14 Simple Pokémon Go Tips To Help You Catch 'Em All

OtakuArt

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past god knows how long, you’ll have undoubtedly heard of or even seen the new smartphone app that has had millions of people all over the world, glued to their phones. That’s right, it’s PokémonGo. It’s inevitable that you’ll hear those two words mentioned at least once in your day, there’s absolutely no escaping it – so why not make the most of it?

For those of you who genuinely have no idea what I’m talking about (where have you been?) PokémonGo is a free downloadable app for smartphones. It’s an augmented reality (AR) game which allows an individual to play as a Pokémon trainer, catching virtual fictional animals in containers called pokéballs. However, this isn’t just any game. It involves getting the player to leave the house and explore their surrounding areas, using GPS (Global Positioning System) in order to find these creatures.

I’ve scoured the internet looking for the best tips, tricks and general useful information for those of us who have been suckered into playing this game. Whether you’re a complete novice or a fully-fledged gym leader – these tips are well worth a read.

Although it’s always useful to have a little background knowledge, you do not have to have played previous Pokémon games to be able to enjoy PokémonGo. It’s gripped the whole nation here in the UK – I mean, even my mum is playing it.

CHOOSE PIKACHU TO BE YOUR FIRST COMPANION
Once you’ve installed and registered your account with PokémonGo you’ll be introduced to a character called Professor Willow. You’ll then be asked to create and setup your own desired character. After finishing this step, you’ll be asked by Professor Willow to catch your very first Pokémon. At this stage you’ll usually be given the chance to catch a classic starter such as Bulbasaur, Squirtle or Charmander. Instead of choosing one of the three starter pokémon, walk away from them. Your phone should then vibrate and you’ll be faced with these three choices again. Walk away a second time and repeat the process 3-5 times before a Pikachu should finally appear. Click on Pikachu to then catch him as your starter companion.

PAY ATTENTION TO RUSTLING LEAVES
As you walk around (in real life) you will notice spots on your virtual phone map where rustling leaves will occasionally appear. Pay attention because these leaves usually indicate where wild Pokémon are lurking in a specific area of the location you are actually in. Make sure to investigate these areas as you’re likely to discover a Pokémon.

REMEMBER: Different Pokémon show up in different places so make sure to switch up your location if you want to discover new types of Pokémon!

CAPTURING POKÉMON
Once you’ve discovered a Pokémon you wish to save to your pokédex (list of creatures you’ve discovered) you’ll first need to catch it. Tapping on the desired Pokémon will switch your phone from virtual mode to augmented reality (AR mode), meaning the app will use your phone camera in order for you to be able to catch Pokémon.

Move your camera until it focuses on the Pokémon in question and a white ring should appear around it. Clicking the red and white pokéball at the bottom of the screen will suggest that you’re ready to throw and this will encourage a coloured ring of varying size to appear within the white circle. The difficulty of the catch all depends on what colour the circle appears to be. A green circle symbolises an easy catch, yellow, orange and red circles symbolise that the Pokémon will prove to be a little more difficult to catch. Keep your eyes peeled because yellow, orange and red circles also mean there’s a possibility that the Pokémon will break out of the pokéball once caught (and you’ll have to catch it again) OR it will try to run away. So stay on your toes!

YOU CAN TURN OFF AR MODE
Although seeing Pokémon appear via your camera seems to be one of the coolest features of the game, it can also impair your chances of catching those much needed creatures. To improve your chances and make it slightly easier for you to catch, toggle the AR button on the top right of your phone screen when you enter capture mode. This will turn your camera off and place the Pokémon-to-be-caught on a much more plain background. You’ll notice a huge difference!

TIME OF DAY MATTERS
Whilst location plays a huge factor in what type of Pokémon you will find, so does the time of day in which you’re searching for them. If you haven’t yet tried it, why not go out searching during late evening/night-time. However, I can’t stress enough that you stay vigilant when exploring in the dark/restricted light – possibly consider going with a group of people so you won’t be in danger.

