How to Evolve Dartrix

Triggering the evolution of Dartrix depends entirely on the game you are playing. Pokedex.me is an unofficial fan-site, and our testing across current generations confirms two distinct evolutionary paths. In Pokémon Sun, Moon, Sword, Shield, and Scarlet, Violet, Dartrix evolves into standard Alolan Decidueye upon reaching level 34.

You do not need any evolutionary stones, specific times of day, or friendship thresholds. The evolution triggers immediately after the battle where level 34 is reached, or directly after applying Rare Candies or EXP Candies. If you press the B button during the animation, the evolution cancels, but the prompt will return at level 35.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus alters this mechanic. If you level up a Dartrix in the Hisui region, it evolves into Hisuian Decidueye at level 36. Furthermore, Legends: Arceus requires manual evolution. You must open your satchel menu, select the glowing Poké Ball icon next to Dartrix, and press X to initiate the sequence.

Alolan Decidueye gains the Grass/Ghost typing, shifting its role toward utility and trapping. Its signature move, Spirit Shackle, is a base 80 physical Ghost-type attack that prevents the target from switching out. This allows Decidueye to trap passive defensive Pokémon and set up Swords Dance safely.

Its Hidden Ability, Long Reach, ensures all its attacks avoid making direct contact. This allows Decidueye to hit Pokémon holding a Rocky Helmet or possessing the Rough Skin ability without taking chip damage. Combined with Roost for reliable recovery and U-turn for pivoting, it has the tools of a bulky attacker.

However, we rate Alolan Decidueye a 6/10 in modern competitive formats. Its base 70 Speed leaves it outpaced by almost every common offensive threat, including Gholdengo, Dragapult, and Kingambit. Furthermore, weaknesses to frequent coverage types like Knock Off (Dark), Ice Beam (Ice), and U-turn (Bug) severely limit its longevity on the field.

Hisuian Decidueye adopts a Grass/Fighting typing and functions as a dedicated physical wallbreaker. Its base 112 Attack stat is slightly higher than its Alolan counterpart, but its true power lies in its Hidden Ability: Scrappy. Scrappy allows Fighting-type moves to hit Ghost-types and grants immunity to Intimidate.

This ability turns Close Combat into an incredibly spammable STAB move, hitting standard Ghost-type switch-ins like Gholdengo for neutral or super-effective damage. Its signature move, Triple Arrows, is mechanically overloaded. It has a high critical-hit ratio, a 50% chance to lower the target's Defense, and a 30% chance to cause a flinch.

We give Hisuian Decidueye a 7.5/10. While its base 60 Speed is even worse than the Alolan form, its offensive output against defensive cores is unmatched. It excels on Trick Room teams or alongside Tailwind setters. A 4x weakness to Flying-type attacks (Brave Bird, Acrobatics) remains its most critical defensive flaw, forcing early Terastallization.

Reaching level 34 in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is highly efficient using EXP Candies obtained from Tera Raid Battles. Dartrix falls under the Medium Slow growth rate, meaning it requires roughly 34,700 total EXP to hit level 34 from level 1. If you breed a level 1 Rowlet and evolve it to Dartrix at level 17, pushing it to 34 requires minimal resources.

Feeding your Dartrix exactly one EXP Candy XL (30,000 EXP) and one EXP Candy M (3,000 EXP) will instantly bridge the gap from level 17 to level 34. This bypasses the need for wild encounters entirely. Alternatively, equipping a Lucky Egg and clearing the Academy Ace Tournament grants passive EXP share yields that will evolve Dartrix in just two battles.

If you are leveling in Legends: Arceus to hit level 36, target Alpha Pokémon in the Obsidian Fieldlands. Defeating an Alpha Blissey or Alpha Walrein yields massive experience. Throwing Dartrix's Poké Ball at ore deposits and apricorn trees also provides incremental EXP without consuming battle time.

Dartrix relies heavily on Pluck and Razor Leaf during its mid-game progression, but these moves become obsolete upon evolution. When Dartrix evolves into Alolan Decidueye, it immediately attempts to learn Spirit Shackle. You should delete Pluck to make room for this essential STAB move.

• Alolan Build: Equip the Swords Dance TM (TM088 in SV). Retain Sucker Punch for crucial priority against faster targets. Use Tera Ghost to maximize Spirit Shackle trapping damage.
• Hisuian Build: Ensure you visit the Move Reminder menu to teach Triple Arrows. Drop all Flying-type coverage, as Hisuian Decidueye loses Flying STAB. Teach Close Combat (TM167) immediately.
• Utility Options: Both forms benefit from Knock Off to remove Heavy-Duty Boots and Leftovers from opposing walls.

Do not run special attacks like Leaf Storm or Shadow Ball on either form. Despite a base 100 Special Attack on Alolan Decidueye, physical sets utilizing Swords Dance yield consistently higher damage outputs against standard metagame threats.