Master Dragonite: Best Movesets, Counters & Catching Guide for Pokemon GO

If you’re looking to dominate in Pokemon GO battles, you need to know about Dragonite. This iconic Dragon/Flying type has been a fan favorite since the original games, and it continues to be one of the most powerful and versatile Pokemon in the mobile game. With its impressive stats, great typing, and massive CP potential, Dragonite remains relevant in raids, gym battles, and PvP competitions years after its introduction.

What makes Dragonite so special isn’t just its raw power—it’s the combination of that power with accessibility. Unlike some legendary Pokemon that only appear during special events, Dragonite can be obtained through multiple methods, making it achievable for both casual and hardcore players. Plus, with the right knowledge about its movesets and weaknesses, you can maximize its potential in any battle scenario.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about Dragonite in Pokemon GO, from its best movesets to how to catch one in 2025, its weaknesses and counters, shiny availability, and even some bonus tips to help you find Dragonite or its pre-evolutions more efficiently.

Why Dragonite Remains a Top-Tier Pokemon in GO

Dragonite isn’t just popular because of its nostalgic value—it’s genuinely powerful in the current Pokemon GO meta. With a maximum CP of 4,287, it sits among the highest CP Pokemon in the game, only surpassed by certain legendaries and mega evolutions. Its Dragon/Flying typing gives it valuable resistances to common attacking types while maintaining strong offensive coverage.

In Master League PvP, Dragonite consistently ranks as one of the top picks thanks to its balanced stats and versatile movepool. It can pressure shields with fast-charging moves while dealing significant damage with its high attack stat. For raids and gym battles, Dragonite serves as an excellent generalist attacker, particularly effective against Dragon, Grass, Bug, and Fighting-type raid bosses.

The dragonite pokemon go best moveset options available make it adaptable to different battle formats, which we’ll explore in detail next. Whether you’re facing other players or AI-controlled opponents, having a well-equipped Dragonite on your team gives you a significant advantage.

Dragonite Best Moveset Pokemon GO: PvE vs PvP Breakdown

Choosing the right moves for your Dragonite can make the difference between victory and defeat. The optimal dragonite best moveset pokemon go configuration depends heavily on whether you’re using it for Player vs Environment (PvE) content like raids and gyms, or Player vs Player (PvP) battles in the GO Battle League.

Best Dragonite Moveset for Raids and Gym Battles

When it comes to PvE content, you’re generally looking for maximum damage output rather than energy efficiency or shield pressure. For Dragonite, this means focusing on high-damage moves that can take down raid bosses and gym defenders quickly.

For your fast move, Dragon Tail is the clear winner. It provides higher raw damage compared to Dragon Breath, which makes it more effective against stationary targets that don’t use shields. The slower energy generation isn’t as much of an issue in raids where you have more time to build up to powerful charged moves.

For charged moves, Outrage stands out as the most reliable option. It offers excellent damage per second (DPS) while having a reasonable energy cost. Draco Meteor hits even harder but has a significantly higher energy requirement, meaning you’ll use it less frequently. Some players prefer the consistency of Outrage, while others enjoy the massive burst damage of Draco Meteor when it connects.

Dragon Claw can also be effective in certain situations, particularly when you need to finish off a nearly-defeated opponent quickly or dodge incoming charged moves. However, for pure damage output against raid bosses, Outrage generally outperforms it.

Best Dragonite Moveset for PvP Battles

PvP battles require a different approach than PvE content. Instead of pure damage, you need to consider energy generation, shield pressure, and coverage against common opposing types. This is where the pokemon go best moveset dragonite configuration really shines.

For fast moves in PvP, Dragon Breath is typically superior to Dragon Tail. The faster energy generation allows you to reach your charged moves more quickly, which is crucial for shield pressure and responding to opponent switches. Dragon Breath also deals consistent damage between charged moves, wearing down opponents steadily.

When it comes to charged moves, most competitive players recommend running two moves on Dragonite for coverage. Dragon Claw is an excellent primary charged move—it charges quickly, pressures shields, and provides reliable STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) damage. For your second move, Superpower offers crucial coverage against Steel-type Pokemon that would otherwise resist Dragonite’s Dragon-type attacks.

Some players also consider Hurricane as an alternative coverage move, particularly for dealing with Fighting and Grass types, but Superpower generally provides more valuable coverage in the current meta. The pokémon go dragonite best moveset for PvP typically involves Dragon Breath as the fast move with Dragon Claw and Superpower as charged moves.

Moves to Avoid on Dragonite

While Dragonite has access to several powerful moves, it also has some less effective options that are best avoided in most situations. Steel Wing might seem tempting for coverage against Fairy and Ice types, but its low damage output makes it generally inferior to Dragon-type fast moves.

