The Only Guide You Need To Master Pokemon Go
The biggest craze these days isn’t a dance or even a meme of an actor making a funny face while eating a sandwich — it’s the very addicting Pokemon Go app.
It’s been out for more than a week now, and it didn't take long for people to really warm up to it. Fans have already made routes, target areas and discovered unique and efficient ways to catch ‘em all.
If you’re struggling to find success with the game, don’t you worry. Below, we’ve listed down various tips, tricks and hacks to make you the very best trainer there is.
Don’t want the usual trio of Pokemon starters? You can always choose Pikachu.
At the start of the game, you will be offered Charmander, Squirtle and Bulbasaur as starters. Just ignore those and keep walking. Continue to ignore them whenever they appear. The fourth time the game prompts you to choose a starter, Pikachu will appear as the fourth choice.
For those of you using cars or motorcycles as hacks to hatch an egg faster, keep dreaming.
You have no choice, you will simply have to exercise just for this game.
Pokemon eggs require a specific distance to be incubated so that it could hatch. Unfortunately, incubation is immune to high speeds. You will have to walk or jog your way to hatching that egg.
Don't despair, there is an egg hatching hack you can use. It’s a little faster but still requires physical exercise: you can go biking. But make sure it’s at a speed slow enough for your precious egg to incubate.
You found a Pokemon in your area! Now what?
The first thing that happens is the app enters the capture screen. You will know this has happened once you see a Pokeball and a colored circle around the Pokemon’s body appear on your screen.
You can easily gauge how hard it is is to capture a Pokemon by the color of the circle.
Green means easy peasy.
Yellow means you might have a bit of a hard time.
Red means you are definitely going to have a hard time.
Just make sure you aim the Pokeball carefully and accurately.
Pro tip: you don't want to waste a bunch of Pokeballs on a single Pokemon.
Additionally, when you’re about to throw a Pokeball, make sure to press and hold it until the coloured ring shrinks. The smaller the circle means you’re more likely to capture it. It also increases the chances of getting "Nice!," "Great!" or "Excellent!" — all of which have corresponding XP.
As you progress in the game, it becomes more difficult to catch a Pokemon simply by throwing a Pokeball.
Once you manage to level up, it'll be much harder to capture a Pokemon using just a Pokeball. As you progress in the game, however, certain advanced items will be made available for you in Pokestops.
For example, Razz Berries are perfect for luring the Pokemon into your trap before surprising them with your cool Ultra or Master Balls so that there won’t be any chance of escape.
Of course, your aim isn’t always going to be perfect. Don’t worry! You can still pick up those Pokeballs.
Your reflexes have to be lightning fast for this to work.
As the Pokeball is rolling away, tap on it immediately so you can pick it up.
There’s no shame in being frugal. Mom always said not to be wasteful.
Finding Pokemon is actually fairly easy.
There are a couple of ways to know if there’s a Pokemon near you. If you see rustling leaves in the main screen, that means there’s a Pokemon there.
A menu at the lower right corner of the main screen shows you which Pokemon are in your area and how far they are going to be. The fewer footsteps you see, the nearer the Pokemon is. This menu is arranged to display the closest Pokemon to you by distance.
Another way to make sure you bump into a Pokemon is to hunt for them in places where there are many people. Pokemon usually appear in areas where there is high cellphone traffic.
Finally, you can find specific Pokemon types near their natural habitats. So if you’ve been looking for water type Pokemons, it’s best to hunt for them near bodies of water. Going out at night might get you a nocturnal Pokemon, but be careful if you plan on doing this.
Don’t worry about catching duplicate Pokemon, because you can trade them in for candy!
You will definitely catch duplicate Pokemon, and sometimes, it can be very annoying. Good thing Professor Willow is thirsty for those duplicates — he’ll even give you candy for it!
The candy can be used to help your Pokemon evolve.
Select all the duplicates you want to send Professor Willow’s way in the Pokemon menu, scroll down, and then select “Transfer.”
Stuck in school or in the office? You can still attract Pokemon!
If you can’t go to the Pokemon, you can always make the Pokemon come to you.
Incense will help attract the Pokemon to you, and it will do so for 30 continuous minutes. You’ll know it’s working once you see a purple cloud swirling around your Trainer.
To use the incense, click on the Pokeball and select “Items.”
Find all the Pokestops and visit them as many times as you like.
Once you’ve visited a Pokestop, the icon turns purple and you can’t seem to visit them anymore. In fact, you only need to wait five minutes for the Pokestop to become accessible again.
Turn off augmented reality when catching a Pokemon to make it easier.
There are some Pokemon that go wild, especially when you’re about to catch them.
Just click on the switch that can be found on the upper right corner of your screen with “AR” written beside it. Your screen will then show the virtual world where capturing Pokemon may not look as cool as before, but it does make it easier.
Gain extra XP by doing a curveball.
When you’re about to capture a Pokemon, draw a circle around the Pokeball to make it spin. This will give you a curveball bonus.
Now, go forth and catch 'em all!
