Complete Guide to Finding, Catching, and Evolving Dreepy in Pokémon Sword & Shield

Selena Lee
Selena Lee Originally published Jun 25, 2026, updated Jun 25, 2026
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robot TL;DR:

To evolve Dreepy in Pokémon Sword and Shield, you must level it up to 50 to get Drakloak, and then to level 60 to get its final form, Dragapult.

  • Dreepy Location: Dreepy is found in the tall grass at the Lake of Outrage, but only during overcast, foggy, or stormy weather. It has a very low spawn rate (1-2%).
  • Catching Method: You'll need the Rotom Bike's water-crossing upgrade to reach its habitat. Use moves that inflict status effects (like paralyze or sleep) and Ultra Balls to increase your catch chance.
  • Alternative Methods: You can also obtain Dreepy by breeding two Drakloaks at a Pokémon Nursery or by participating in Max Raid Battles in dens at Axew’s Eye and Rolling Fields.

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Pokémon Sword and Shield introduced trainers to the Galar region, bringing with it a host of new creatures to catch. Among the most sought-after is the pseudo-legendary Dreepy. This elusive Dragon/Ghost-type Pokémon is not only incredibly cute but also evolves into one of the most powerful attackers in the game, making the search well worth the effort.

However, securing this Pokémon is a true test of a trainer's patience. Many players struggle to find its specific location and understand the conditions for its appearance. Questions like what level does Dreepy evolve and what its final form is are common. This comprehensive guide will walk you through everything you need to know, from locating Dreepy to unleashing the full power of its final evolution, Dragapult.

A trainer observing Dreepy in Pokemon Sword and Shield
In this article
  1. Part 1. Understanding the Dreepy Pokémon
  2. Part 2. Dreepy's Evolution Path: Drakloak and Dragapult
  3. Part 3. Where to Find the Elusive Dreepy
  4. Part 4. Step-by-Step Guide to Catching Dreepy
    1. Method 1: Catching Dreepy in its Natural Habitat
    2. Method 2: Breeding Dreepy at a Pokémon Nursery
    3. Method 3: Finding Dreepy in Max Raid Battles
  5. Part 5. How to Evolve Dreepy into Drakloak
  6. Part 6. How to Evolve Drakloak into Dragapult

Part 1. Understanding the Dreepy Pokémon

Dreepy is a unique dual-type Dragon/Ghost Pokémon, categorized as a pseudo-legendary. This means that while it's not a true Legendary, its power level and rarity are exceptionally high. In ancient times, it was a formidable dragon, but it has since been reborn as a ghost, haunting the Galar region where it once lived.

Dreepy's information in the Pokedex

Its rarity is a major challenge for trainers. Dreepy has only a 1% chance of appearing in overcast weather and a slightly better 2% chance during fog or thunderstorms. Compounding this difficulty, it prefers to hide in tall grass, making it incredibly difficult to spot even when the conditions are perfect. Its Ghost typing grants it immunity to Normal and Fighting-type moves, but it is vulnerable to Dragon, Ghost, Ice, Dark, and Fairy-type attacks, which you can use to your advantage during an encounter.

Part 2. Dreepy's Evolution Path: Drakloak and Dragapult

Your hard work in catching a Dreepy pays off handsomely through its powerful evolutions. So, what does Dreepy evolve into? It follows a two-stage evolution line that transforms it from a small, shy creature into a devastatingly fast attacker.

The evolution line of Dreepy, showing Drakloak and Dragapult

First, Dreepy evolves into Drakloak. This caretaker Pokémon is known for its incredible speed, capable of flying faster than 120 mph. Drakloak is rarely seen without a Dreepy on its head, which it cares for diligently until it's ready to evolve. The Dreepy evolution level for this stage is 50.

Next, Drakloak evolves into the final form, Dragapult. This stealthy Pokémon can turn invisible and is famous for launching the two Dreepy that live in its horns like supersonic missiles. Despite this seemingly aggressive action, the Dreepy enjoy the ride. To get this final evolution, you must know what level does Drakloak evolve: Level 60.

Part 3. Where to Find the Elusive Dreepy

The primary Dreepy location in Pokémon Sword and Shield is a specific area within the vast Wild Area. You must travel to the Lake of Outrage, which is situated in the northern section, just east of Hammerlocke Hills. This is where Dreepy resides in the patches of tall grass, but only under its preferred weather conditions (overcast, fog, or thunderstorm).

