A Nuzlocke ruleset compatible with all Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games. Not for the emotionally delicate.
These rules are obligatory, and nearly identical to nuzlocke rules of other Pokemon games.
- BOND: You must name you, your Partner, AND every single recruit you obtain.
- 1ST CATCH RULE: You can only recruit one Pokemon per dungeon, and only the first one that asks you to join. If during your first run of the dungeon no one asks to join, you can still try running the dungeon again. Scripted recruits or mission debrief recruits are allowed.
- PERMADEATH: Any recruit that faints dies permanently and you must release them. If you faint, it's Game Over. If your Partner faints, it's Game Over. If any story important teammates such as Grovyle or Virizion faint, it's Game Over. Story important enemy bosses such as Kyurem or Dusknoir can faint without dying.
- NO RAGEQUIT: You're NOT allowed to delete the save file, reset and reload the save file outside of your bed, or use savestates for any reason.
- BECOME HEROES: Your objective is to defeat the last boss before the credits. (Rayquaza, Dialga, Bittercold, Dark Matter.)
Optional rules only meant to be used by true Humans. You are weak. You can't win. You will die. Your only spark of light in this world, is your Partner.
- I'M ONLY HUMAN: You MUST answer the quiz honestly, and choose your FAVORITE Pokemon as Partner, regardless how low tier they are. You can use an external tool such as this one (recommended), or this one, which contains ALL questions, instead of the randomized in-game quiz. You can retry the quiz as many times as you want on the condition that all your answers must be 100% HONEST, and your partner is your FAVORITE species. Chat will know if you're lying.
- SPARK OF LIGHT: You can only choose your starter and Partner ONCE, including names, species and gender. If your run ends, you must start again with the EXACT SAME starter and Partner, name, gender, species and everything else, and you're not allowed to change them until you beat the game. Everything else can be randomized if you wish.
- IRONMON LOYALTY: You cannot evolve anyone, remove you or your Partner from the active team, or change the leader, unless the game absolutely forces you to.
- HARDCORE: You cannot use online/wifi/local wireless features, and you cannot use the following exploits: Makuhita Dojo and Post Office in Rescue Team, Marowak Dojo and Spinda's Cafe in Explorers, Magnagates and V-Wheel in Gates To Infinity, Pelipper Island and Gold Exchange in Super.
- INEVITABLE: If you fail to complete a rescue the same day you retrieved the letter from the board, you must delete it, because that Pokemon died. Item finding missions and similar are fine. Yes, this also applies to rescues that are required for the story to progress, such as Diglett or Sylveon. For those, if you get respawned outside the dungeon you're still fine, but if you wake up in bed the next day it's Game Over.
- WE NEED YOU: If one of the dungeons has an exclamation mark, or there's a story event going on, you MUST go there immediately. You cannot delay world events, time is ticking.
- PURE SKILL: You cannot use any glitch that allows you to survive better. Glitches that make the game progress faster are allowed as long as they're not skips.
- JUST IN TIME: Death does not wait. If you or your Partner reach level 30 before defeating Rayquaza or Dark Matter, or level 40 before defeating Dialga or Bittercold, you took too much time to save the world, and it's Game Over.
- BLOOD AND TEARS: YOU MUST TAKE NOTES AND KEEP TRACK OF EVERY SINGLE TIMELINE WHERE YOUR PARTNER HAS DIED RIGHT IN YOUR ARMS. BUT MOST OF ALL, YOU MUST TAKE NOTES AND KEEP TRACK OF EVERY SINGLE TIMELINE WHERE YOUR PARTNER SAW YOU DIE RIGHT IN THEIR ARMS.