth Rate

Medium Fast1M XP

Height0.3 m

Weight8.5 kg

Base XP66

Abilities

Sand Rush

Doubles Speed during a sandstorm. Protects against sandstorm damage.

Sand Force

Strengthens rock, ground, and steel moves to 1.3× their power during a sandstorm. Protects against sandstorm damage.

Mold BreakerHA

Bypasses targets' abilities if they could hinder or prevent a move.

EV Yield

HPAtk+1DefSpASpDSpe

Attack training source

Pokedex Entries

It brings its claws together and whirls around at high speed before rushing toward its prey.

Drilbur Weakness

Water, Grass, and Ice moves hit Drilbur for super-effective damage. The upside? Electric-type moves can't touch it at all. Standard number of weaknesses for the Ground typing.

Drilbur Weakness and Resistance Chart
Damage	Types
2x (Weak)	Water, Grass, Ice
0.5x (Resist)	Poison, Rock
0x (Immune)	Electric

Type ChartAvg

3Weak

2Resist

1Immune

Score-1

4xCritical

None

2xWeak

Water Grass Ice

½xResist

Poison Rock

¼xResist

None

0xImmune

Electric

STAB (5)

Fire Electric Poison Rock Steel

How to Beat Drilbur in Sword & Shield (Best Counters)

Pelipper WaterFlying	B
Available Moves Moves Water PulseLv. 20 Icy WindTM27 Water GunLv. 1 WhirlpoolTM36 Damage vs Drilbur Water Pulse 2x 89-105%KO Icy Wind 2x 53-63% Water Gun 2x 59-70% Whirlpool 2x 53-63% View Pelipper builds →
Dhelmise GhostGrass	B
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM11 Giga DrainLv. 28 Mega DrainLv. 12 WhirlpoolTM36 Damage vs Drilbur Solar Beam 2x 159-188%KO Giga Drain 2x 102-120%KO Mega Drain 2x 55-65% Whirlpool 2x 33-38% View Dhelmise builds →
Mantine WaterFlying	C
Available Moves Moves DiveTM45 Bubble BeamLv. 24 Water PulseLv. 12 Icy WindTM27 Damage vs Drilbur Dive 2x 68-80% Bubble Beam 2x 83-98% Water Pulse 2x 76-90% Icy Wind 2x 48-57% View Mantine builds →
Cramorant FlyingWater	C
Available Moves Moves DiveTM45 Icy WindTM27 Water GunLv. 7 WhirlpoolTM36 Damage vs Drilbur Dive 2x 117-138%KO Icy Wind 2x 49-58% Water Gun 2x 55-65% Whirlpool 2x 48-58% View Cramorant builds →
Delibird IceFlying	C
Available Moves Moves AvalancheTM64 Icy WindTM27 Icicle SpearTM51 Damage vs Drilbur Avalanche 2x 63-75% Icy Wind 2x 61-73% Icicle Spear 2x 29-35% View Delibird builds →

Sword & Shield Evolution

One evolution ahead. Drilbur grows into Excadrill through a straightforward two-stage chain. A massive partner pool for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are average hatch time. The evolved forms gain up to 180 total stats over Drilbur. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

2 Forms

#529Drilbur

Level 31

#530Excadrill

Stat Comparison 2 Stages

Drilbur

Ground

Excadrill

GroundSteel

110+50

ATK

135+50

DEF

60+20

SP.ATK

50+20

SP.DEF

65+20

SPE

88+20

BST

328C-Tier

508S-Tier+180

ROLE

Balanced

Wallbreaker

TYPE

Physical

Breeding

Very Easy

Breed Drilbur easily with 152 breeding partners from the Ground egg group. Pass egg moves like Metal Sound, Slash, Submission to offspring.

Egg Groups

Ground

Gender

♂50.0%♀50.0%

Hatch Time

20 cycles·5,140 steps

Quick~5 min with Flame Body

Egg Moves

3moves

Breed With (best first)

Sword & Shield Drilbur Best Moveset

Best Build

No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 8.

Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.

