Co-op and hordes: your first shared battle

Bring a friend into battle, or face several wild Pokémon at once. Here is how the two systems work—and why they are not the same encounter.

PBO Team · Updated 7 September 2026 · Co-op and hordes released 3 September

Start a Co-op Duo

Update and sign in. Both trainers need the current PBO client and their own game accounts. If you are new, download PBO and use the registration option on the game’s login screen.
Open the party interface and choose Create Party. Select Co-op Duo, name your party, and create it. This mode is for exactly two trainers.
Invite your friend. Have them accept the Co-op Duo invitation. An Expedition Group is a different mode: it does not enable shared wild or Gym battles.
Meet on the same map. Both trainers must be online. Check the party panel’s readiness message, then start a wild encounter together.

Two trainers sharing a PBO co-op battle — A shared battle in Pokémon Blaze Online. Each trainer controls their own side of the fight.

Catching and NPC battles

Each trainer can catch their assigned wild Pokémon. Check the target and ownership information in the battle interface before throwing a Poké Ball; do not assume every target belongs to both players.

Co-op also supports NPC battles that have been enabled for it. Gym eligibility is checked when you challenge the trainer. Being ready for wild co-op does not mean every Gym or story battle is eligible.

Hordes and Pure Nectar

A natural horde brings two or three wild Pokémon into one encounter. Hordes can appear on land, while surfing, or while fishing. Choose the target of each move carefully; moves still follow their usual targeting rules.

Pure Nectar affects land encounters only. It increases horde frequency and adds two Pokémon, making those hordes four or five Pokémon strong. Fishing and surfing neither use up its encounters nor receive its effects. Check the in-game Pure Nectar indicator for your remaining eligible encounters.

An active swarm on your current map increases natural horde frequency, without increasing horde size by itself. On land, its effect can combine with Pure Nectar. The game’s How Hordes Work panel explains the current chances.

Five wild Pokémon in a PBO horde encounter — A five-Pokémon horde encounter. Pure Nectar boosts the size of land hordes.

If co-op does not start

Check the party mode: Co-op Duo, not Expedition Group.
Check that your invitation was accepted and the party has two trainers.
Confirm that both trainers are online and on the same map.
Read the party readiness message. A Gym can still have a separate eligibility check.
If it still fails, report your platform, map, battle type and the exact message to the PBO Discord support team. Never include passwords or sign-in codes.

What about the browser version?

Browser alpha testing is live. Access is rolling out gradually to participating accounts. The Phase 1 announcement links to the testing event and explains how to take part. Alpha access is separate from downloading the released client.