A randomizer Nuzlocke takes a game you know by heart and turns it into a new adventure. The route outside your house might hold a Dratini, the first gym leader might open with a Gengar, and your starter could be anything. The Nuzlocke rules stay the same — the world around them does not.
This guide explains which randomizer settings make for a fair run, how the five presets differ and how to adapt your rules to a random world.
What you need
- Your own ROM. Make a backup of a cartridge you own. PokéRuns does not provide or link to ROM files.
- A randomizer. The PokéRuns Randomizer runs entirely in your browser — no Java, no install and no upload. It supports the official main-series games of generations I–V, from Red, Blue and Yellow to Black 2 and White 2.
- An emulator or flash cartridge to play the result, and a tracker to keep the run honest.
Start with a preset
The randomizer offers five starting points. Each can be customised afterwards.
| Preset | What changes | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Balanced | New starters, encounters and trainer teams of similar strength. | Your first randomizer Nuzlocke. |
| Classic | Random Pokémon with familiar types, abilities and moves. | A fresh run that still feels like the original. |
| Hardcore | Opponents have 20% higher levels and fully evolve at level 36. | Veterans who want a real fight. |
| Chaos | New types, abilities, stats, evolutions, moves and encounters. | Pure chaos — expect the unexpected. |
| Quality of life | Original teams and encounters, but trade evolutions are possible and every Pokémon can learn HMs. | Playing the original game without the annoyances. |
The Hardcore preset only changes the ROM. Your tracker rules — level caps, no items, Set mode — are chosen separately in the Nuzlocke or SoulLink tracker.
Settings that matter for a Nuzlocke
Wild Pokémon
- Area one-to-one mapping gives every area its own consistent set of random Pokémon. It feels the most like a real region.
- Similar strength keeps early routes from handing out fully evolved powerhouses.
- Catch 'em all spreads as many different species across the game as possible — great with the dupes clause.
- Type-themed areas give each area a random type. It is atmospheric, but some areas become hard to use.
- Ban wild legendary Pokémon and Set a minimum catch rate make early encounters fairer.
Trainers
- Trainer Pokémon have similar strength stops early trainers from using legendaries.
- Rival keeps the appropriate starter makes the rival feel like a rival again.
- Trainer level modifier (%) raises opponent levels for a tougher run.
- Fully evolved at level forces late-game opponents to use evolved Pokémon.
Evolutions and moves
- Enable trade evolutions is almost essential, unless you want to trade between games.
- Make evolutions easier lowers high evolution levels, which helps random Pokémon become useful sooner.
- Prefer good damaging moves avoids movesets full of Growl and Splash.
- Ban game-breaking moves keeps a lucky early move from trivialising the game.
Adapting your rules to a random world
Keep the dupes clause. In a random game, duplicates are less common, but when they happen the clause keeps the run varied.
Decide on legendaries. If you allow wild legendaries, a lucky early one can carry the run. Most players ban them or treat them as a single allowed “miracle”.
Use real level caps. A randomized ROM changes boss teams. When you send the result to a PokéRuns tracker, the tracker receives the actual teams and caps of your ROM instead of the original ones.
Don’t read the spoiler log. The randomizer can save a full spoiler log. Keep it closed for the run — or give it to a friend who can settle disputes without spoiling anything.
Randomized Soul Links
A randomized Soul Link is one of the best ways to play with friends. The SoulLink tracker offers three setups:
- The same world for everyone. Share one recipe: same ROM, same settings, same seed — everyone gets an identical game.
- Shared settings, separate seeds. Everyone plays by the same rules but explores a different world.
- Individual settings. Everyone brings their own seed and settings.
A recipe contains the seed, the engine version and checksums — never the ROM itself. If a player’s ROM doesn’t match the original the recipe was made from, the randomizer tells you instead of silently producing a different world.
Tips
- Test the first hour. Generate the ROM, play to the first gym and check that the settings feel right before committing to a long run.
- Keep the seed. Save the recipe with your run. If a save file breaks, you can recreate the same world.
- Scout what you can. Without a spoiler log, the first fights are blind. Keep a varied team of types ready.
- Log every encounter. In a random game, remembering where you found what is much harder. The Nuzlocke tracker and SoulLink tracker do it for you.
Frequently asked questions
Is my ROM uploaded when I randomize it?
No. The PokéRuns Randomizer processes the file in your browser. Only if you send the result to an online tracker run is the structured world data — not the ROM — stored with that run.
Which games can I randomize?
Official main-series games of generations I–V. ROM hacks are not guaranteed to work.
Can I play the same randomized game as my friends?
Yes. Share the recipe. The same ROM, settings and seed always produce the same world.
