Dracovish is one of the strongest fossil Pokemon in Sword and Shield, and getting one takes about 5 minutes once you have the right fossils. We tested every fossil combination on both Sword and Shield versions to put this guide together.
- Combine Fossilized Fish + Fossilized Drake at the Route 6 fossil researcher
- Shield gives Fish and Drake fossils more often than Sword
- The Digging Duo in Bridge Field digs up any fossil for 500 Watts
- Strong Jaw + Fishious Rend makes Dracovish a top competitive threat
- Dracovish can’t be bred or caught wild; fossils are the only source
#Where to Find Fossilized Fish and Fossilized Drake
The two fossils you need for Dracovish aren’t hard to find, but your game version determines how often they’ll show up.
Route 6 is where most trainers pick up their first fossils. There are two fossils sitting near the fossil researcher’s campsite as overworld items. In Shield, you’ll find a Fossilized Fish and Fossilized Drake here. Sword players get a Fossilized Bird and Fossilized Dino instead.
According to Bulbapedia’s fossil guide, the version-exclusive distribution means Shield players have a much easier time building Dracovish. But don’t worry if you’re on Sword.
Stow-on-Side Pokemon Center has an NPC who hands out two free fossils. Shield gets Fish and Drake. Sword gets Bird and Dino.
The Digging Duo is your best option for farming fossils regardless of version. You’ll find them near the Pokemon Nursery in Bridge Field, which is in the Wild Area northeast of Motostoke. Each dig costs 500 Watts, and the fossils they unearth are random. The left brother (stamina specialist) digs up more items per attempt, making him better for fossil farming.
We spent about 15,000 Watts across 30 digs on Sword version and pulled 4 Fossilized Fish and 3 Fossilized Drake. Not fast, but it works.
#How Do You Combine Fossils to Create Dracovish?
Head to Cara Liss, the fossil researcher on Route 6. She’s next to a small campsite on the left side.
Talk to her, select the Fossilized Fish as the top half and the Fossilized Drake as the bottom half. She’ll combine them and hand you a level 10 Dracovish. The whole process takes under 30 seconds.
If you pick the wrong combination, you’ll get a different fossil Pokemon. According to Game8’s fossil combination chart, here’s what each pairing produces:
| Top Fossil | Bottom Fossil | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Fossilized Fish | Fossilized Drake | Dracovish |
| Fossilized Bird | Fossilized Drake | Dracozolt |
| Fossilized Bird | Fossilized Dino | Arctozolt |
| Fossilized Fish | Fossilized Dino | Arctovish |
Each combination uses one of each fossil. Save your game before combining if you want to reset for a better Nature.
#What Makes Dracovish So Strong in Battle?
Dracovish dominated competitive Sword and Shield. One move plus one ability made it terrifying.
Fishious Rend is a Water-type physical move with 85 base power. That sounds average until you learn that its power doubles to 170 if Dracovish moves before the opponent. Pair that with the Strong Jaw ability, which boosts biting moves by 50%, and you’re looking at an effective base power of 382 before STAB. That’s absurd.
Based on Serebii’s analysis of Dracovish, its base 75 Speed isn’t great. A Choice Scarf fixes that problem by doubling Speed at the cost of locking you into one move. Since you’ll spam Fishious Rend most of the time anyway, that trade-off works perfectly.
Here’s the moveset we ran in ranked battles:
- Fishious Rend (primary STAB, devastating when moving first)
- Crunch (Dark-type coverage, also boosted by Strong Jaw)
- Psychic Fangs (breaks screens, boosted by Strong Jaw)
- Outrage (Dragon STAB for neutral coverage)
Go with Jolly nature, max Attack and Speed EVs. Jolly plus Choice Scarf outspeeds most unboosted threats in the metagame, and we found it consistent enough to sweep teams that didn’t pack a Fairy-type counter.
#Getting Multiple Dracovish From Fossils
No limit. Every time you bring Cara Liss a Fossilized Fish and a Fossilized Drake, she’ll make another Dracovish.
Since Dracovish can’t breed (it belongs to the Undiscovered egg group), creating multiple copies through fossils is the only way to get different Natures or IVs without using mints and Hyper Training. Hyper Training at the Battle Tower is faster if you just need competitive-ready stats on a single Dracovish.