Moves

Don't skip the egg moves. Drilbur picks up Metal Sound and Slash only through breeding, and both fill gaps the natural movepool can't. STAB runs through Earthquake and High Horsepower while coverage across 8 types adds range.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1

Mud-Slap

D2010010Ground

Lv 1

Rapid Spin

D5010040Normal

Lv 4

Scratch

—4010035Normal

Lv 8

Hone Claws

C——15Dark

Lv 12

Fury Swipes

—188015Normal

Lv 16

Metal Claw

D509535Steel

Lv 20

Sandstorm

D——10Rock

Lv 24

Crush Claw

C759510Normal

Lv 28

Rock Slide

D759010Rock

Lv 32

Dig

C8010010Ground

Lv 36

Swords Dance

C——20Normal

Lv 40

Drill Run

C809510Ground

Lv 44

Earthquake

B10010010Ground

Lv 48

Fissure

——305Ground

TM Moves

TM31

Attract

C—10015Normal

TM43

Brick Break

C7510015Fighting

TM81

Bulldoze

C6010020Ground

TM15

Dig

C8010010Ground

TR87

Drill Run

C809510Ground

TR67

Earth Power

D9010010Ground

TR10

Earthquake

B10010010Ground

TR26

Endure+4

C——10Normal

TM39

Facade

D7010020Normal

TM59

Fling

——10010Dark

TR94

High Horsepower

C959510Ground

TR46

Iron Defense

C——15Steel

TM53

Mud Shot

D559515Ground

TR57

Poison Jab

C8010020Poison

TM25

Protect+4

C——10Normal

TM21

Rest

C——10Psychic

TM22

Rock Slide

D759010Rock

TM48

Rock Tomb

D609515Rock

TM76

Round

D6010015Normal

TM49

Sand Tomb

D358515Ground

TM32

Sandstorm

D——10Rock

TM65

Shadow Claw

D7010015Ghost

TR27

Sleep Talk

C——10Normal

TR22

Sludge Bomb

D9010010Poison

TM24

Snore

—5010015Normal

TR76

Stealth Rock

C——20Rock

TR20

Substitute

C——10Normal

Swords Dance

C——20Normal

TR60

X-Scissor

C8010015Bug

Egg Moves

Egg

Metal Sound

D—8540Steel

Egg

Slash

D7010020Normal

Egg

Submission

D808020Fighting

Tutor Moves

Tut

Tutor

Scorching Sands

D7010010Ground

Sword & Shield Drilbur Locations

Drilbur's scattered across 20 spots in early-game routes with high spawn rates. Check the list below for the closest location to wherever you are in the game. This one's quick.

Best Locations to Catch Drilbur in Sword & Shield

Drilbur appears in 20 walking locations at Lv. 11-47 across Shield and Sword. Not all encounters show up in every version, so check which ones match your game.

Galar Mine

ShieldOverworld Lv.11-14 Cave

10%Early

All Weather

Galar Mine

SwordOverworld Lv.11-14 Cave

10%Early

All Weather

Galar Mine

ShieldGrass Lv.11-15 Cave

10%Early

All Weather

Galar Mine

SwordGrass Lv.11-15 Cave

10%Early

All Weather

Giant's Mirror

ShieldOverworld Lv.28-30

35%Mid

Sandstorm

Giant's Mirror

SwordOverworld Lv.28-30

35%Mid

Sandstorm

Giant's Cap

ShieldGrass Lv.26-28

30%Mid

Sandstorm

Giant's Cap

SwordGrass Lv.26-28

30%Mid

Sandstorm

Stony Wilderness

ShieldGrass Lv.26-28

30%Mid

Sandstorm

Stony Wilderness

SwordGrass Lv.26-28

30%Mid

Sandstorm

Giant's Cap

ShieldGrass Lv.26-28

20%Mid

Intense Sun

Giant's Cap

SwordGrass Lv.26-28

20%Mid

Intense Sun

Hammerlocke Hills

ShieldGrass Lv.28-30

15%Mid

Sandstorm

Hammerlocke Hills

SwordGrass Lv.28-30

15%Mid

Sandstorm

Stony Wilderness

ShieldGrass Lv.26-28

10%Mid

Intense Sun

Stony Wilderness

SwordGrass Lv.26-28

10%Mid

Intense Sun

Dusty Bowl

ShieldOverworld Lv.42-47

35%Late

Sandstorm

Dusty Bowl

SwordOverworld Lv.42-47

35%Late

Sandstorm

Dusty Bowl

ShieldOverworld Lv.42-47

10%Late

Intense Sun

Dusty Bowl

SwordOverworld Lv.42-47

10%Late

Intense Sun

Drilbur Guide

Get Drilbur to Excadrill at level 31. At 328 BST, Drilbur is just the starting point.
Level 31 gets you Excadrill. Not the fastest evolution, so consider Exp. Share or route grinding to speed it up.
For Sword & Shield, you can run Drilbur through the first few routes without issues. 328 BST won't carry you far though. Get it to Excadrill as fast as you can.
You can find Drilbur in Sword & Shield. The Locations section has the full breakdown of routes and encounter details. It also appears in 8 other games across the series.

