Pokemon Legends Z-A Dratini Locations Guide

Few Pokemon feel as iconic as Dragonite, blending powerful moves with a charming, quirky personality that has endeared it to fans for decades. In Pokemon Legends: Z-A, finding and evolving a Dratini is a key step toward adding this fan favorite to your roster. Tracking down these elusive serpents involves rooftop perches and careful tactics, making the hunt just as rewarding as the final evolution itself.

Dratini can appear in any weather, giving you the freedom to search whenever you like. However, capturing it is a different story. This Pokemon has a notoriously low catch rate and will often flee if it spots you. Even with Blue Canari Plushes boosting your chances, patience is essential when trying to secure one.

Dratini doesn’t spawn in any specific weather condition, so you can freely search for it at any in-game time. That said, it can still be hard to catch once it’s found. On top of running away quickly upon spotting you, its catch rate is very low. Even with all the Blue Canari Plushes, which increase your likelihood of catching Pokemon, its still highly possible you’ll fail to catch it.

Typically, Dratini is found high above the cityscape, perching atop rooftops. There are only a handful of known spawn points, and some require special traversal methods like Roto-Glide or Holovators. Luckily, several locations don’t need these tools, so you can get started hunting without delays.

The quickest access point is in Vert Sector 6 , just east near Restaurant Le Nah. Fast travel to the restaurant, then head right to climb the building adjacent via a ladder. The building opposite also has a ladder but requires Roto-Glide to reach the restaurant’s roof. For the building on the right, a well-timed dodge roll can get you up — just be sure to keep moving forward after rolling to maintain momentum.

The quickest way you’ll get to Dratini is to the east in Vert Sector 6, on top of Restaurant Le Nah. If you fast travel to the restaurant, you can run to the right to climb the building right next to it using the ladder. The building in front of the restaurant also has a ladder you can climb, but you’ll need to use Roto-Glide to get on top of the restaurant from there. As for the building to the right, a well-spaced dodge roll should do the trick — just make sure you keep moving forward after the roll.

Atop the restaurant, you’ll find Dratini alone on a separate roof section. It’s tricky to sneak up on since it flees when alerted, but positioning yourself behind it to throw a Poke Ball improves your chances considerably. Circling around the roof’s edge to approach from behind is a smart tactic for an easier catch.

Another hotspot is the rooftops on the west side of Rouge Sector 8 . Climb scaffolding near the western entranceway—avoid the entrance guarded by NPCs talking nearby. The scaffold ramp on the right leads upward, and Dratini is close by once you reach the top.

You can find a Dratini on the west side rooftops of Rouge Sector 8. You can get on top of the buildings by climbing some scaffolding. Run in between the buildings and go through the western entranceway. There will be two entranceways, so make sure not to go through the one that has two people talking near it.

This Dratini can be harder to sneak up on because there’s little cover from its line of sight. A back strike might be tough, but there’s a small silver lining: about 20% of Dratini spawns are alpha versions, which don’t run away, giving you a better chance to capture one without stress.

Lastly, Bleu Sector 9 rooftops west of Cafe Soleil hide another Dratini. Getting up here without the nearby Holovator takes a bit of finesse. Begin at the scaffolding between Bleu Sector 9 and Bleu Sector 6, using a dodge roll to reach the second part that leads onto Bleu Sector 6’s rooftops.

Finally, another spot to find Dratini is on the rooftops of Blue Sector 9, west from Cafe Soleil. Getting up here without the nearby Holovator is a bit of a trip though. You’ll want to start by finding the scaffolding located near the patch of grass between Bleu Sector 9 and Bleu Sector 6. You’ll need a dodge roll to get to the second half of the scaffolding, which will put you on top of Bleu Sector 6.

From there, run along the right side of the roofs, crossing glass windows and inclines, until you come to a bridge linking Bleu Sector 6 rooftops. Dratini waits in the opposite corner—going left might give you a lucky angle to catch it looking away.

After tracking down your Dratini, the next step is evolution. It’s a slow process since Dratini and its forms gain experience gradually, so stock up on Red Canari Plushes to boost EXP gains and speed things up.

Dratini evolves into Dragonair at level 35. For training, Wild Zones 11 and below are ideal to avoid overpowering opponents or type disadvantages. If you nab a stronger alpha Dratini, it may already be ready to evolve—perfect to add directly to your party.

Dragonair evolves into Dragonite at level 55. You can test Dragonair in Wild Zone 18 alongside other Dragon-types, but battling trainers during night in the Z-A Royale tends to yield better EXP. Restaurants offer full-course battle feasts to train but come with the challenge of no healing or revives, so prepare well before taking them on.

Next up is Dragonite, which evolves from Dragonair at Level 55. Dragonair could do decent in Wild Zone 18 with the other Dragon-types, but at that point, you’d probably be better off waiting until nightfall to battle other trainers in the Z-A Royale for Exp. Points. You can also battle at restaurants by buying their full-course feast of battles, but you won’t be able to heal or revive your Pokemon so make sure you’re well-prepared.

Once you have your Dragonite, you’ll want its Mega Stone to unlock the Mega Evolution. This upgrade only becomes available late in the story after completing Main Mission 32, A Rogue Mega Dragonite . You’ll need to reach Rank B in the Z-A Royale to unlock this mission, giving ample time to perfect your Dragonite’s training before the big showdown.

Now that you have a Dragonite, you’ll be needing its Mega Stone so you can Mega Evolve it. Unfortunately, Mega Dragonite comes into the picture very late in the game’s main story. You won’t be able to get it until you complete Main Mission 32, A Rogue Mega Dragonite. You can only start that mission after reaching Rank B in the Z-A Royale. But that gives you plenty of time to train up your Dragonite for the fight!