Impurity　seeding　of　noble　gases　is　an　effective　way　of　decreasing　the　heat　loads　onto　the　divertor　targets　in　fusion　devices.　To　investigate　the　effect　of　noble　gases　on　deuterium　retention,　tungsten　targets　have　been　implanted　by　different　noble　gas　ions　and　subsequently　exposed　to　deuterium　plasma.　Irradiation　induced　defects　and　deuterium　retention　in　tungsten　targets　have　been　characterized　by　positron　annihilation　Doppler　broadening　and　thermal　desorption　spectroscopy.　Similar　defect　distributions　are　observed　in　tungsten　irradiated　by　neon　and　argon,　while　it　is　comparatively　low　in　the　case　of　helium.　The　influence　of　helium　pre-irradiation　on　deuterium　trapping　is　found　to　be　small　based　on　the　desorption　spectrum　compared　with　that　of　the　pristine　one.　Neon　and　argon　pre-irradiation　leads　to　an　enhancement　of　deuterium　trapping　during　plasma　exposure.　The　influence　on　deuterium　retention　is　found　to　be　argon　＞　neon　＞　helium　when　comparing　at　a　similar　crystal　damage　level.