Cobblemon
An open-source Pokemon mod that lets you catch, raise, and battle authentic Pokemon within Minecraft.
📖 Introduction
Cobblemon is a free, open-source Pokemon mod first released by the Cobblemon team (a large pool of volunteer contributors) in March 2023. It launched as an alternative to Pixelmon but quickly became the new standard for Minecraft Pokemon mods thanks to a clean codebase, the open MPL-2.0 license, and a rapid update cycle — all within its first year.
**Five core systems** — over 600 Pokemon with biome-specific natural spawns, a capture system built around crafting different Poke Balls from colored **Apricorns**, **turn-based battles** faithful to the source games (stats, moves, type matchups), level-up and evolution mechanics (additional layers like Mega Evolution and Terastal are being introduced gradually across versions), and a **PC system** with friendship mechanics. The classic 'wild Pokemon appears in the tall grass' rhythm is recreated inside Minecraft almost exactly.
**What sets it apart** from Pixelmon is licensing, code quality, and design philosophy. Pixelmon has a long history but was once delisted from CurseForge over license disputes; Cobblemon launched as MPL-2.0 open source from day one, which makes modpack integration far easier. Cobblemon also opts for vanilla-friendly textures that blend into kitchen-sink packs naturally, while Pixelmon imports the pixel art straight from the source games and clashes visually with everything else.
Supports all three major loaders (Forge, NeoForge, Fabric) and runs stably across Minecraft 1.19.2 through 1.21.1. **Cobbleverse** is a modpack built specifically around Cobblemon as a gym-challenge experience, while **All The Mons** bolts Cobblemon onto ATM10's massive tech tree to create unique synergies — automated Apricorn farms and Poke Balls feeding into your ME system.
🕒 When to Use This Mod
Reach for it when you actually want catching and raising Pokemon to be the game, not a side activity. The progression starts with Apricorn trees and a starter, so it works best on a fresh world where you build the playthrough around it — bolting it onto a long-running survival save rarely lands the same way.
📦 Where It Matters Most
Cobbleverse is essentially built around it — the whole pack flows like a gym-challenge run with a Pokedex to fill. All The Mons does something different: it bolts Cobblemon onto ATM10's massive tech tree, so you end up automating Apricorn farms and stuffing Poke Balls into your ME system. That cross-pollination is genuinely unique to that pack.
🎮 How It Changes Your Playthrough
Give it an hour and your sense of time in Minecraft warps — the classic 'just one more catch' loop transfers over completely, and suddenly you can't walk past a tall-grass biome without checking it. Having a partner Pokemon trail you around as the friendship climbs sounds minor, but it changes how attached you get to a save in a way pure survival rarely does.
🚀 Getting Started — First 30 Minutes
Cobblemon's progression flows along two axes — filling your Pokedex and building friendship. Get a starter, a first Poke Ball, and a single wild catch within your first hour, and the real loop begins. From experience, bonding with a small, weak Pokemon early is far more satisfying than chasing rares.
Step 1 — Find Apricorn trees and pick a starter (10 min)
First priority after spawn: locate Apricorn trees. They're small leafy trees with colored fruits hanging off them, found commonly in plains, forests, and jungles. Each color makes a different Poke Ball.
- Red Apricorn → Poke Ball (basic)
- Blue Apricorn → Great Ball (upgraded)
- Yellow Apricorn → Ultra Ball (high-tier)
- Black Apricorn → Heavy Ball (for heavy Pokemon)
- White Apricorn → Premier Ball (friendship bonus)
In parallel, craft a PC (Personal Computer) and place it at your spawn — this opens the starter selection menu. Every starter from Gen 1 (Bulbasaur/Charmander/Squirtle) through later generations is available.
Step 2 — Catch your first wild Pokemon (15 min)
With a starter in hand, head into grasslands, hills, and beaches looking for wild encounters. When you find one:
- Right-click to start a battle — opens the turn-based menu
- Use your starter to weaken the wild Pokemon's HP to roughly 1/3 or below
- Right-click a Poke Ball from your inventory to throw it
- Three shake-checks later, if successful, the Pokemon joins your party or PC
For new players, Bidoof, Pidgey, Rattata, Caterpie and other common species make great early companions. Honestly, the first hour is way more productive spent on 'learning the catch rhythm' than 'chasing a powerful catch.'
Step 3 — Build friendship and evolve (20 min)
The real heart of Cobblemon is the Friendship system.
