Pokémon Go has been released and plenty of players are already enjoying it, including
us.
But the game doesn’t do a whole lot to teach you about its basics, mechanics, and other
aspects.
So we’re here to break it down and go over some tips so that you can enjoy your Pokémon
Go experience right away or when it’s available.
Pokémon Go is a free augmented reality mobile game on iOS and Android where the main goal
is to catch Pokémon in your neighborhood.
For now, only the Pokémon from Generation 1 are available to catch.
However, what’s available for players to catch is dependent upon their location.
While catching Pokémon is the main focus, there are other goals as well, such as visiting
Poké Stops and Gyms, strengthening and evolving your Pokémon, and hatching eggs.
Pokémon can be found in a variety of places, as long as the Pokémon Go app is open.
Pokémon will appear on the game’s GPS map and your phone will buzz to indicate when
a new one is nearby.
If you want to catch it, simply tap the Pokémon to initiate the capture phase.
It is also possible to use the item Incense to temporarily increase the chances of a Pokémon
appearing while walking, or alternatively, you can install a Lure Module at a Poké Stop
by tapping the blank area above the landmark emblem.
This will temporarily lure Pokémon to that Poké Stop--and not just for you, but other
Pokémon Trainers too!
As for finding new Pokémon outside your immediate area--well, you’re going to have to get
out there and explore!
Aye, that’s a tough one!
So as we’ve already mentioned, the types of Pokemon you can find change depending on
the region.
But if you’re looking for a specific Pokémon in your area, there is a “Nearby Pokémon”
icon in the bottom-right corner of the map that will show up to nine Pokémon that are
close, along with footstep symbols, which display how close you are to that Pokémon.
Three steps means it’s within a kilometer, two steps a hundred meters, one step means
it’s within just ten meters, and no steps means you will encounter it soon.
If you want to find a specific Pokémon, tap its icon to highlight it.
This will change the Nearby Pokémon icon to that particular Pokémon and its footsteps,
making it slightly easier to pinpoint as you roam around.
The map will also show shaking grass at times which indicates a Pokémon should be around
that area though it’s not always a guarantee.
Unlike traditional Pokémon battles, you don’t actually fight the wild Pokemon in Go.
Instead, you just throw Pokéballs until one actually hits the Pokemon and captures it--but
it only counts if it hits the Pokémon first before it touches the ground.
Now during battle, a circle will appear around the Pokémon that comes in three colors; green,
orange, and red, which respectively represent easy, medium, and hard catches.
This dictates how likely a Pokémon is to break out of a Pokeball--and if a more difficult
Pokémon escapes several balls in a row, it might run away.
Fortunately, there are several items that can help better the odds of a successful capture,
such Great and Ultra Balls, as well as Razz Berries that can be fed to the Pokémon to
make the next Pokéball thrown have a higher chance of capture.
The colored circles serve another purpose though; it's not just capturing the Pokemon
that matters--but how well you time the throw.
So normally, each capture nets you 100 XP by default, though you’ll get a 500 XP bonus
if it’s a new Pokemon.
But you can increase that XP count even more the closer that colored circle is to the center
of the stationary white one at the time of capture: So you’ll receive a “Nice”
bonus of 10 XP if it’s close, a “Great” bonus of 50 XP, if it’s even closer, and
an “Excellent” bonus of 100 XP if its dead center.
And if that’s not enough, you can net another minor bonus of 10 XP if you catch the Pokemon
with a curveball--which you can do by shaking the Pokéball until it sparkles and then immediately
flicking it.
You can also double the XP you receive if a Lucky Egg item is used and in effect.
Well, you can evolve them to start!
Besides experience points, catching a Pokémon will always net the player 100 Stardust and
3 Candies for that specific Pokémon’s evolutionary chain.
These items are required to make your Pokémon stronger, increase HP, and eventually evolve,
both of which increase their Combat Power, or CP for short, and the higher the CP, the
stronger the Pokémon.
But there is a bit more to it, namely in relation to the Stardust.
When you look at your Pokémon’s CP, you will see an arc that a white line is filling
in.
This is the Pokémon’s potential and it is broken up by percentages.
Every 20% the amount of Stardust needed to increase the Pokémon’s power will increase
as well.
The first 20% is 200 Stardust, 21 to 40% is 400 Stardust, and so on until the maximum
of 1000 Stardust.
However, even if you have the right amount of Stardust, you won’t be able to increase
your Pokémon’s CP past a certain percentage until your trainer level is high enough.
The higher the level, the farther you can push its power on the scale.
While 1 piece of Candy is used for each power increase, the Candies are mainly used to evolve
Pokémon.
Different Pokémon require different amounts of Candy to evolve, but it’s usually either
12, 25, 50, or 100.
The lone exception is Magicarp which requires 400 of its Candies to evolve.
Evolution will increase the Pokémon’s CP but it will not affect the CP scale percentage.
Whatever it was at before evolution is where it’ll stay afterward.
CP is used exclusively at Gyms which is the only place battles can occur.