The habitat map showing the location of Dreepy

However, reaching this location has prerequisites. You cannot simply walk to the island in the Lake of Outrage; you must cross the water using an upgraded Rotom Bike. First, you obtain the bike on Route 5. Later, you must earn your sixth gym badge by defeating Gordie, the gym leader of Circhester. This victory prompts a character on Route 9 to upgrade your bike, granting it the ability to travel over water. Only then can you begin your hunt for a wild Dreepy, which appears between levels 50 and 52.

Part 4. Step-by-Step Guide to Catching Dreepy

There are three main methods to acquire this highly sought-after Pokémon. While catching it in the wild is the most direct approach, you can also breed it or find it in special raid dens. Here’s a breakdown of each method.

Method 1: Catching Dreepy in its Natural Habitat

This method requires patience due to Dreepy's low spawn rate and specific weather requirements. However, you can manipulate the in-game weather to speed up the process. Follow these steps on how to get Dreepy in the wild:

  1. Open your Town Map and press the Plus (+) button on your controller to view the current weather conditions across the Galar region.
Town map showing the Lake of Outrage area
  1. Check the weather at the Lake of Outrage. If it's sunny, Dreepy will not appear. You need it to be overcast, foggy, or a thunderstorm.
Weather icon for the Lake of Outrage
  1. To change the weather, go to the System Settings on your Nintendo Switch's home screen.
Nintendo Switch System Settings menu
  1. Navigate to Airplane Mode and ensure your Wi-Fi is turned off.
Turning off Wi-Fi in Airplane Mode settings
  1. Go down to System > Date and Time.
Accessing Date and Time settings
  1. Disable the Synchronize Clock via Internet option.
Disabling internet clock synchronization
  1. Manually change the date to any day in the future. This will randomize the weather in the game. Return to the game to check if the weather at the Lake of Outrage has changed.
Changing the date and time manually on Switch
  1. Once you have the correct weather, ride your Rotom Bike across the lake and search the tall grass until you encounter a Dreepy.
Trainer on Rotom Bike at the Lake of Outrage
  1. When you find a wild Dreepy, start the battle. Use its weaknesses (Dragon, Ghost, Ice, Dark, Fairy) to lower its health. Be careful not to knock it out! Using a move like False Swipe is ideal.
Encountering a wild Dreepy in battle
  1. Throw an Ultra Ball to maximize your chances of a successful capture. Go to your Bag > Ultra Ball > Use this item.
Using an Ultra Ball to catch Dreepy

Success! Dreepy is now caught and has been added to your Pokédex.

Confirmation message after catching Dreepy with a Poke Ball

Method 2: Breeding Dreepy at a Pokémon Nursery

If searching in the wild proves too tedious, you can breed a Dreepy. This requires you to first catch a male and a female Drakloak, which also appear at the Lake of Outrage between levels 55 and 58. Their spawn rates are similar to Dreepy's, but they can appear in more weather conditions.

Here’s the process for breeding:

  1. Catch one male and one female Drakloak at the Lake of Outrage or the Old Cemetery.
Encountering a Drakloak at the Lake of Outrage
  1. Travel to one of the two Pokémon Nurseries in the Galar region: one is on Route 5, and the other is in Bridge Field in the Wild Area.
The Pokemon Nursery location on Route 5

The Bridge Field nursery is easily accessible, but be prepared for high-level Pokémon encounters in that part of the Wild Area.

The Pokemon Nursery location in Bridge Field
  1. Speak to the nursery attendant and leave your male and female Drakloak in her care.
Leaving two Pokemon at the Pokemon Nursery
  1. Walk or cycle around for a few minutes. When you return, the attendant will have her arms crossed, indicating she has an egg for you. Talk to her to receive the egg.
Receiving an egg from the nursery attendant

Keep the egg in your party and travel around. After a certain number of steps, it will hatch into a level 1 Dreepy.

A newly hatched Dreepy from an egg

Method 3: Finding Dreepy in Max Raid Battles

Max Raid Battles offer another chance to obtain a Dreepy. These are cooperative battles where you and three other trainers fight a giant Dynamax or Gigantamax Pokémon. Winning these battles yields great rewards, including a chance to catch rare Pokémon. You have a 10% chance to encounter Dreepy or Drakloak and a 5% chance for Dragapult in specific dens.