Game Availability

Drilbur joined the series in Black & White and has been available in 9 titles so far. With 6 generations of appearances, it's established itself despite the later start.

Click a game to view version-specific details

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Gloom GrassPoison	C
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM11 Giga DrainLv. 20 Mega DrainLv. 12 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Drilbur Solar Beam 2x 165-195%KO Giga Drain 2x 105-125%KO Mega Drain 2x 58-70% Absorb 2x 33-40% View Gloom builds →
Wingull WaterFlying	D
Available Moves Moves Water PulseLv. 20 Water GunLv. 1 Damage vs Drilbur Water Pulse 2x 63-75% Water Gun 2x 47-55% View Wingull builds →
Roselia GrassPoison	D
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM11 Magical LeafTM10 Mega DrainLv. 5 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Drilbur Solar Beam 2x 187-220%KO Magical Leaf 2x 97-115%KO Mega Drain 2x 67-80% Absorb 2x 37-45% View Roselia builds →
Lombre WaterGrass	D
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM11 Water GunLv. 1 Mega DrainLv. 12 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Drilbur Solar Beam 2x 127-150%KO Water Gun 2x 47-55% Mega Drain 2x 47-55% Absorb 2x 25-30% View Lombre builds →
Nuzleaf GrassDark	D
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM11 Razor LeafLv. 1 Mega DrainLv. 18 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Drilbur Solar Beam 2x 127-150%KO Razor Leaf 2x 72-85% Mega Drain 2x 47-55% Absorb 2x 25-30% View Nuzleaf builds →

Gloom GrassPoison	C
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM11 Giga DrainLv. 20 Mega DrainLv. 12 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Drilbur Solar Beam 2x 156-184%KO Giga Drain 2x 97-116%KO Mega Drain 2x 54-64% Absorb 2x 29-34% View Gloom builds →
Wingull WaterFlying	D
Available Moves Moves Water PulseLv. 20 Water GunLv. 1 Damage vs Drilbur Water Pulse 2x 57-69% Water Gun 2x 40-47% View Wingull builds →
Roselia GrassPoison	D
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM11 Magical LeafTM10 Mega DrainLv. 5 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Drilbur Solar Beam 2x 174-206%KO Magical Leaf 2x 90-107%KO Mega Drain 2x 61-73% Absorb 2x 31-39% View Roselia builds →
Lombre WaterGrass	D
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM11 Bubble BeamLv. 24 Water GunLv. 1 Mega DrainLv. 12 Damage vs Drilbur Solar Beam 2x 120-141%KO Bubble Beam 2x 69-81% Water Gun 2x 43-51% Mega Drain 2x 43-51% View Lombre builds →
Nuzleaf GrassDark	D
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM11 Razor LeafLv. 1 Mega DrainLv. 18 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Drilbur Solar Beam 2x 120-141%KO Razor Leaf 2x 69-81% Mega Drain 2x 43-51% Absorb 2x 24-30% View Nuzleaf builds →

Gloom GrassPoison	C
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM11 Giga DrainLv. 20 Mega DrainLv. 12 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Drilbur Solar Beam 2x 155-183%KO Giga Drain 2x 99-117%KO Mega Drain 2x 56-66% Absorb 2x 29-35% View Gloom builds →
Wingull WaterFlying	D
Available Moves Moves Water PulseLv. 20 Water GunLv. 1 Damage vs Drilbur Water Pulse 2x 58-70% Water Gun 2x 43-51% View Wingull builds →
Roselia GrassPoison	D
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM11 Magical LeafTM10 Mega DrainLv. 5 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Drilbur Solar Beam 2x 178-210%KO Magical Leaf 2x 92-109%KO Mega Drain 2x 62-74% Absorb 2x 32-39% View Roselia builds →
Lombre WaterGrass	D
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM11 Bubble BeamLv. 24 Water GunLv. 1 Mega DrainLv. 12 Damage vs Drilbur Solar Beam 2x 122-144%KO Bubble Beam 2x 66-78% Water Gun 2x 43-51% Mega Drain 2x 43-51% View Lombre builds →
Nuzleaf GrassDark	D
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM11 Razor LeafLv. 1 Mega DrainLv. 18 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Drilbur Solar Beam 2x 122-144%KO Razor Leaf 2x 69-82% Mega Drain 2x 43-51% Absorb 2x 22-27% View Nuzleaf builds →

