Cobblemon getting started in Minecraft: starter, battles, catching

Cobblemon adds Pokémon to Minecraft: Java Edition 1.21.1. Install it with Fabric or NeoForge, press M in your world to choose a starter, press R while looking at a wild Pokémon to battle it, then throw a Poké Ball to catch it. Poké Balls come from Apricorns, which grow on rare trees.

Cobblemon 1.8.4 targets Minecraft 1.21.1 only, so create a profile or instance for that version. Download the files from the official Modrinth or CurseForge pages only.

Minecraft 1.21.1 needs Java 21, which the launchers pick for you. New to loaders? Follow how to install Fabric or how to install NeoForge first. The Cobblemon team recommends Fabric for performance.

Join a world. Your party is empty, so the game tells you to press M. M opens Starter Selection: pick a region tab, look at its starters, then click I choose you! The Pokémon joins your party.

Missed the prompt? M is the Open Summary key: with an empty party it opens Starter Selection again.

• Up and Down arrows: select a Pokémon in your party.
• R: throw the selected Pokémon out of its ball.
• M: open its summary (stats, moves, held item).
• O: hide or show the party bar.

All keys can be changed in Options, Controls, Key Binds, under Cobblemon.

Select the party Pokémon you want to lead with, look at a wild Pokémon close to you and press R. The battle opens with four choices: Fight, Switch, Catch and Run. Fight picks a move, Switch brings in another party Pokémon. Run asks you to walk away from the opponent to flee. Press R during the battle to hide the menu and move around.

Winning gives your Pokémon experience, so it levels up and learns new moves.

Apricorn trees grow rarely on grass in any biome. Right-click a ripe, fully coloured Apricorn to pick it: you get one, and a new bud starts growing. Bone Meal speeds up the growth.

Recipe	Result
4 Red Apricorns (top, left, right, bottom) + 1 Copper Ingot in the centre	4 Poké Balls

Each Apricorn colour makes its own ball with the same Copper Ingot recipe. The seven basic balls all have the same 1× catch rate, so use whatever colour you find.

1. Weaken the wild Pokémon in battle: a hurt Pokémon is easier to catch.
2. Click Catch, then select a Poké Ball in your hotbar.
3. Aim at the Pokémon and throw the ball with right-click.

The Catch button does not throw anything by itself: you aim and throw. A ball that misses drops on the ground and can be picked up again. If the Pokémon breaks free, that ball is lost.

Your party holds six Pokémon. Catches beyond that go to the PC, a block you open to move Pokémon in and out of its boxes. Craft it with 4 Iron Ingots, 1 Glass, 2 Copper Ingots and 2 Smooth Stone, the Glass on top in the middle.

To heal, look for a Pokécenter in plains, desert, savanna and snowy villages: it has a Healing Machine. You can craft your own with 3 Copper Ingots, 4 Iron Ingots, 1 Redstone Dust and 1 Max Revive. A placed machine charges up over time before it can heal. Healing items such as Potions are brewed in a Brewing Stand from berries and crops.