How to Evolve Rowlet

Rowlet reaches its first evolution, Dartrix, at level 17. This applies across all mainline games, from Sun and Moon to Scarlet and Violet. Players simply need to gain experience through battles, Rare Candies, or EXP Candies.

Dartrix then evolves into the standard Grass/Ghost-type Decidueye at level 34. There are no evolution stones, trading mechanics, or friendship requirements involved in this process. Evolving early gives you access to higher base stats, specifically boosting Attack and Special Defense.

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Pokémon Legends: Arceus introduced a regional variant with distinct evolution rules. Rowlet still evolves into Dartrix at level 17 in the Hisui region. However, Dartrix evolves into the Grass/Fighting-type Hisuian Decidueye at level 36, two levels later than the Alolan counterpart.

To get Hisuian Decidueye in modern titles like Scarlet and Violet, players must transfer a Dartrix to Legends: Arceus via Pokémon HOME. Once transferred, level it up to 36 in Hisui to trigger the evolution, then transfer it back. Evolving a Dartrix directly in Paldea will always yield the standard Grass/Ghost Decidueye, regardless of its original game or parentage.

Standard Decidueye functions as a slow wallbreaker or utility pivot in lower competitive tiers. Its signature move, Spirit Shackle, traps opponents on the field. This allows for guaranteed setup with Swords Dance or safe pivoting with U-turn against trapped defensive targets.

Its primary strengths lie in trapping utility, strong priority via Sucker Punch, and immunities to Normal and Fighting-type moves. The Long Reach Hidden Ability prevents contact penalty damage from Rocky Helmet and Rough Skin.

However, a base 70 Speed stat is highly exploitable in the current meta. It suffers from weaknesses to common utility moves like Knock Off, U-turn, and Ice Beam. Decidueye is viable for draft leagues where trapping is valuable, but struggles in standard VGC or OU due to poor speed control.

Hisuian Decidueye operates as a dedicated physical wallbreaker. Its Hidden Ability, Scrappy, allows its Grass/Fighting STAB combination to hit Ghost-types. This removes traditional switch-ins like Gholdengo or Dragapult.

Triple Arrows is a mechanic-heavy signature move that lowers the target's Defense, carries a flinch chance, and has an increased critical hit ratio. Combined with Scrappy, it forces immediate switches and breaks defensive cores. Access to Defog also provides niche hazard removal utility.

The main drawback is its base 60 Speed, which is even slower than the Alolan form. A 4x weakness to Flying-type moves makes it a massive liability against common meta threats. It requires dedicated Trick Room or Tailwind support, but heavily rewards teams that can position it safely.

For both Decidueye forms, maximizing Attack is the priority. An Adamant nature (+Attack, -Special Attack) or Jolly nature (+Speed, -Special Attack) yields the best mathematical results. Special Attack sets exist but fail to capitalize on their physical signature moves.

Standard Decidueye benefits from Heavy-Duty Boots to negate Stealth Rock damage while pivoting with U-turn. Alternatively, a Choice Band maximizes Spirit Shackle's trapping damage.

Hisuian Decidueye often runs a Choice Scarf to patch up its base 60 Speed. This specific setup allows it to outspeed unboosted base 110 Speed Pokémon, letting it safely spam Scrappy-boosted Close Combat or Triple Arrows.