The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to the Nuzlocke Challenge

Welcome to the Nuzlocke challenge – what I consider the best way to play Pokémon!

In this guide, I’ll give you the simple info you need to get started with Nuzlocking, from the basic rules, to what you’ll need to get started, to how to improve your skills.

Let’s get started!

Step 1: What is a Nuzlocke?

The first thing you need to do is learn the rules of the Nuzlocke challenge.

The goal of a Nuzlocke is to complete a playthrough of a Pokémon game, with a special set of “Nuzlocke” rules. There are three basic Nuzlocke rules:

1. Any Pokémon which faints is considered “dead” and cannot be used again for the rest of the challenge.
2. Only the first wild Pokémon encountered in a route or area may be caught.
3. Players must nickname their Pokémon (optional).

Players have come up with lots of optional rules to make the challenge even harder and add new gameplay twists, and we’ll talk more about those later, but these are the three rules you need to know to get started. Defeat the Champion in whatever Pokémon game you’ve chosen, while following these three rules, and you’ve completed a Nuzlocke challenge!

So now that you know the basics…

What do I need to get started?

The first thing you need is a Pokémon game to play! You don’t need a special program or game file to play a Nuzlocke – all the rules are self-imposed, so any copy of your chosen game will work.

If you have a handheld or Switch console, with an official copy of the game you want to play, then great! Many people also choose to play on an emulator using ROMs, which can have some quality of life benefits such as speed-up, multiple saves, and the ability to modify the ROM or save file (this can be important for certain Nuzlocke variants, but we won’t worry about it just yet).

And that’s it! As long as you have a Pokémon game to play, you’re all set to get started!

Step 2: Which Pokémon game should you Nuzlocke?

Now that you know what the Nuzlocke challenge is and you’re familiar with the rules, the second step is to decide which Pokémon game you’ll attempt your first Nuzlocke in!

I’ve written a whole in-depth article about this exact topic: Which Pokémon Game Should You Nuzlocke First?

If you have a favorite Pokémon game, it’s often a good idea to pick that one first – game knowledge and planning ahead are very important in Nuzlockes, so choosing a game you’re familiar with can make your first experience more comfortable. But if you’re still not sure, check out the linked article above for in-depth explanations about which Pokémon games are best for new Nuzlockers, whatever level of challenge you’re looking for. For beginners, FireRed and LeafGreen are popular choices, as they’re not too difficult and have a wide variety of powerful Pokémon available as common or even guaranteed encounters.

Step 3: Improve your Nuzlocke skills

Now you know the rules, and you’ve got a copy of your chosen Pokémon game ready to go. But perhaps you’re a bit intimidated – after all, it’s called the Nuzlocke “challenge”, and it’s gained a reputation as a difficult, “hardcore” way to play. So it’s important to let you know right away that anyone can complete a basic Nuzlocke. Ultimately, you’re playing through the same Pokémon games you remember from your childhood, and all of your knowledge will still apply. It’s not that this challenge is demanding a new set of skills – it just punishes mistakes more heavily and requires you to use a semi-random team.

With that said, tackling the toughest Nuzlocke challenges absolutely does require a level of strategy and focus that the regular games don’t. Luckily, these are all skills that can be learned, either by experience or through advice from other players (ideally both!).

You can start by checking out my Basic and Advanced Nuzlocke tips, my guide to managing randomness in your playthrough, or my general Nuzlocke team building advice.

One tip that’s important in every Nuzlocke is to ensure your team is levelled up enough to compete, and to use a balanced team of Pokémon that can handle a variety of different threats. It’s also especially important to plan ahead and have a strategy for every major battle, including which Pokémon you’ll bring, what moves they’ll know, and what your backup plan will be if things go sideways. Since any Pokémon that faints is permanently eliminated, the regular strategy of bashing your team of six against every challenger in a battle of attrition won’t work here. This is the tip of the iceberg, the absolute most basic advice – as you improve, you’ll learn about pivoting, trainer AI manipulation, encounter routing, and much more!

Other creators have provided some great resources for improving your Nuzlocking skills, such as this video from YouTuber FlygonHG:

YouTuber and Twitch streamer Pokémon Challenges also regularly releases tips, tricks, and playthroughs in which he explains his decision making process, which are great resources for new players looking to improve their skills.

Step 4: Tackle tougher Nuzlocke variants

With steps 1, 2, and 3, you’ve got everything you need to tackle a Nuzlocke challenge effectively… but what if you’re looking to go further? What if you want an even greater challenge?

That’s where Nuzlocke variants come in. These are modified rulesets that use the basic Nuzlocke rules, but add their own twist. Some variants follow a theme, such as the Wedlocke, some are purely for increased challenge, such as the Hardcore Nuzlocke, and some, like the Soul Link, can even be played co-op!

Of course, you can always create your own custom variant, to perfectly match the level of challenge you’re looking for or test out a wacky idea you’ve had. Check out this list of optional rule suggestions to get the ideas flowing!

Step 5: Get involved with the community (link to subreddit and Nuzlocke forums)

For many, the best part of the Nuzlocke challenge is sharing with the community. The Nuzlocke actually originated as a comic shared on forums, and this DNA still runs deep. Players love to share updates of their runs, follow along with others, argue and debate over tier lists, or even create art or comics of their own.

Two of the best places for this are the r/nuzlocke subreddit and the Nuzlocke forums. Both have large, active, and passionate groups of users who create tons of Nuzlocke content and will be happy to welcome a new face!

Speaking personally, I don’t believe there has ever been a better time to get started with Nuzlocking. The popularity of the challenge has exploded in recent years as popular YouTubers and content creators such as Jaiden Animations have created videos introducing the challenge to a huge group of newcomers, a Twitch and YouTube streaming scene has solidified, and many people who grew up playing Pokémon as kids are now adults looking to relive that nostalgia with a bit of added challenge. There has never been a greater variety of guides, playthroughs, tips, and help for anyone looking to get started.

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That’s a quick, basic, no-frills guide to Nuzlocking for beginners! I hope this guide gives you the information you need to play and enjoy your Nuzlocke successfully. For those looking for more in-depth guides, you can browse the rest of Nuzlocke University for guides, articles, tier lists, and more, and if you have any questions or would like to leave advice of your own for new players, please leave a comment!

Thanks for reading, and Happy Nuzlocking!