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Darumaka evolution guide

Our Darumaka evolution guide pinpoints exactly where to find and how to evolve the fire-type Pokémon in Sword and Shield and Pokémon Go.

Two forms of Darumaka evolution in white and red on a purple background

So, you’ve got yourself one of the round Zen Charm Pokémon – using our Darumaka evolution guide, you can grab yourself a Darmanitan. This includes the original Unova variant and the newer ice-type Galarian form introduced in Pokémon Sword and Shield.

Brush up on your fire Pokémon weakness and ice Pokémon weakness knowledge to keep your new Darumaka safe, and then see the best ground Pokémon to combat other fiery Pokémon with, or which our favorite small Pokémon are.

Where can I catch a Darumaka?

Darumaka can be a little hard to catch – in that it only appears in Sword and Shield on the Switch, and even then it’s exclusive to Sword. If you want it in later titles like Scarlet and Violet, you need to transfer it using Pokémon Home.

Here are the locations you can find Darumaka:

  • Pokémon Sword – Dusty Bowl, Giant’s Cap, Hammerlocke Hills, and Lake of Outrage
  • Sword and Shield expansion pass – Trade a Galarian Darumaka with Regina on the Isle of Armor

How do I evolve Darumaka?

Once you have a Darumaka, it’s easy to evolve into a Darmanitan. Darumaka evolves when leveled up to level 35. If it’s a Galarian Darumaka, you can evolve it any time with an ice stone, getting a Galarian form Darmanitan.

Pictures showing the Darumaka evolutions into Darmanitan on a purple background

Where can I catch a Darmanitan?

You can also find a Darmanitan wandering the wild in a few areas, which you can breed to get the first evolution. Here is where you can find it:

  • Pokémon Sword – Dusty Bowl, Giant’s Cap, Hammerlocke Hills, and Lake of Outrage
  • Sword and Shield expansion pass – Snowslide Slope

Where can I catch a Galarian Darumaka?

If you’re specifically looking for the Galarian Darumaka variant, you can find it in these areas:

  • Pokémon Sword – Routes 8 and 10 and Stony Wilderness Max Raid battles
  • Pokémon Shield – Trade and Wild Area battles
  • Sword and Shield expansion pass – Snowslide Slope

Where can I get an ice stone in Pokémon Sword and Shield?

In order to evolve your Galarian Darumaka, you need an ice stone. These appear in Sword and Shield in the following locations – on Route 9, in Bridge Field, and as a recurring item at the Lake of Outrage.

Are Darumaka and Darmanitan in Pokémon Go?

Both the Unova fire-type and Galarian ice-type Darumaka and Darmanitan, are available in Pokémon Go. and both forms require 50 candy to evolve Darumaka into Darmanitan.

If you want to fill out your Pokédex a little more, here are our Lampent evolution, Snom evolution, and Minccino evolution guides to get some of the peskier evolutions out of the way.