Pokemon Scarlet and Violet: How to Get Dragonite

When it comes to pseudo-legendary Pokemon, Dragonite is one of the original monsters to carry that torch. It's the third in an evolutionary line that begins with Dratini, then Dragonair, and ends with a drastic transformation from the long, aquatic Pokemon to the orange dragon Dragonite, complete with wings.

Beyond its intriguing and striking appearance, Dragonite is a great addition to any Pokemon team and is available in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.

With that said, how do you get Dragonite in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet? Is it a monster you're handed by completing a challenge? Or is it a Pokemon you find in the wild? Perhaps it's one that you can obtain by evolving the Pokemon you already have. If you want to add Dragonite to your Pokemon collection, we've got everything you need to know about doing so right here.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet: Dragonite
Dragonite, shown above, is a pseudo-legendary Pokemon that's available in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Here's how you can go about adding it to your Pokedex. Nintendo

How to get Dragonite in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

If you want to get a Dragonite in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, you'll first need to make sure you have a Dratini or a Dragonair. If not, be sure to track one down, as you'll need to level up Dratini into Dragonair at level 30 or a Dragonair you're ready to bring to the next evolutionary stage. That's the foundation we'll assume we're working with for this method. Fortunately, you don't need any special evolutionary stone, and you don't need to do anything tedious or frustrating to bag your Dragonite.

To start the process, you can start using Dragonair in battle until you've leveled it up to level 55. That's when Dragonair evolves into Dragonite naturally. It might take a bit, especially if you're using a level 30 Dragonair, but this is the best and most reliable way to get your Dragonite.

Alternatively, you can capture a level 50 Dragonair at Cesseroya Lake, then complete your level grind from there. It takes much less time, and you won't have to worry about finding wild Pokemon or trainers to battle.

Don't want to participate in any battles at all? No problem. Simply save the Rare Candy you receive and use it to fill in the gaps where you need to level up Dragonair to Dragonite. You can minimize the number you need by catching the level 50 Dragonair, but either way, you should be able to get most of the way there with Rare Candy.

When you reach level 55, your Dragonair will evolve into Dragonite. That's all you need to do! Now, get ready to welcome a veritable powerhouse into your team.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available now exclusively on Nintendo Switch.

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Brittany Vincent is a Newsweek gaming editor based in Kentucky. Her focus is reporting on video games, the game industry, ... Read more

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