
Is Noctowl Good in Gold & Silver Playthrough?
Tanky on the special side for a Flying-type. Noctowl handles Morty's Ghost-types with MoveForesight and contributes against Chuck. Falls off once the gym levels climb past its damage output. An early-to-mid game pick that gets outpaced.
Hoothoot trades roughly evenly with Falkner's team.
Hoothoot has the type edge here and should clean up Bugsy's team.
Hoothoot trades roughly evenly with Whitney's team.
Noctowl has the type edge here and should clean up Morty's team.
Noctowl has the type edge here and should clean up Chuck's team.
Noctowl trades roughly evenly with Jasmine's team.
Noctowl trades roughly evenly with Pryce's team.
Noctowl trades roughly evenly with Clair's team.
Lt. Surge's team hits Noctowl's weaknesses hard.
Noctowl trades roughly evenly with Sabrina's team.
Noctowl resists most of Erika's coverage and hits back hard.
Noctowl has the type edge here and should clean up Janine's team.
Noctowl trades roughly evenly with Misty's team.
Brock's team hits Noctowl's weaknesses hard.
Noctowl trades roughly evenly with Blaine's team.
Noctowl trades roughly evenly with Blue's team.
Noctowl has the type edge here and should clean up Will's team.
Noctowl has the type edge here and should clean up Koga's team.
Noctowl has the type edge here and should clean up Bruno's team.
Noctowl has the type edge here and should clean up Karen's team.
Catch Hoothoot on Route 29 (walking, Lv 2-4, common).
- STARTING (Lv 2)
- LV 2NormalTackle60100%35
- After Falkner
- TM39NormalSwift90100%20
- After Whitney
- TM13NormalSnore75100%15
- LV 28NormalTake Down13585%20
- After Chuck
- HM02FlyingFly13595%15
- After Jasmine
- TM10NormalHidden Power90100%15
- TM46DarkThief60100%25
- LV 48PsychicDream Eater100100%15
Your Hoothoot should hit Level 20 before you reach Morty, at typical leveling pace.
- STARTING (Lv 20)
- LV 20NormalTackle60100%35
- After Falkner
- TM39NormalSwift90100%20
- After Whitney
- TM13NormalSnore75100%15
- After Chuck
- HM02FlyingFly13595%15
- LV 33NormalTake Down13585%20
- After Jasmine
- TM10NormalHidden Power90100%15
- TM46DarkThief60100%25
- LV 57PsychicDream Eater100100%15
How to Get Noctowl in Gold & Silver
Noctowl's scattered across 12 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.
Where To Catch Noctowl in GS
The path to Noctowl starts with Hoothoot at Lv. 2-25 via walking encounters. 2 catchable stages total, with locations listed for each one below.
Step 1Catch HoothootNational ParkLv.10-14FloorRate 100%NightRoute 29Lv.2-4GrassRate 85%NightRoute 2Lv.3-5GrassSilverRate 80%NightRoute 30Lv.4GrassSilverRate 60%NightRoute 37Lv.13-15GrassSilverRate 60%NightRoute 2Lv.3-5GrassGoldRate 50%NightRoute 1Lv.2-4GrassRate 45%NightRoute 31Lv.3-5GrassSilverRate 40%NightRoute 30Lv.4GrassGoldRate 30%NightRoute 36Lv.13-15GrassRate 25%NightRoute 37Lv.15GrassGoldRate 20%NightRoute 31Lv.5GrassGoldRate 10%NightRoute 35Lv.14GrassRate 5%Night
Step 2Noctowl ✓Route 2Lv.7GrassSilverRate 15%NightRoute 2Lv.7GrassGoldRate 10%NightRoute 8Lv.17-19GrassGoldRate 40%NightRoute 43Lv.17GrassRate 20%NightRoute 13Lv.25GrassRate 20%NightRoute 14Lv.25GrassRate 20%NightRoute 15Lv.25GrassRate 20%NightRoute 8Lv.19GrassSilverRate 10%Nightor evolve from Hoothoot (Step 1)
Noctowl Weakness
Noctowl is weak to Electric, Ice, and Rock. On the flip side, it's immune to Ground and Ghost-type moves entirely. Noctowl's special bulk (base 96 Sp.Def) helps absorb special-type weaknesses, though physical moves exploit the lower Defense.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Electric, Ice, Rock |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Grass, Bug |
| 0x (Immune) | Ground, Ghost |
- Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
- Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
- Special stat split into Sp.Atk and Sp.Def
What is Noctowl Weak Against
GoodBest Pokemon Against Noctowl
Geodude RockGround | C | |
Lapras WaterIce | C | |
Obtain MethodUnion Cave Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Noctowl View Lapras builds →Blizzard 2x80-95% Thunder 2x53-63% | ||
Flaaffy Electric | C | |
Onix RockGround | C | |
Geodude RockGround | C | |
Lapras WaterIce | C | |
Obtain MethodUnion Cave Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Noctowl View Lapras builds →Blizzard 2x74-88% Thunder 2x49-58% | ||
Magnemite ElectricSteel | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Noctowl View Magnemite builds →Thunder 2x80-94% Rollout 2x12-16% | ||
Sudowoodo Rock | C | |
Obtain MethodRoute 36 Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Noctowl View Sudowoodo builds →Rock Throw 2x57-67% Ice Punch 2x17-20% Thunder Punch 2x17-20% | ||
Flaaffy Electric | C | |
Onix RockGround | C | |
Magneton ElectricSteel | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Noctowl View Magneton builds →Thunder 2x96-113%KO Rollout 2x16-20% | ||
Ampharos Electric | C | |
Lapras WaterIce | C | |
Obtain MethodUnion Cave Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Noctowl View Lapras builds →Blizzard 2x72-86% Thunder 2x48-57% | ||
Sudowoodo Rock | C | |
