Pokémon GO is everywhere. It has taken over social media, and the posts and reviews and reactions won’t stop coming in. Not to mention the fair share of disgruntled users, and novices.
But fear not, if you have already installed it, we are here to help. Here’s a quick tips-and-tricks guide for you to be the very best, like no one ever was! 😀
1. First things first, get a battery pack AND a data pack. No, seriously.
Pokémon GO is solely dependent on your phone’s GPS. So unless you live in a WiFi-enabled city (we’re watching you, Kejru), we recommend you get a decent battery backup to give you juice on your quests, and a large enough data pack.
2. Now that you’ve gotten the app and started up, choose a decent starter Pokémon. There’s even a trick to catch Pikachu.
For your starter Pokémon, the usual will appear (Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle). You can choose any one, if you like. But if you actually move away from them, a Pikachu also appears. Just in case you want to emulate Ash.
3. Don’t shy away from repeats. Literally, catch ’em all.
Some Pokémon will always appear more than others. For example, I caught 10 Zubats in two hours at my office, not kidding. Catch them all, they will help you in powering up similar Pokémon using transfers.
4. Transfer weaker repeat Pokémon back to Professor Willow for candy.
Each Pokémon requires candy to power up or evolve. So if you catch a lot of the same kind of Pokémon, transfer the ones with a weaker CP (Combat Power) back to the Prof. in exchange for a candy, which you can use for your (and your Pokémon’s) benefit.
5. Rustling leaves on your map are a sign that a wild Pokémon is near.
Although it might never be always true, a wild Pokémon might be lurking in the general area of the rustling leaves. Also keep an eye on the pawprints of Pokémon in the bottom right of your main screen, as the number of pawprints indicate how far a Pokémon is from you. The lesser, the nearer.
6. There are high chances that you’ll catch different Pokémon in the same area.
This is mainly because of time of day and the geographical differences. You may capture more Grass types in an area with greenery, more water types in an area with water bodies, etc. You might even run into a psychic or rare kind of Pokémon at night times.
7. You can turn off the AR (Augmented Reality) mode to catch Pokémon.
The AR mode is also more difficult when it comes to catching Pokémon. Turn it off using the top right button in the catch Pokémon screen.
8. The way you catch Pokémon gives you more points.
You can throw a curveball to gain bonus poits on catching your Pokémon. If you press and hold on your Pokéball, a coloured ring starts to get smaller on the Pokémon. This is for two things. 1. The colour indicates how easy it is to catch that Pokémon. Green is for easy, Yellow for intermediate, and Red for tough. 2. If you manage to throw the ball inside the coloured ring, you get bonus points.
9. Pokéstops are your friends. Stop at each one.
Pokéstops are basically goodie kiosks. It’s advised to stop at each one, because they hand out free Pokéballs (I have 500 after playing for just two days), and other items which will be useful in your game. As you level up, you will gain different items.
10. Eggs are important. Incubate them as soon as you get one.
Sometimes, you will also get an egg from a Pokéstop. The egg will eventually hatch to give you a Pokémon and some goodies. But for that to happen, you’ll have to incubate it in the incubator. Once it is in the incubator, start walking, as the eggs will need you to cover certain distances for them to hatch.
11. The more the distance on the egg, the more important it is.
Eggs come with a requirement of 2 km, 5 km, and 10 km. The ones with 10 km are rare and should be ideally incubated on priority. They have a higher chance of fetching you rare Pokémon and goodies.
12. You can’t cheat your way into hatching eggs quickly.
The game has an algorithm built in which prevents distance from being recorded if you’re going above 20 km/hr. So if you’re stuck in traffic in your car, that would be a good time to keep the app open. So walk it if you can, or just drive slowly around your block, or cycle.
13. You can use Incense or a Lure Module to attract more Pokémon.
The Incense will be on for 30 minutes and attracts more wild Pokémon near you, if you happen to be stationary for a certain period of time. The same is the case with a Lure Module, just that it can be attached to a Pokéstop. The downside to that is that other trainers will also be able to make use of it. Use it wisely.
14. Once you reach level 5, you can either take over a gym or battle already taken over gyms.
Be carfeul, you will need Pokémon with a high CP to match the ones at the Gym. Once you’ve taken over a Gym, you will need to leave a Pokémon of yours there to guard it from other intruders. Make sure it’s a powerful one so that it can successfully defend your gym.
15. You can earn cash through your gyms.
You will need the ingame cash to buy different items for your need. You can pay, of course, but if you leave Pokémon at the gym, you will get a little sum of money every 20 hours or so, depending on the number of Pokémon you have at your gyms. You can tap the shield icon in the shop page to get them.
So there you go. This is all you need to get going on your quest, and be the best Pokémon Master there is!