Hyper Beam is another move that looks impressive on paper with its massive damage, but its extremely high energy cost makes it impractical in most battle scenarios. By the time you charge Hyper Beam, your Dragonite has often already fainted or the opponent has saved up shields specifically for it.

Return is a move that purified Dragonite can learn, but it doesn’t offer any significant advantages over Dragonite’s other charged moves and comes with the downside of having a shadow Pokemon that’s been purified. For most players, keeping Dragonite with its standard moveset is the better option.

Understanding Dragonite’s Type, Weaknesses, and Counters

Dragonite’s Dragon/Flying typing gives it a unique set of strengths and vulnerabilities that are crucial to understand whether you’re using it or facing against it. This dual typing provides valuable resistances to several common attacking types while creating some notable weaknesses.

Dragonite takes reduced damage from:

• Grass-type attacks
• Fighting-type attacks
• Bug-type attacks
• Ground-type attacks
• Fire-type attacks
• Water-type attacks

These resistances make Dragonite particularly effective against popular Pokemon like Venusaur, Machamp, Swampert, and Gyarados. However, its weaknesses are equally important to note:

Dragonite is vulnerable to:

• Ice-type attacks (double weakness)
• Dragon-type attacks
• Fairy-type attacks
• Rock-type attacks

The double weakness to Ice-type moves is especially significant, as it means Dragonite takes quadruple damage from Ice attacks. This makes it extremely vulnerable to popular Ice-type attackers like Mamoswine and Glaceon.

Top Dragonite Counters

When facing an opposing Dragonite, whether in gyms, raids, or PvP, these Pokemon tend to perform exceptionally well:

Mamoswine with Powder Snow and Avalanche is arguably the best Dragonite counter available. Its Ice-type moves exploit Dragonite’s double weakness while its Ground typing provides resistance to Dragon-type attacks. The combination of fast energy generation and powerful charged moves can eliminate Dragonite quickly.

Garchomp with Dragon Tail and Outrage serves as an excellent Dragon-type counter to Dragonite. Its high attack stat and powerful Dragon-type moves deal super-effective damage while resisting Dragonite’s Dragon-type attacks in return.

Togekiss with Charm and Dazzling Gleam represents the Fairy-type approach to countering Dragonite. Charm deals significant fast move damage while being super effective, and Dazzling Gleam provides a powerful charged move option. Togekiss also double-resists Dragon-type moves thanks to its Fairy/Flying typing.

Other strong counters include Glaceon with Ice-type moves, Rayquaza with Dragon Tail and Outrage, and Salamence with similar Dragon-type movesets. The key is exploiting Dragonite’s Ice, Dragon, Fairy, or Rock weaknesses while resisting its powerful Dragon-type attacks.

How to Get Dragonite in Pokemon GO: 2025 Methods

Obtaining a Dragonite requires some effort, but several methods are available to players in 2025. Some approaches are more time-consuming than others, but with persistence, most players can eventually add this powerful Pokemon to their collection.

Evolving from Dratini

The most common way to obtain Dragonite is by evolving it from its first-stage evolution, Dratini. This process requires significant candy investment—25 Dratini Candy to evolve Dratini into Dragonair, then another 100 Dratini Candy to evolve Dragonair into Dragonite.

Dratini can occasionally be found in the wild, particularly near bodies of water or during specific events that increase Dragon-type spawns. Using Pinap Berries when catching Dratini doubles the candy received, helping you accumulate the necessary candy more quickly. Setting Dratini or Dragonair as your buddy Pokemon also earns you additional candy as you walk.

Catching Dragonite in the Wild

While rare, Dragonite can sometimes be encountered in the wild, particularly during windy weather which boosts Dragon and Flying-type spawns. These encounters are extremely uncommon but become more likely during special events, Community Days, or in areas with known Dragon-type spawn points.

Wild Dragonite encounters represent an opportunity to obtain one without the candy investment required for evolution. However, their rarity means most players will need to rely on other methods or use tools to locate spawns more efficiently.

Research Tasks and Special Encounters

Dragonite occasionally appears as a reward for completing certain research tasks or as part of special research storylines. These opportunities are typically time-limited and tied to specific events, so staying updated on current research tasks is important.

Field Research breakthrough boxes have sometimes featured Dragonite or its pre-evolutions, providing a guaranteed encounter for completing seven days of research tasks. Special research associated with events like GO Fest has also included Dragonite encounters in the past.

Hatching Dratini from Eggs

While Dragonite itself cannot be hatched from eggs, its first evolution Dratini frequently appears in 10km eggs. Hatching Dratini provides candy toward evolution and potentially high individual values (IVs) that can result in a powerful Dragonite.

Adventure Sync rewards for walking 50km or 100km in a week have sometimes included 10km eggs that feature Dratini, providing another avenue for obtaining this Pokemon and its valuable candy.

