Physical
Sweeper
STier
100Speed · Fast

Stats & Training

The stat budget goes to damage. Attack and Sp. Atk carry the offense, Defense doesn't even come close. A Dragon Pokemon on a slow 1.25M XP grind, worth 3 Attack EVs per KO.

Base Stats
Legend
HP95
B
Attack135
A
Defense80
C
Sp. Atk110
B
Sp. Def80
C
Speed100
B
Total600
Details
Catch Rate
Challenging45 / 255
Growth Rate
Slow1.25M XP
Height1.5 m
4'11"Average
Weight102.6 kg
226.2 lbsHeavy
Base XP300
Elite Yield
Abilities
IntimidatePopular
Lowers opponents' Attack one stage upon entering battle.
MoxieHAPopular
Raises Attack one stage upon KOing a Pokémon.
EV Yield
HPAtk+3DefSpASpDSpe
Strong Attack training target
Pokedex Entries

As a result of its long-held dream of flying, its cellular structure changed, and wings grew out.

Salamence Weakness

Ice, Rock, Dragon, and Fairy 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.

Salamence Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
4x (Critical)Ice
2x (Weak)Rock, Dragon, Fairy
0.5x (Resist)Fire, Water, Fighting, Bug
0.25x (Resist)Grass
0x (Immune)Ground
Type ChartGood
4Weak
5Resist
1Immune
Score-1
4xCritical
Ice
2xWeak
RockDragonFairy
½xResist
FireWaterFightingBug
¼xResist
Grass
0xImmune
Ground
STAB (4)
DragonGrassFightingBug
How to Beat Salamence in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl (Best Counters)
Tangrowth
TangrowthRecovers HP on switch via Regenerator, walls physical sets
Grass
A
Recommended Build
AbilityRegenerator
ItemAssault Vest
NatureRelaxed
Moves
  • Knock Off
  • Sludge Bomb
  • Power Whip
  • Focus Blast
Damage vs Salamence
Knock Off
17-20%
Sludge Bomb
26-30%
Focus Blast
17-20%
View Tangrowth builds →

Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Evolution

End of the line. Salamence caps a three-stage chain that started at Bagon. Breeding produces the base form, and eggs are takes 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

3 Forms
Bagon
#371Bagon
30
Level 30
Shelgon
#372Shelgon
50
Level 50
Salamence
#373Salamence
Stat Comparison 3 Stages
Bagon
Dragon
Shelgon
Dragon
Salamence
DragonFlying
HP
45
65+20
95+30
ATK
75
95+20
135+40
DEF
60
100+40
80-20
SP.ATK
40
60+20
110+50
SP.DEF
30
50+20
80+30
SPE
50
50
100+50
BST
300C-Tier
420D-Tier+120
600B-Tier+180
ROLE
Balanced
Balanced
Sweeper
TYPE
Physical
Physical
Physical

Breeding

Moderate

Breed with Salamence to get Bagon eggs using 30 partners from the Dragon egg group. Notable egg moves include Defense Curl, Dragon Dance, Dragon Rush and 4 more.

Egg Groups
Dragon
Gender
♂50.0%♀50.0%
Hatch Time
40 cycles·10,280 steps
Slow~10 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
7moves
Breed With (best first)
gyaradoscharizardkingdrasceptileflygonmiloticaltariaarbokseadrasevipercharmeleonmagikarp
12 of 30·

Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Salamence Best Moveset

The game plan is straightforward: click Dragon Dance, then sweep. Heavy-Duty Boots and Intimidate support the setup turn. EVs go into max Attack and Speed so Salamence hits hard once it's boosted.

Best Build

Solid pick
Ability
Intimidate
Item
Heavy Duty Boots
Best Nature for Salamence
Jolly+SPE

Salamence best EVs are Attack and Speed

EVs

Physical Setup Sweeper Moveset

  • Dual WingbeatSTAB
  • EarthquakeCoverage
  • Dragon DanceSTAB
  • RoostRecovery

Moves

Need something that threatens multiple types? Salamence's movepool delivers. Coverage across 10 types plus STAB from Draco Meteor and Outrage gives it answers for most defensive cores you'll run into.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Bite
C6010025Dark
Lv 1
Dragon Breath
—6010020Dragon
Lv 1
Dragon Tail-6
C609010Dragon
Lv 1
Ember
D4010025Fire
Lv 1
Fly
B909515Flying
Lv 1
Leer
D—10030Normal
Lv 1
Protect+4
A——10Normal
Lv 15
Headbutt
C7010015Normal
Lv 20
Scary Face
——10010Normal
Lv 25
Crunch
C8010015Dark
Lv 33
Dragon Claw
A8010015Dragon
Lv 39
Zen Headbutt
C809015Psychic
Lv 46
Focus Energy
C——30Normal
Lv 55
Flamethrower
A9010015Fire
Lv 64
Outrage
A12010010Dragon
Lv 73
Double-Edge
B12010015Normal

