Cobblemon spawns Pokemon based on Minecraft biomes, time of day, weather, and terrain. Each Pokemon has spawn conditions that match its type and lore. Here is a practical reference for finding Pokemon and understanding how spawns work.
How Cobblemon spawns work
Every Pokemon in Cobblemon has a spawn file that defines where and when it appears. The spawn system checks:
- Biome: plains, forests, deserts, oceans, caves, etc.
- Time: day, night, dusk, dawn.
- Weather: clear, rain, thunder.
- Terrain: surface, underground, water, lava-adjacent.
- Y-level: some Pokemon only spawn above or below certain heights.
The spawn pool rotates, so you will not see every possible Pokemon at once. Walking through different biomes at different times gives the best variety.
Common spawn locations by biome
| Biome | Common Pokemon | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Plains | Rattata, Pidgey, Wooloo, Eevee | Daytime grassland spawns |
| Forest | Caterpie, Oddish, Pikachu, Bulbasaur | Shaded areas boost grass types |
| Desert | Sandshrew, Trapinch, Cacnea | Hot biomes, day spawns |
| Ocean | Magikarp, Tentacool, Horsea | Water surface spawns |
| Snow | Swinub, Snover, Cubchoo | Cold biomes only |
| Cave | Zubat, Geodude, Aron | Below Y=60, dark areas |
| Swamp | Poliwag, Croagunk, Lotad | Wet biomes, any time |
| Mountains | Machop, Larvitar, Skarmory | High Y-level spawns |
| Nether | Magby, select fire types | If enabled in config |
These are examples from the default spawn tables. Server admins can customize every spawn rule.
Finding rare and legendary Pokemon
Rare Pokemon have lower spawn weights, meaning they appear less frequently in the same biomes as common ones. You improve your chances by:
- Exploring more chunks (new chunks have fresh spawn attempts).
- Playing at the right time of day (some rares are night-only).
- Using the correct biome (legendaries often require specific biome + time + weather combinations).
Legendary spawns are typically configured separately and may use shrines, events, or custom spawn conditions depending on the server setup.
Server-side spawn configuration
Admins can modify spawns in the Cobblemon config directory:
- Adjust spawn rates per species.
- Add or remove Pokemon from specific biomes.
- Change rarity weights.
- Enable or disable legendary spawns.
- Set minimum distance between spawn groups.
Pre-generating chunks with Chunky helps because Cobblemon spawns depend on loaded chunks having the right biome data available.
The short answer
Pokemon spawn based on biome, time, weather, and Y-level. Explore different biomes at different times for variety. Rare Pokemon have lower spawn weights but appear in the same biomes as common ones. Server admins can customize all spawn rules.
Want to change these spawn rules yourself? You need full config access, which you get on your own server. See Cobblemon server hosting for plans by group size.