Obtain MethodRoute 36 Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Noctowl View Sudowoodo builds →Rock Slide 2x84-99% Ice Punch 2x16-20% Thunder Punch 2x16-20% | ||
Graveler RockGround | B | |
Magneton ElectricSteel | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Noctowl View Magneton builds →Thunder 2x93-110%KO Rollout 2x16-19% | ||
Ampharos Electric | C | |
Lapras WaterIce | C | |
Obtain MethodUnion Cave Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Noctowl View Lapras builds →Blizzard 2x70-83% Thunder 2x47-56% | ||
Sudowoodo Rock | C | |
Obtain MethodRoute 36 Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Noctowl View Sudowoodo builds →Rock Slide 2x82-97% Ice Punch 2x16-19% Thunder Punch 2x16-19% | ||
Graveler RockGround | B | |
Magneton ElectricSteel | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Noctowl View Magneton builds →Thunder 2x93-110%KO Rollout 2x16-19% | ||
Ampharos Electric | C | |
Lapras WaterIce | C | |
Obtain MethodUnion Cave Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Noctowl View Lapras builds →Blizzard 2x70-83% Thunder 2x47-56% | ||
Sudowoodo Rock | C | |
Obtain MethodRoute 36 Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Noctowl View Sudowoodo builds →Rock Slide 2x82-97% Ice Punch 2x16-19% Thunder Punch 2x16-19% | ||
Graveler RockGround | B | |
Magneton ElectricSteel | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Noctowl View Magneton builds →Thunder 2x93-110%KO Rollout 2x16-19% | ||
Ampharos Electric | C | |
Sudowoodo Rock | C | |
Obtain MethodRoute 36 Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Noctowl View Sudowoodo builds →Rock Slide 2x82-97% Ice Punch 2x16-19% Thunder Punch 2x16-19% | ||
Lapras WaterIce | C | |
Obtain MethodUnion Cave Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Noctowl View Lapras builds →Blizzard 2x70-83% Thunder 2x47-56% | ||
Jynx IcePsychic | B | |
In Gold & Silver, Jolteon's Thunderbolt hits Noctowl for 64-76%. Gastly deals 48-57% with Thunder.
Jolteon Electric | A | |
Recommended Build ItemLeftovers Moves
Damage vs Noctowl View Jolteon builds →Thunderbolt 2x64-76% | ||
B | ||
Recommended Build ItemLeftovers Moves
Damage vs Noctowl View Drowzee builds →Psychic10-12% | ||
B | ||
Recommended Build ItemLeftovers Moves
Damage vs Noctowl View Gastly builds →Psychic20-23% Explosion41-48% Thunder 2x48-57% | ||
C | ||
Recommended Build ItemNothing Moves
Damage vs Noctowl View Venomoth builds →Thief12-14% Psychic18-21% Giga Drain7-9% | ||
C | ||
Recommended Build ItemThickclub Moves
Damage vs Noctowl View Cubone builds →Blizzard 2x24-29% Body Slam18-21% Fire Blast12-14% | ||
Noctowl Evolutions
Noctowl is what Hoothoot becomes. Breed it for Hoothoot eggs (quick to hatch). A decent partner pool for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are quick to hatch. The evolution from Hoothoot pushed Noctowl to 452 total stats. Sp.Atk saw the largest single gain at +50. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Noctowl to get Hoothoot eggs easily using 19 partners from the Flying egg group. Notable egg moves include Feint Attack, Mirror Move, Supersonic and 2 more.
GS Noctowl Best Moveset
100 Sp. Def from the stat split but only 76 Sp. Atk limits offensive output. MoveHypnosis at 60%% accuracy provides unreliable sleep. Held ItemLeftovers sustains. Tanks special hits decently but can't threaten back. Defensive Normal/Flying without enough offense.
Best Build
Utility Moveset
- Confusion
- Steel Wing
- Wing Attack
- Take Down
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Egg moves make a real difference. Noctowl gets Feint Attack and Mirror Move exclusively through breeding, filling gaps that TMs and level-up can't touch. Psychic and Ground coverage and more rounds out the picture alongside Hyper Beam and Take Down.
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
Base Stats
Its eyes are specially adapted. They concentrate even faint light and enable it to see in the dark.
When it needs to think, it rotates its head 180 degrees to sharpen its intellectual power.
Noctowl Gold & Silver Guide
In Gold & Silver, Noctowl brings 452 BST to the table. C-Tier on our list: a niche pick in Gold & Silver's meta. Confusion with Sharpbeak is the standard set.
In Gold & Silver, Noctowl's biggest threats include Jolteon (Electric), Cloyster (Ice), and Aerodactyl (Rock), all carrying super-effective STAB moves.
Noctowl is a physical attacker with base 50 Attack. Enough bulk to take a hit or two, too. Speed tells the real story. Base 70 Speed is workable. Faster than some, slower than many.
For Gold & Silver, the core moveset is Confusion, Steelwing, Wingattack, and Takedown. Confusion leads at 0% usage. This set covers the balanced role with a mix of damage and utility.
In Gold & Silver, the best way to handle Noctowl: Super-effective STAB from faster Pokemon is the simplest answer. Electric, Ice, and Rock-type attackers hit hardest.
Game Availability
Debuting in Gold & Silver, Noctowl appears in 17 games across 9 generations. A reliable presence in most mainline games, typically found through wild encounters.
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 6ORAS

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