TM Moves

TM
TM40
Aerial Ace
B60—20Flying
TM45
Attract
C—10015Normal
TM31
Brick Break
C7510015Fighting
TM83
Bulldoze
B6010020Ground
TM93
Cut
—509530Normal
TM97
Defog
B——15Flying
TM32
Double Team
———15Normal
TM02
Dragon Claw
A8010015Dragon
TM59
Dragon Pulse
B8510010Dragon
TM26
Earthquake
S10010010Ground
TM58
Endure+4
C——10Normal
TM42
Facade
C7010020Normal
TM38
Fire Blast
C110855Fire
TM35
Flamethrower
A9010015Fire
TM94
Fly
B909515Flying
TM68
Giga Impact
B150905Normal
TM15
Hyper Beam
B150905Normal
TM23
Iron Tail
C1007515Steel
TM17
Protect+4
A——10Normal
TM18
Rain Dance
C——5Water
TM44
Rest
C——10Psychic
TM05
Roar-6
C——20Normal
TM80
Rock Slide
C759010Rock
TM98
Rock Smash
D4010015Fighting
TM39
Rock Tomb
C609515Rock
TM51
Roost
A——10Flying
TM65
Shadow Claw
C7010015Ghost
TM82
Sleep Talk
C——10Normal
TM47
Steel Wing
C709025Steel
TM71
Stone Edge
C100805Rock
TM96
Strength
—8010015Normal
TM90
Substitute
C——10Normal
TM11
Sunny Day
C——5Fire
TM87
Swagger
D—8515Normal

Egg Moves

Egg
Egg
Defense Curl
D——40Normal
Egg
Dragon Dance
A——20Dragon
Egg
Dragon Rush
B1007510Dragon
Egg
Fire Fang
B659515Fire
Egg
Hydro Pump
C110805Water
Egg
Thrash
B12010010Normal
Egg
Twister
C4010020Dragon

Tutor Moves

Tut
Tutor
Draco Meteor
S130905Dragon

How to Get Salamence in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl

Can't catch Salamence directly. Start with Bagon at decent rates from the locations below, then evolve at level 50. The 3-stage chain from Bagon to Salamence is where the leveling time goes.

How to Obtain Salamence in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl

To get Salamence, start by catching Bagon through walking and special encounters at Lv. 25-63. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.

  1. Bagon
    Step 1Catch Bagon
    Route 210 - North
    Using PokeRadar Lv.25-26 Route
    22%Mid
    Dazzling Cave
    Grass Lv.58-63 Cave
    Post
    Post-game
    Spacious Cave
    Grass Lv.58-63 Cave
    Post
    Post-game
    Stargleam Cavern
    Grass Lv.58-63 Cave
    Post
    Post-game
  2. Shelgon
    Step 2Catch or Evolve Shelgon
    Dazzling Cave
    Grass Lv.58-63 Cave
    Post
    Post-game
    Spacious Cave
    Grass Lv.58-63 Cave
    Post
    Post-game
    Stargleam Cavern
    Grass Lv.58-63 Cave
    Post
    Post-game
    or evolve from Bagon (Step 1)
  3. Salamence
    Step 3Salamence ✓

Salamence Guide

  • In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Intimidate changes the entire equation for Salamence. The 600 BST doesn't tell the full story. Ranked S-Tier as a sweeper. Dualwingbeat with Heavy-Duty Boots is the standard set.

  • Mega Evolution isn't available in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, but Salamence does have a Mega form in Gen 6-7 games (X/Y, ORAS, Sun/Moon). Mega Salamence hits 700 BST.

  • In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, watch for Cloyster (Ice), Aerodactyl (Rock), and Dragonite (Dragon) when using Salamence. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Cloyster is the most dangerous since Ice moves deal 4x damage. Fairy-type attackers are also a problem.

  • Intimidate is what you want on Salamence. Every competitive set worth running is built with that ability in mind. The alternatives (Moxie) work on paper but Intimidate is what makes Salamence worth using. With base 100 Speed, Intimidate gives Salamence an edge before opponents can react.

  • Base 100 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. On offense, Salamence is a physical attacker with base 135 Attack. Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two. Best used as a sweeper.

Game Availability

Since debuting in Ruby & Sapphire, Salamence has appeared in 16 titles over 8 generations. Along the way, it received a Mega form in Generation 7, keeping it relevant across different competitive metas.

Click a game to view version-specific details

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