Basic rules
The Nuzlocke Challenge has only two rules that must be followed:
Limited Encounters: The player may only catch the first wild Pokémon encountered in each area, and no others. If the first wild Pokémon encountered faints or flees, there are no second chances.
̶D̶y̶i̶n̶g̶:̶ ̶A̶n̶y̶ ̶P̶o̶k̶é̶m̶o̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶f̶a̶i̶n̶t̶s̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶c̶o̶n̶s̶i̶d̶e̶r̶e̶d̶ ̶d̶e̶a̶d̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶m̶u̶s̶t̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶r̶e̶l̶e̶a̶s̶e̶d̶.̶ ̶R̶e̶v̶i̶v̶a̶l̶ ̶m̶e̶t̶h̶o̶d̶s̶ ̶s̶u̶c̶h̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶R̶e̶v̶i̶v̶e̶,̶ ̶R̶e̶v̶i̶v̶a̶l̶ ̶B̶l̶e̶s̶s̶i̶n̶g̶,̶ ̶e̶t̶c̶.̶ ̶a̶r̶e̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶b̶i̶d̶d̶e̶n̶.̶ ̶I̶f̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶p̶l̶a̶y̶e̶r̶ ̶r̶u̶n̶s̶ ̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶l̶i̶v̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶P̶o̶k̶é̶m̶o̶n̶,̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶y̶'̶v̶e̶ ̶f̶a̶i̶l̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶c̶h̶a̶l̶l̶e̶n̶g̶e̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶m̶u̶s̶t̶ ̶r̶e̶s̶t̶a̶r̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶g̶a̶m̶e̶.̶
Near-universal rules
̶M̶a̶n̶d̶a̶t̶o̶r̶y̶ ̶N̶i̶c̶k̶n̶a̶m̶e̶s̶:̶ ̶T̶h̶e̶ ̶p̶l̶a̶y̶e̶r̶ ̶m̶u̶s̶t̶ ̶n̶i̶c̶k̶n̶a̶m̶e̶ ̶a̶l̶l̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶i̶r̶ ̶P̶o̶k̶é̶m̶o̶n̶,̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶s̶a̶k̶e̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶m̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶s̶t̶r̶o̶n̶g̶e̶r̶ ̶e̶m̶o̶t̶i̶o̶n̶a̶l̶ ̶b̶o̶n̶d̶s̶.̶
"Met in" Confirmation: If the player is unsure whether a location is a valid new encounter or not, such as multiple levels of a cave, they can look at the Pokémon's summary page to see where they were "Met" in order to confirm whether it's a new location or not.
̶N̶o̶ ̶R̶e̶s̶e̶t̶s̶:̶ ̶T̶h̶e̶ ̶p̶l̶a̶y̶e̶r̶ ̶m̶a̶y̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶v̶o̶l̶u̶n̶t̶a̶r̶i̶l̶y̶ ̶s̶o̶f̶t̶-̶r̶e̶s̶e̶t̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶u̶n̶d̶o̶ ̶p̶r̶o̶g̶r̶e̶s̶s̶.̶ ̶B̶e̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶b̶l̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶d̶o̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶w̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ ̶r̶e̶n̶d̶e̶r̶ ̶a̶l̶l̶ ̶o̶t̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶r̶u̶l̶e̶s̶ ̶p̶o̶i̶n̶t̶l̶e̶s̶s̶.̶
̶N̶o̶ ̶C̶h̶e̶a̶t̶i̶n̶g̶:̶ ̶C̶h̶e̶a̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶d̶e̶v̶i̶c̶e̶s̶ ̶(̶s̶u̶c̶h̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶G̶a̶m̶e̶S̶h̶a̶r̶k̶)̶ ̶m̶a̶y̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶u̶s̶e̶d̶ ̶e̶x̶c̶e̶p̶t̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶m̶a̶k̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶g̶a̶m̶e̶ ̶h̶a̶r̶d̶e̶r̶ ̶(̶s̶u̶c̶h̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶c̶h̶e̶a̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶d̶i̶s̶a̶b̶l̶e̶ ̶E̶x̶p̶.̶ ̶S̶h̶a̶r̶e̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶g̶a̶m̶e̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶d̶o̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶a̶l̶l̶o̶w̶ ̶s̶u̶c̶h̶ ̶a̶n̶ ̶o̶p̶t̶i̶o̶n̶.̶)̶
Full Wipe: A black out/white out is considered to be 'game over' even if there are live Pokémon left in the Pokémon Storage System.
̶N̶o̶ ̶O̶u̶t̶s̶i̶d̶e̶ ̶T̶r̶a̶d̶i̶n̶g̶:̶ ̶T̶h̶e̶ ̶p̶l̶a̶y̶e̶r̶ ̶m̶a̶y̶ ̶o̶n̶l̶y̶ ̶u̶s̶e̶ ̶P̶o̶k̶é̶m̶o̶n̶ ̶o̶b̶t̶a̶i̶n̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶r̶o̶u̶g̶h̶ ̶i̶n̶-̶g̶a̶m̶e̶ ̶m̶e̶t̶h̶o̶d̶s̶,̶ ̶m̶e̶a̶n̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶t̶r̶a̶d̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶o̶t̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶s̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶f̶i̶l̶e̶s̶,̶ ̶M̶y̶s̶t̶e̶r̶y̶ ̶G̶i̶f̶t̶s̶,̶ ̶e̶t̶c̶.̶ ̶a̶r̶e̶ ̶a̶l̶l̶ ̶p̶r̶o̶h̶i̶b̶i̶t̶e̶d̶.̶
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