Growlithe is a classic Pokemon from Gen I. It often sits opposite Vulpix when it comes to version exclusives, and that's sort of the case with Pokémon Sword & Shield, too.
Neither Growlithe nor Vulpix is exclusive to either Gen VIII game, but they are more plentiful in certain versions. Growlithe is more common in Shield, but we'll show you how to get it in both versions. We'll also show you how to evolve it into Arcanine, a fan-favorite Fire-type that is pretty great in battle.
Where To Find Growlithe In Sword & Shield
Sword
If you're playing Sword, you'll have to search for Growlithe in the Wild Area. In Dusty Bowl and Giant's Mirror, you can spot Growlithe walking around in the grass. It also appears as a random encounter in Hammerlocke Hills. All of these areas need to have intense sun for Growlithe to spawn.
Shield
If you're playing Shield, you have many more options. Growlithe will spawn on Route 3 and in the Wild Area. It can appear as a Max Raid boss.
In the Wild Area, it shows up in the following areas during intense sun, either on the overworld or as a random encounter (or both).
|
Area |
Overworld Chance |
Encounter Chance |
|---|---|---|
|
Axew's Eye |
5% |
40% |
|
Dappled Grove |
2% |
40% |
|
East Lake Axewell |
25% |
30% |
|
Giant's Seat |
5% |
Does not appear |
|
North Lake Miloch |
5% |
Does not appear |
|
Rolling Fields - Main Area |
60% |
20% |
|
Rolling Fields - Area 2 |
15% |
Does not appear |
|
South Lake Miloch - Main Area |
25% |
30% |
|
South Lake Miloch - Area 2 |
15% |
Does not appear |
|
Watchtower Ruins |
10% |
20% |
|
West Lake Axewell |
35% |
40% |
Additionally, Growlithe can appear in Max Raid Dends as a raid boss. This can occur in these places:
- Dusty Bowl
- Giant's Cap
- Hammerlocke Hills
- Lake of Outrage
- Stony Wilderness
How To Evolve Growlithe To Arcanine
Growlithe evolves into Arcanine when you use a Fire Stone on it. There are a few places where you can find a Fire Stone in Sword & Shield, so here's where to look.
Lake of Outrage
Near the Stonehenge-like circle of stones at the Lake of Outrage (you'll need to be able to Surf with your bike), there are hidden items. Each day, there's about a 33% chance that an evolutionary stone will appear here, including Fire Stones. With this method, you can farm multiple, though they aren't as guaranteed as some other hidden items in the Wild Area, which can appear daily.
Motostoke Riverbank
In the southwest section of this area, wedged in a corner by the wall dividing Motostoke from the Wild Area, you can find a single Fire Stone. This one doesn't reappear; there's just one.
Digging Duo (Bridge Field)
In the Bridge Field area, just by the Pokemon Nursery, there are two hikers that will 'dig' for you. Each is able to find different items, so if you're looking for a Fire Stone, talk to the brother on the right (the one who can dig for longer but finds less-rare items). It's not guaranteed, but one of the items he's capable of digging up is a Fire Stone.
Isle of Armor
If you have the Isle of Armor DLC expansion, you can head to the Potbottom Desert to find another Fire Stone. There's only one, and you can find it by a tree in the north section of the area.
Poke Jobs
When your Pokemon return from a Poke Job, there's a chance that they'll bring you some items. Occasionally, a Fire Stone can be one of the items they bring back with them from a job. Per Serebii, your Pokemon can earn a Fire Stone for doing "Great" work on a three- or four-star Poke Job, or as a reward for simply completing a nine-star Poke Job.
Arcanine In Battle
|
Arcanine: Fast Facts |
|
|
Type |
Fire |
|---|---|
|
Abilities |
Intimidate or Flash Fire |
|
Hidden Ability |
Justified |
|
Base Attack |
110 |
|
Base Defense |
80 |
|
Base Speed |
95 |
|
Base Sp. Attack |
100 |
|
Base Sp. Defense |
80 |
|
Base HP |
90 |
Arcanine can make for a great team member in Sword & Shield. The Fire-type has the second-most resistances after Steel, and is home to a number of fantastic moves.
|
Arcanine |
|
|
Weaknesses |
Resistances |
|---|---|
|
|
Arcanine can have the Ability Intimidate, which is always useful. lowers the Attack of the opposing Pokémon. Arcanine's physical Attack stat is typically better than its Special Attack, so you don't want to give it the usuals like Flamethrower. Instead, try Flare Blitz, Fire Fang, or Flame Wheel. However, its physical Attack isn't leagues above its Special Attack, so you can go either way.
To cover Arcanine's weaknesses, you can teach it some coverage moves.
- Thunder Fang and Wild Charge are great for dealing with those pesky Water-types, as is Solar Beam.
- Thunder Fang is available as TM66, while Wild Charge is TR86.
- Solar Beam is TM11.
- Iron Head (TR74), Close Combat (TR53), Solar Beam (TM11), Dig (TM15), Scorching Sands (Isle of Armor Move Tutor), Bulldoze (TM81), Reversal (level-up or Egg Move), Iron Tail (TR31), and Double Kick (Egg Move) can all take on Rock-types
- To deal with Ground-types, look to Solar Beam (TM11), which is the only move that is a weakness of Ground that Arcanine can learn.
- If you transfer Arcanine up from a previous-generation game, it can bring a few coverage moves with it, too: Mud-Slap (Gen IV), Rock Smash (Gen II, V, or VI), or Superpower (Gen VII).