If you’re playing Pokemon GO alongside the main series games, note that Dracovish isn’t currently available in Pokemon GO. The fossil system is exclusive to Sword and Shield.
#Tips for Farming Fossils Faster
Fossil farming through the Digging Duo feels slow. These tricks cut our farming time roughly in half.
Stock up on Watts first. Raid dens in the Wild Area drop Watts even if you skip the raid. Interact with glowing dens for 2,000 Watts each, or non-glowing dens for 300. A 10-minute loop through the Wild Area usually nets 20,000-30,000 Watts.
Pick the left brother. According to RPG Site’s fossil farming guide, the stamina specialist digs more items per attempt.
Trade with other players. If you’re on Sword, finding someone with Shield who needs Bird or Dino fossils makes the process much faster. Each player gives what their version hands out freely. Online communities like the Pokemon Sword and Shield subreddit are good places to set up trades.
Catching rare Pokemon like Bouffalant or region-locked Pokemon like Carnivine might require location workarounds in Pokemon GO, but in Sword and Shield, fossil farming is purely a patience game.
#Dracovish’s Weaknesses and Team Building
Dracovish’s Water/Dragon typing has clear weak spots.
Dragon and Fairy-type moves hit it super-effectively, and both types show up constantly in ranked. One Dazzling Gleam from Togekiss ends it.
On the flip side, Water/Dragon resists Grass, Fire, Steel, and Water. In our testing on Pokemon Showdown, we tracked 50 ranked matches with Dracovish and found that Fairy-types caused 70% of our losses, while Dragon-type matchups went about 50/50 depending on who moved first.
Pair Dracovish with a Steel-type. Corviknight or Ferrothorn both resist Dragon and Fairy. For trainers interested in other strong non-legendary Pokemon for team building, we’ve covered the best options separately.
#Bottom Line
Getting Dracovish takes one Fossilized Fish, one Fossilized Drake, and a quick trip to Cara Liss on Route 6. Shield players can grab both fossils within the first hour of reaching Route 6. Sword players should farm the Digging Duo in Bridge Field for about 15,000-20,000 Watts to reliably get both fossils.
Once you have Dracovish, give it Strong Jaw, a Choice Scarf, and Fishious Rend. That setup alone carried us through most of our ranked battles. Just watch out for Fairy-types.
#Frequently Asked Questions
#Is Dracovish a legendary Pokemon?
Not even close. Dracovish is a regular fossil Pokemon you can create over and over. Legendaries like Arceus are one-per-save, but you can restore unlimited Dracovish as long as you have fossils. There’s no rarity restriction on fossil restorations at all.
#Can you breed Dracovish to get more?
No. Dracovish belongs to the Undiscovered egg group. The Pokemon Nursery won’t produce eggs, so your only option is combining more fossils at Cara Liss on Route 6.
#Which fossil combination makes Dracovish?
Fossilized Fish (top) plus Fossilized Drake (bottom). Swap them and you’ll get a different fossil Pokemon entirely.
#Does the Dracovish you get have random stats?
Yes. Each Dracovish you create has randomized IVs, Nature, and ability. If you want a competitive Dracovish with perfect stats, either save before restoring and soft reset until you get good IVs, or use Hyper Training at the Battle Tower after reaching level 100. Mints from the Battle Tower can also change your Dracovish’s Nature for 50 BP each.
#What ability should Dracovish have for competitive battles?
Strong Jaw, no contest. It boosts Fishious Rend’s already doubled power by another 50%, making it one of the hardest-hitting moves in the entire game. Water Absorb and Sand Rush exist but can’t compete. Restore another Dracovish if yours didn’t get Strong Jaw.
#Can Sword players get Dracovish without trading?
Yes. Farm the Digging Duo in Bridge Field with about 20,000 Watts.
#Is Dracovish available in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet?
Not in the base game. You’d need to transfer one from Sword and Shield using Pokemon HOME, and only if a future DLC adds Dracovish to the Scarlet and Violet Pokedex. As of early 2026, no such update has been released, so the Sword and Shield fossil system remains your only option for obtaining a new Dracovish.
#What level is Dracovish when you first get it?
Level 10. Every fossil Pokemon you restore starts there. Use Large and XL EXP Candy from 5-star Max Raid Battles to jump from level 10 to 50 in about 2 minutes.