Pelipper WaterFlying	B
Available Moves Moves Water PulseLv. 20 Water GunLv. 1 WhirlpoolTM36 Damage vs Drilbur Water Pulse 2x 89-105%KO Water Gun 2x 61-72% Whirlpool 2x 53-63% View Pelipper builds →
Cramorant FlyingWater	C
Available Moves Moves DiveLv. 28 Water GunLv. 7 WhirlpoolTM36 Damage vs Drilbur Dive 2x 117-138%KO Water Gun 2x 56-66% Whirlpool 2x 48-57% View Cramorant builds →
Maractus Grass	C
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM11 Petal BlizzardLv. 36 Giga DrainLv. 24 Mega DrainLv. 8 Damage vs Drilbur Solar Beam 2x 191-225%KO Petal Blizzard 2x 135-159%KO Giga Drain 2x 122-144%KO Mega Drain 2x 66-78% View Maractus builds →
Eldegoss Grass	C
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM11 Leaf TornadoLv. 23 Magical LeafTM10 Razor LeafLv. 12 Damage vs Drilbur Solar Beam 2x 153-180%KO Leaf Tornado 2x 84-99% Magical Leaf 2x 79-93% Razor Leaf 2x 56-66% View Eldegoss builds →
Roselia GrassPoison	D
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM11 Giga DrainLv. 30 Magical LeafTM10 Mega DrainLv. 5 Damage vs Drilbur Solar Beam 2x 183-216%KO Giga Drain 2x 117-138%KO Magical Leaf 2x 94-111%KO Mega Drain 2x 63-75% View Roselia builds →

Pelipper WaterFlying	B
Available Moves Moves Water PulseLv. 20 Water GunLv. 1 WhirlpoolTM36 Damage vs Drilbur Water Pulse 2x 90-106%KO Water Gun 2x 60-71% Whirlpool 2x 53-63% View Pelipper builds →
Cramorant FlyingWater	C
Available Moves Moves DiveLv. 28 Water GunLv. 7 WhirlpoolTM36 Damage vs Drilbur Dive 2x 116-137%KO Water Gun 2x 58-69% Whirlpool 2x 50-60% View Cramorant builds →
Maractus Grass	C
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM11 Petal BlizzardLv. 36 Giga DrainLv. 24 Mega DrainLv. 8 Damage vs Drilbur Solar Beam 2x 196-231%KO Petal Blizzard 2x 133-157%KO Giga Drain 2x 124-146%KO Mega Drain 2x 68-80% View Maractus builds →
Eldegoss Grass	C
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM11 Leaf TornadoLv. 23 Magical LeafTM10 Razor LeafLv. 12 Damage vs Drilbur Solar Beam 2x 155-183%KO Leaf Tornado 2x 87-103%KO Magical Leaf 2x 80-94% Razor Leaf 2x 55-66% View Eldegoss builds →
Shiinotic GrassFairy	C
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM11 Giga DrainLv. 32 Mega DrainLv. 12 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Drilbur Solar Beam 2x 172-203%KO Giga Drain 2x 109-129%KO Mega Drain 2x 60-71% Absorb 2x 31-37% View Shiinotic builds →

Zarude DarkGrass	A
Recommended Build AbilityLeafguard ItemChoice Scarf NatureJolly Moves Darkest Lariat Power Whip U Turn Close Combat Damage vs Drilbur U Turn 56-66% Close Combat 96-113%KO View Zarude builds →
Slowbro WaterPsychic	B
Recommended Build AbilityRegenerator ItemHeavy-Duty Boots NatureRelaxed Moves TeleportUtility Future Sight ScaldSTAB Slack Off Damage vs Drilbur Scald 2x 124-146%KO View Slowbro builds →
Mamoswine IceGround	B
Recommended Build AbilityThickfat ItemLife Orb NatureJolly Moves EarthquakeSTAB Icicle Crash Ice Shard Knock Off Damage vs Drilbur Earthquake 166-195%KO Ice Shard 2x 133-157%KO Knock Off 72-85% View Mamoswine builds →
Urshifu FightingDark	C
Water is super effective against DrilburView Urshifu →