A Soul Link is a cooperative, two-player variant of the Nuzlocke Challenge. Both players play the same game at the same time under the standard Nuzlocke rules — but their Pokémon are soul-linked to each other, so every catch and every death affects both players.

JaidenAnimations’ explanation to 39 million viewers is the simplest one: “you and person two play the same Pokémon game at the same time following the same Nuzlocke rules — however, your Pokémon are linked, which means if my starter dies, player two’s starter also dies.” (Her HeartGold/SoulSilver Soul Link with Jacob Alpharad is the format’s most popular showcase.)

How soul-linking works

Linking is based on where each Pokémon was obtained. Bulbapedia’s definition: both players’ Pokémon are soul-linked based on their origin — “the first partner Pokémon are linked, the Pokémon from Route 1 are linked, and so on.”

So when both players reach a new area:

  1. Player A’s first encounter and Player B’s first encounter in that area become a linked pair.
  2. Both Pokémon are treated as one unit for the rest of the run.

The four standard rules

Beyond the two core Nuzlocke rules, a Soul Link adds these linked-pair rules (as codified by Nuzlocke University and TheGamer’s 2025 rules guide):

Soul Link Rule 1

Same-area encounters are linked

In each new area, both players’ first encounters are soul-linked to each other until death — this is where the name comes from.

Soul Link Rule 2

Linked Pokémon stay together

If one member of a linked pair is deposited in the PC, its partner must be deposited too. Linked Pokémon must be in both players’ parties at once — one player can’t bench a Pokémon while its soulmate is on the other’s active team.

Soul Link Rule 3

Death is shared

If one Pokémon of a linked pair dies, its soulmate is considered dead as well — on both players’ teams.

Soul Link Rule 4

Capture failure is shared

If one player fails to capture their first encounter in an area, the other player must forfeit their encounter in that area too.

Common additional rules

  • No duplicate types between the two players — Bulbapedia lists restricting duplicate types across the two teams as a common add-on, which forces complementary team building.
  • Any standard Nuzlocke clause (nicknames, Dupes Clause, etc.) can be layered on — and ambitious pairs can add Hardcore rules.

Two players — or more?

The standard format is strictly two players (Bulbapedia and NU both define it that way). Community extensions exist: the Soullocke tracker describes “two or more trainers” playing simultaneously, and fan projects have run 5-way links described as “like a 5-way Destiny Bond.” If you’re more than two, agree on how linking chains work before you start.

Because two runs have to stay perfectly in sync, most pairs use a shared tracker. Soullocke (soullocke.vercel.app) is a free real-time tracker built specifically for this — it tracks encounters, linked pairs, teams and deaths across two or more trainers with no account required. Note it’s a free community-hosted tool, so have a backup of your run notes.

One caveat: no source records who invented the Soul Link. It’s a community-evolved variant — treat any “creator” claims with skepticism.

Sources