Pokémon Scarlet and Violet: How to Evolve Dratini into Dragonair and Dragonite

For a trainer desperately trying to fill out their Pokédex in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, evolving your Pokémon is far more reliable than trying to hunt every species in the wild. For a Pokémon with a three species evolution chain, tracking down every species in the wild can be a significant challenge, especially since the final Pokémon feels somewhat elusive compared to the first. So, sometimes it’s best to stock up on your EXP candy or take your low-leveled Pokémon to a high-level battle to make the most of EXP share, but sometimes this evolution process is much longer than players realize. If you’re looking to evolve your Dratini into Dragonair and Dragonite, read on.

When Does Dratini Evolve in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet?

For players looking to evolve Dratini during Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, you’ll be relieved to know that this can be done exclusively through leveling your Pokémon up rather than relying on a specific item or circumstance. Once Dratini hits Level 30, it’ll evolve into Dragonair and then into Dragonite starting at Level 55. These levels can be reached quickly if you regularly compete in Tera Raid events and have a stash of EXP candy, but when you’re between Dragonair and Dragonite, this leveling method gets significantly more challenging since you’ll need a lot more candy to hit the next level.

If you have any Rare Candy on hand, it can help hit the next few levels before you trigger the evolution process. However, the elusive nature of this item makes it harder to want to use. So, the best thing to do is take your Dragonair to Gym Battles and re-match trainers with Dragonair to benefit most from the EXP share and slowly climb the ranks to the next level before you can welcome Dragonite to your team at Level 55.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available on Nintendo Switch.