While Pokémon gain CP, Trainers gain Levels.
Those levels mark when certain things become available.
The best example is how Gyms cannot be claimed until the player has reached level 5.
But this level also marks when new items become available such as Potions and Revives, both
of which are necessary now that battles can take place.
Each level will give the player more of these items as well as allow you to further increase
the power of your Pokémon.
In short, Pokémon Gyms are essentially control points for players to claim on behalf of their
team by assigning it a Pokemon.
It’s here that battles take place and currency can be earned.
However, Gyms can’t be accessed until you reach Level 5.
And once you access one for the first time, you’ll be prompted to pick one of three
Teams: Team Valor, Mystic, or Instinct aka Teams Red, Blue, and Yellow.
Each has a leader and are represented by one of the Legendary Birds though it mainly serves
as a way for players to divide themselves into groups.
Each group can attempt to claim a Gym as their own which will net them Poké Coins for use
in the Shop.
The coins are earned based on the number of gyms under your control though, and unfortunately,
you only earn 10 coins per Gym with a max of 10.
This makes earning Poké Coins rather tricky since it’s the only way to obtain them in-game.
The other option is to purchase them with real-world money in the form of microtransactions.
The Shop holds all the items we’ve mentioned before along with Egg Incubators, an upgrade
to your Bag to hold more items, and a Pokémon Storage Upgrade to hold more Pokémon.
Gyms that are unclaimed are shown as Silver, but if it’s any other color, it’s controlled
by that Team.
To claim an empty Gym, simply tap the icon on the left side of the screen to pick one
of your Pokémon.
That Pokémon will then defend the Gym, but you will be unable to interact with it unless
it’s been defeated so there’s no way to further evolve it or increase its CP.
Now when under a Team’s control, the Gym can gain levels in the form of Prestige, which
is earned when the controlling Team wins battles against challengers.
Obtaining Prestige will increase the Gym’s Level and allow for more players from your
Team to place their Pokémon in the Gym in an effort to better defend it.
On the other hand, if you challenge a Gym, you’re able to choose up to six Pokémon
from your collection.
Battles are incredibly simple, mainly consisting of the player tapping the screen to have their
Pokémon attack, and swiping left or right to dodge enemy moves.
Yeah, it may be simple, but dodging could really save your Pokémon!
Now every Pokémon has two attacks; their primary move and a Special Move that’s charged
during battle, which is automatically used as your next attack when ready.
A Pokémon’s special attack can be different even within the same species.
One Pidgey could have Aerial Ace while another has Air Cutter.
However, winning a battle does not automatically make the Gym yours--instead, it’ll lower
its Prestige Points--and it’ll remain in their possession until their Prestige reaches
zero.
Now it is possible to challenge a Gym again right away in order to quickly accomplish
this although your Pokémon’s damage does not recover.
The only way to currently heal your Pokémon is by using Potions or Revives, which are
obtained through Poké Stops and leveling up your Trainer.
It’s also possible to battle against your own Gym in order to test the defenses, raise
its Prestige, and earn XP.
Of course, the higher your Pokémon’s CP, the better chance it has in battle.
Poké Stops are places of interest near you where you can get free stuff!
Who doesn't like free stuff?!
They can be buildings like churches, small local monuments or historical signs, and even
public art projects.
They are marked by a blue landmark emblem that enlarges once you are within range.
By tapping on it, you can see what the point of interest is and sometimes even get information
about it.
Swiping across the marker causes it to spin and drop random items like Pokéballs, Pokémon
Eggs, Potions, and Revives, as well as a small amount of experience points.
After using a Poké Stop, its color will change to purple to show that it’s already been
used.
However, it only takes a few minutes for it to refresh, allowing you to continually get
new items if you so choose.
When you receive a Pokémon Egg, you can look at it in the Pokémon screen under the Egg
tab.
From here you can place it in your incubator which begins the process of hatching it, and
is powered by you walking.
The distance is different for each egg, and we’ve seen them range from two kilometers
to ten so far.
Once you begin Pokémon Go, you will have an incubator right away that can be used an
infinite number of times.
It is possible to find or buy more but they have a limit of three uses.
Finally, eggs will only hatch if the player is walking.
Thanks to the GPS, Pokémon Go is able to determine your speed so trying to cheat by
riding in a car, train, or plane will not be counted toward the required distance.
In addition, the app must be open while walking or it will not be counted.
Medals are the achievements of Pokémon Go.
They track how far you’ve walked, how many Pokémon you’ve caught and their types,
how many Gym Battles you’ve won, and various other aspects.
Each medal has a bronze, silver, and gold requirement that gradually increases the number
needed to earn that achievement.
Upon earning a medal, you will also obtain some XP.
And that covers the basics of Pokémon Go.
It’s not too difficult to learn once you’ve got the hang of it and can be addicting in
its own way.
Let us know if you have any tips of your own in the comments.
Thanks for watching and be sure to subscribe to GameXplain for more on Pokémon and other
things gaming!