Nuzlocke Tips & Tricks For Every Pokémon Generation

The Nuzlocke Challenge was created to make Pokémon harder, but not all generations are at the same level.

Pokémon as a franchise is not known for particularly difficult mainline games. Even with the introduction of open-world games in Scarlet and Violet, wherein players can easily challenge trainers at a higher level at any time, the games remain straightforward to complete. For long-time players the explanation is simple—once the basic strategies of the game are grasped, any trainer can be a breeze. To this, the Pokémon community has developed a non-official rule set to increase the challenge: the Nuzlocke Challenge.

The first mention of Nuzlocke emerged from a short 2010 webcomic by Nick Franco, laying out the rules for a new "game mode" in Pokémon. The name is a portmanteau of Nuzleaf and John Locke (from the hit show Lost), as a Nuzleaf and Seedot with his face often appeared in the comic. Essentially, a basic Nuzlocke consists of three rules: trainers can only catch the first Pokémon they encounter per route, they must be nicknamed, and when a Pokémon faints, it must be released (or eternally boxed). Players have since adapted the Nuzlocke Challenge into countless forms, but the end goal remains the same: make Pokémon as difficult as possible.

As an unofficial, player-designed ruleset, the Nuzlocke Challenge can be applied to every mainline Pokémon game. The basic rules are simple enough to be applied in multiple, varying settings. Even so, due to the nature of the regions and generations of Pokémon, all the mainline games require different approaches. Some, like Generation One, are quite straightforward and good for beginners. Others like Ultra Sun/Moon, with brutal fights and legendaries, make even veteran players shudder.

Generation One (Kanto)

Red/Blue/Yellow, FireRed/LeafGreen

Some may think that the first handful of Pokémon games would be the easiest to Nuzlocke. On one hand, the simplicity makes it a relatively straightforward mission. Further, most trainer battles and their related teams are not particularly difficult to beat, especially with Kanto's limited pool of Pokémon. Bulbasaur is a great choice of starter as it resists many of the early and late gyms. Psychic type is ridiculously strong in Generation One, so if players can get their hands on an Abra, it's a straight shot to the Elite Four. Even early route Pokémon like Caterpie and Ratata are viable team members, with moves like Hyper Fang and Sleep Powder being excellent choices.

This is not to say Generation One is always easy. Most of the aspects that make Pokémon a smoother experience are not in the Red, Blue, or Yellow Versions. Money and items are scarce, so trainers need to be strategic with Potions and Pokeballs. Fairy and Steel do not exist, and players will need to note which stats and effects have changed over the years.

FireRed and LeafGreen have improved trainer AI, movesets are expanded, and the difficulty is overall increased. It remains similar to its predecessors and is also not widely considered to be a challenging Nuzlocke experience.

Let's Go Pikachu!/Let’s Go Eevee

These games are remakes of Yellow Version and were created to appeal to younger players, basically making them a stripped-back version of other mainline titles. EVs, abilities, and held items are not in Let's Go alongside battling wild Pokémon. However, the XP system is also different. Players gain experience through caching Pokémon, not defeating them. This can make the early game quite tricky to navigate.

Even so, the titular starters are buffed to an enormous degree. Their stats are higher than regular Eevee and Pikachu and their movepools are expanded as well.

Generation Two (Johto)

Gold/Silver/Crystal

Similarly to Gen One, the Gen Two games suffer from small encounter pools and stale gameplay. Even so, all the games make for excellent Nuzlockes due to these very things. The most important thing to remember is to play mentally ahead, always considering the next battle to come when sacrificing Pokémon or catching them.

HeartGold/ SoulSilver

As remakes, HeartGold and SoulSilver are very similar to their predecessors. Limited encounters can make dealing with all the Gym Leaders difficult, and the post-game Kanto region has increased in difficulty. Still, a relatively early-game guaranteed Gyarados and solid starter Pokémon set trainers up for success. Players could also use the Dupe Clause for these games due to the small amount of encounters. The Dupe Clause means that if an encounter has already been caught, players can continue to search for a unique one on a route.

Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald

There is a reason that one of the hardest Nuzlocke ROM-hacks is Emerald Kaizo. Generation Three is notorious for brutal Gym fights and the introduction of Double Battles. It is absolutely critical to be thinking one step ahead while considering the opponent's AI patterns and movesets. Further, players should never be afraid to box certain Pokémon or sacrifice others for the sake of strategy. Emerald in particular (even just the base game—not Kaizo) leaves little room for error.

Alpha Sapphire/Omega Ruby

Unlike many of the other sequels across the Pokémon franchise, OR/AS are quite a bit easier than their predecessors. Mega Evolution and automatic experience sharing across teams make these games a good beginner Nuzlocke. As always, players need to consider all aspects of their Pokémon, as they likely will not naturally match well against opponents.

Diamond/Pearl/Platinum

Generation Four is not a simple venture for a Nuzlocke. With tough gyms, a relatively small Pokedex, and the ever-present threat of Cynthia looming over players, Sinnoh has plenty of threats to overcome. In Platinum, the difficulty is increased even more. Still, Sinnoh's Pokedex contains a handful of Nuzlocke staples like Garchomp, Alakazam, and Snorlax. Further, the starters are relatively viable throughout the run.

In Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, the EXP Share and access to Pokémon via the underground make it a far easier experience (though Cynthia remains as challenging as ever).