Follow these steps:

  1. Check Pokémon dens in the Axew’s Eye area, which is in the middle of Lake Axewell. This is a prime spot for Dragon-type raids.
Map showing the Axew’s Eye location in the Wild Area
  1. You can also search the dens in the Rolling Fields, located just south of Axew’s Eye.
The Rolling Fields area in the Wild Area
  1. Look for a den with a red or purple beam of light shooting out of it. This indicates an active Max Raid Battle. Interact with the den to start.
An activated Pokemon den with a beam of light
  1. Team up with other trainers and defeat the Dynamax Pokémon. If you succeed, you'll have an opportunity to catch it.
A Max Raid Battle in progress

If the silhouette in the raid den matches Dreepy or its evolutions, a victory will give you a guaranteed chance to throw a Poké Ball and add it to your collection.

Part 5. How to Evolve Dreepy into Drakloak

Now that you have your Dreepy, the next step is evolution. The answer to at what level does Dreepy evolve into Drakloak is Level 50. To reach this level, you can either gain experience through battles or use items like Rare Candies and Experience Candies.

Here’s the simplest way on how to evolve Dreepy:

  1. Open your Bag, navigate to the Other Items tab (candy icon), and select Rare Candy or any size of Experience Candy. Choose to use the item on your Dreepy.
Using a Rare Candy on Dreepy from the bag menu
  1. Continue giving candies to Dreepy until it reaches Level 50.
Dreepy reaching level 50 and about to evolve

As soon as Dreepy hits level 50, the evolution sequence will trigger automatically, and it will transform into Drakloak.

The evolution animation of Dreepy turning into Drakloak

Your Pokédex will then update with the new entry for Drakloak.

Drakloak's new entry in the Pokedex

Part 6. How to Evolve Drakloak into Dragapult

The final stage of this evolutionary line, Dragapult, cannot be found in the wild. The only way to obtain it is by evolving Drakloak. The process is identical to the previous evolution: level it up through battles or with items.

So, at what level does Drakloak evolve? It evolves into the mighty Dragapult at Level 60, just ten levels after it evolved from Dreepy.

Here’s how to evolve Drakloak:

  1. Once again, open your Bag, go to Other Items, and select your Experience Candies or Rare Candies. Choose to use them on your Drakloak.
Giving Experience Candy to Drakloak from the bag
  1. Feed candies to Drakloak until its level increases to 60.
Drakloak leveling up to 60

The moment Drakloak reaches Level 60, its final, magnificent evolution into Dragapult will begin.

Drakloak's evolution animation into Dragapult

Within seconds, your Pokédex will register the powerful Dragapult, completing the journey.

Dragapult's new entry displayed in the Pokedex

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Conclusion

The journey to find, catch, and evolve Dreepy in Pokémon Sword and Shield is undoubtedly a challenge, but the reward is one of the game's most formidable Pokémon. From a timid Drakloak to a stealthy and powerful Dragapult, this evolutionary line is a fantastic addition to any trainer's team.

Remember to head to the Lake of Outrage during the right weather, or try your luck with breeding and Max Raid Battles. With persistence and this guide, you’ll soon have a powerful Dragapult at your command. If you encounter any issues managing your device data while gaming, you can always find a solution with Dr.Fone.

FAQ

  • 1. What's the best weather to find Dreepy?
    The best weather conditions to find Dreepy are overcast, fog, or a thunderstorm. It has a 1% spawn rate in overcast weather and a 2% spawn rate during fog or thunderstorms. Dreepy will not appear in sunny weather.
  • 2. Can I find Dragapult in the wild?
    No, you cannot find Dragapult in the wild in Pokémon Sword and Shield. The only way to obtain it is by evolving a Drakloak at level 60. However, there is a small (5%) chance to encounter a Dragapult in specific Max Raid Battles.
  • 3. What level should my Pokémon be to catch Dreepy?
    Wild Dreepy at the Lake of Outrage appear between levels 50 and 52. It's recommended to have Pokémon at Level 60 or higher to withstand their attacks and to effectively lower their health for catching. A Pokémon with the move 'False Swipe' is highly recommended as it cannot knock out the opposing Pokémon, leaving it with 1 HP.
  • 4. Is Dreepy worth the effort to catch and evolve?
    Absolutely. Dreepy's final evolution, Dragapult, is one of the fastest and strongest non-legendary Pokémon in the game. Its high Speed and Attack stats, combined with a great Dragon/Ghost typing, make it a top-tier choice for both the main story and competitive battles.
OUR EXPERT
Selena Lee

Selena Lee

chief editor

Chief Editor of the Dr.Fone team since 2012, Selena is a veteran technology editor known for turning complex iOS and Android topics into clear, user-focused guidance.

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