Trading with Other Players

If you have friends who already have Dragonite, trading represents a quick way to obtain one. Lucky Trades are particularly valuable as they guarantee good IVs while reducing the stardust cost.

Trading for a Dragonite counts as a special trade, which means it can only be done once per day and costs significant stardust unless you already have Dragonite registered in your Pokedex. Building friendship levels with potential trading partners reduces this stardust cost over time.

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Shiny Dragonite Availability and Hunting Tips

For many collectors, obtaining a shiny Dragonite represents the ultimate goal. Shiny Dragonite features a distinctive green color scheme compared to the standard orange, making it a prized possession for any trainer.

Shiny Dragonite can be obtained in two primary ways: evolving a shiny Dratini or catching a shiny Dragonite directly in the wild. The first method is more reliable since Dratini spawns more frequently than Dragonite, increasing your chances of encountering a shiny.

The base shiny rate for Dratini and Dragonite is approximately 1 in 512, based on community research. This means you’ll likely need to encounter hundreds of Dratini or Dragonite before finding a shiny under normal circumstances.

However, during certain events, these odds improve significantly. Community Days featuring Dratini or Dragonite typically boost the shiny rate to approximately 1 in 25, making it much more likely to obtain a shiny. Other events like GO Fest or Safari Zones sometimes feature boosted shiny rates for specific Pokemon, including Dragonite and its evolutionary line.

When hunting for shiny Dragonite, focus on events that increase spawn rates for Dragon-type Pokemon or specifically feature Dratini and Dragonite. Using incense and lures during these events maximizes your encounter rate, improving your chances of finding that elusive shiny.

Finding Dragonite and Dratini Nests with Location Tools

For players struggling to find Dragonite or Dratini in their local area, location-changing tools can provide access to global spawn hotspots. These tools allow you to virtually teleport to locations where these Pokemon are known to appear more frequently, significantly reducing the time required to obtain them.

The dragonite pokemon go best moveset won’t matter if you can’t actually obtain the Pokemon itself, which is where these tools become valuable. They’re particularly useful for players in rural areas with limited spawn diversity or during time-limited events when every encounter matters.

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When using location tools to find Dragonite or Dratini, it’s helpful to target areas with known spawn points or nests. While Dragonite doesn’t nest in the traditional sense, certain biomes and weather conditions increase its spawn likelihood. Dratini, however, can sometimes be found in nests, particularly during migration events.

Popular locations for finding Dragon-type Pokemon include water-adjacent areas for Dratini and mountain or windy weather biomes for Dragonite. Major cities often have more diverse spawn patterns, making them productive hunting grounds when using location tools.

The process of using these tools typically involves selecting your desired location on a map, then activating the location change. More advanced features include route simulation that mimics walking patterns to avoid detection and cooldown timers that help prevent softbans by respecting travel time between locations.

For players specifically interested in obtaining the optimal dragonite best moveset pokemon go configuration, being able to access multiple Dratini spawns quickly is invaluable for accumulating the candy needed to evolve and power up Dragonite, as well as potentially finding one with ideal IVs for battling.

Dragonite Evolution Line and Candy Management

Understanding Dragonite’s evolution line is crucial for efficient candy management. Dragonite evolves from Dragonair, which in turn evolves from Dratini. The total candy cost for evolving a Dratini all the way to Dragonite is 125 candies—25 for the first evolution and 100 for the second.

This significant candy requirement means most players will need to catch multiple Dratini or walk considerable distances with Dratini or Dragonair as their buddy Pokemon. Each kilometer walked with a Dratini buddy yields one candy, while Dragonair requires three kilometers per candy.

Several strategies can help accelerate candy accumulation:

• Use Pinap Berries when catching Dratini to double candy from catches
• Take advantage of events that feature increased Dratini spawns
• Hatch 10km eggs that may contain Dratini
• Complete research tasks that reward Dratini encounters
• Trade Dratini with friends for potential candy bonuses
• Walk with Dratini as your buddy during events with reduced walking distance requirements

For players working toward their first Dragonite, it’s generally recommended to wait until you have enough candy to complete both evolution stages before evolving. This ensures you don’t end up with a Dragonair that you can’t evolve further for an extended period.

When you have multiple Dratini to choose from, prioritize evolving ones with higher IVs, particularly attack IVs for raid attackers or more balanced IV spreads for PvP. The pokémon go dragonite best moveset will perform better on a Pokemon with good IVs, so it’s worth being selective about which Dratini you invest in.

Maximizing Dragonite’s Battle Performance

Once you’ve obtained a Dragonite and taught it the ideal dragonite pokemon go best moveset, there are additional factors that influence its battle performance. Understanding these elements helps you get the most out of this powerful Pokemon in various combat scenarios.

CP and level significantly impact Dragonite’s effectiveness. A maxed