DUPLICATES CAN BE TRADED
Come across a Pokémon that you already have? Don’t fret. Capture it and any duplicates can be transferred to Professor Willow in return for a candy for that type of Pokémon. Be sure to take into account the CP (combat power) and moves of the wild Pokémon you caught before transferring it. Make sure to keep the strongest version.

RAZZ BERRIES HELP TO CATCH RARE/DIFFICULT POKÉMON
Once you have reached level 8, razz berries will become an option for you to use when trying to capture a hard-to-catch Pokémon. These are berries that you can feed to the Pokémon to slow it down and improve your chances of successfully capturing it. If you’re really struggling, pair the razz berries with either a ‘great ball’ or ‘ultra ball’ from the shop.

INCENSE AND LURES
Use incense or purchase lures to attract wild Pokémon to your location. Incense are particularly useful items to use when you’re stuck in one place for a length of time – such as at home or at work… or at a standstill on the M25 (not encouraged). These handy items will lure Pokémon to your location for 30 minutes, keeping the game interesting even when you can’t be out exploring.

DEFEND GYMS TO EARN IN-GAME CASH
Once you have reached level 5, you are considered to be at a high enough rank to start battling with other trainers to contend for ownership of gyms. You’ll be given the opportunity to join one of three teams (Instinct, Valor or Mystic) choose carefully because you only get one chance. From here you can locate gyms nearby on your virtual map and battle the reigning Pokémon left by another trainer to protect and defend that gym. However, don’t be hasty and enter weak Pokémon into the gym. Spend time improving and strengthening your Pokémon before you even consider trying to take a gym. Win and you’ll earn yourself cash to spend in-game. Just don’t forget to put some of your best Pokémon in charge of defending.

POKÉSTOPS ARE YOUR BEST FRIEND
Most landmarks in your area will have turned into virtual reward sources called pokéstops. These are indicated on your virtual map by a blue cube. Travel towards it and as soon as you get close enough you can activate it to in return give you goodies such as extra pokéballs, potions and eggs! You can use the same pokéstop once every five minutes but make sure to check out the others in your area too!

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF EGGS
You’ll often find that many pokéstops will reward you with eggs throughout your journey. Make the most of these by incubating them to eventually hatch new Pokémon! The incubation process is determined by how far you have walked whilst using the app - 2km, 5km, 10km. You should save your limited use incubator for the 10km eggs.

WORK ON YOUR XP
The amount of XP you have determines the skill of your trainer, which is why it’s crucial to work on building up your XP and climbing to higher levels before you proceed to evolve and hatch Pokémon. The higher your level, the more likely you are to discover better Pokémon of higher levels so don’t be impatient! Work on getting that XP up and you’ll soon be catching better Pokémon!

LUCKY EGGS
Reaching level 9 will open up the opportunity for you to receive lucky eggs. These eggs are essentially special rewards that give you a 30 minute XP boost – meaning any XP you earn in those 30 minutes will be doubled. However, they are given out sparsely by the game so be sure to use them strategically. The best way to make the most out of these lucky eggs would be to set aside 30 minutes of playing time and locate an area where there are a few pokéstops within close proximity of each other. Activating a lure at the same time as activating your egg will not only attract dozens of wild Pokémon to your location but you’ll also receive double XP in the process!

TRY TO PLAY AT LOW-DEMAND TIMES
If you’re a frequent player you’ll already be fully aware of how tedious it is to try and get a successful PokémonGo session going. This is due to high demand and full severs which ultimately leads to the app crashing constantly. With this in mind, try to choose a time to play when demand is going to be lower, such as early morning. I know it’s a pain but it’s so much easier than standing around waiting for a laggy app to load.

So there we have 14 of the most useful tips to help you on your Pokémon-catching journey. Although a lot of them may just be common sense, bearing them in mind when you’re playing will go a long way in developing yourself as a trainer. Now nothing should be stopping you from catching ‘em all. Stay safe and have fun!