- Keep a Pokemon in your party and they gain friendship just by traveling with you
- Battle wins, feeding Berries, and sleeping together all add bonuses
- Friendship 220+ + level up → Friendship-evolution Pokemon (Pikachu, Eevee, etc.) evolve
- Standard evolutions trigger on level-up; special evolutions require stones, trades, or held items
If you're playing with an 11-year-old kid, friendship is the perfect educational beat — 'they grow stronger because you spent time with them' lands naturally without lecturing.
Where to go next — past your first week
- Fill the Pokedex: Even 50 of the 600+ unlocks plenty of milestone rewards
- Gym challenge: Packs like Cobbleverse have NPC gym leaders to fight
- Legendary Pokemon: Spawn on biome + time + weather conditions (demanding setups)
- Automation synergy: All The Mons lets you use ATM10 automation to farm Apricorns and auto-craft Poke Balls
This is genuinely one of the mods you can't take out of a modpack once you've tried it — mining and building plus Pokemon catching means a 'quick session' regularly turns into two-plus hours.
💡 Gameplay Tips
- Apricorns grow on trees. You can craft different types of Poke Balls using different colored Apricorns.
- Cobblemon has biome-specific spawns. Explore various biomes to collect different Pokemon.
- You can store and swap Pokemon using the PC system.
- Some Pokemon gain friendship automatically when you explore nature together with them.
- Wild Pokemon you meet in the first thirty minutes are weaker than they look. Resist the urge to chase a powerful catch right away — get familiar with the friendship system first, because even a weak Pokemon you walk around with for a while ends up becoming the partner you bring to your first gym fight. That bond is half of why this mod works.
⚠️ Common Confusing Points
- • Not all features are 100% implemented like in the original games. Some features are still in development.
- • The conditions for legendary Pokemon to appear can be quite demanding.
❓ FAQ
Is this safe to play with an 11-year-old kid?
Cobblemon is one of the most parent-and-kid-friendly mods out there. Zero gore, turn-based battles mean reaction speed isn't a barrier, and the friendship system naturally builds a sense of 'we spent time together.' At our house, the kid named the starter and we set off as a duo — it's been the smoothest co-op modpack experience we've had.
How do I survive the first night?
Cobblemon doesn't change vanilla nighttime mobs, but having your starter alongside you drops first-night difficulty noticeably. Just keeping the starter out (no battle commands needed) makes it auto-attack hostile mobs nearby. Honestly, first night is easier than vanilla here — don't rush to chase strong wild catches; close out day 1 with a base build and a walk with your starter.
Can I install this alongside Pixelmon?
Technically no hard conflict, but I wouldn't recommend it. Both mods handle wild Pokemon spawns so grass fills up redundantly, and the visual styles clash (Cobblemon is 3D vanilla-friendly, Pixelmon imports the source pixel art). Plus their evolution and battle systems aren't compatible, so caught Pokemon can't move between them. Pick one or the other — and since 2024 the modpack trend has heavily consolidated around Cobblemon.
Which Pokemon should I prioritize catching?
For starters, **Squirtle** or **Bulbasaur** — both are defensive types so first-day mortality stays low. Among wild catches, target **Pidgey, Bidoof, Caterpie** and similar common Normal types first. They evolve into strong forms later and make great friendship-system practice. Save legendaries for end-game content.
I can't find any legendary Pokemon.
Each legendary in Cobblemon has its own spawn requirements (biome, time of day, weather, probability) and those requirements get tuned across versions. The most reliable place to look is your modpack's `config/cobblemon/spawning/` JSON files, or the official Cobblemon wiki for the specific Pokemon. You can raise spawn rates in the config, but honestly the default rates exist for a reason — that one organic legendary encounter is the heart of the mod.
📦 Modpacks With This Mod
COBBLEVERSE - Pokemon Adventure
A full-scale Pokémon adventure modpack built on Cobblemon. Experience an Pokémon RPG within Minecraft — complete with gym battles, evolution, and trainer fights.
🎯 Best for Suits players who want an Pokémon RPG (gym battles, trainers) over automation.
All the Mons
A dream crossover of the All the Mods series and Cobblemon. Raise Pokémon through tech and magic automation, build a powerful team, and enjoy all the mods together.
🎯 Best for A fit if you enjoy Pokémon catching/training but also want ATM-style automation on the side.