Where to Find & Catch Dratini in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet

Sometimes, it’s okay to fall back on the classics. There are always new Pokemon to be found, but Dratini has been around since the very beginning. In this guide, we’ll break down where to find and catch Dratini in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.

Dratini Locations in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet

Dratini isn’t a difficult Pokemon to locate once you know where you’re going, but catching one early may or may not happen. As you’ll see from the screenshot below, Casseroya Lake is your best bet to encounter a Dratini in the wild. That comes with a bit of a warning, however.

Dratini Pokemon Scarlet & Violet — Image Source: The Pokemon Company via Twinfinite

When I encountered my first Dratini at said lake, it was at level 51. And while I was able to capture easily enough, I hadn’t progressed quite far enough on the Victory Road path for it to obey in battle. That’s really all you have to keep in mind with Dratini. If you’re looking to catch one early on, South Province (Area Six) or North Province (Areas One and Two) are the places to look.

Otherwise, waiting until you get to Casseroya Lake is worth it, for you will encounter Dratini and Dragonair galore. Speaking of…

Evolving Dratini in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet

Trainers don’t have to do anything special in order to evolve Dratini. Once they hit level 30, they can begin evolving into Dragonair. Once Dragonair then hits level 55, it can evolve into Dragonite. That’s it! No fuss, stones, or trading — just some plain old fashioned leveling up.

That’s everything you need to know about where to find and catch Dratini in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. For more in-game tips, such as where to find Rellor, Tinkatink, and Ralts, keep your eyes locked on Twinfinite. And, be sure to follow the links below for even more information.

About the author

Shaun Ranft

Shaun Ranft is a Freelance Writer for Twinfinite, with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English and Creative Writing from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, who has been with the site and writing about games in general since 2022. While he typically covers any major sports title, he also cannot get enough of Telltale's The Walking Dead, Fallout: New Vegas, The Outer Worlds, and the Horizon series, replaying each multiple times. When he's not writing professionally or playing videogames, there's a good chance he's either writing poetry, listening to Manchester Orchestra, discussing how sad Tottenham Hotspur makes him, ranting and raving about Frank Darabont or Mike Flanagan, and thinking about Seth Rollins' suits.