How to Play Pokemon Go
How to Play Pokemon Go
pokemon go beginner guide play pokemon
What the heck is Pokémon Go?
If you’ve lived under a rock or otherwise you’ve missed out on the internet this weekend, you may have missed the official release of Niantic and Nintendo’s already ridiculously popular new game, Pokémon Go.It retains the basics of the Pokémon games past – catching Pokémon, fighting in gyms, with items that develop your creatures – with a crazy twist: they do it all in the real world. This means, instead of knocking or using a D-Pad to tell your virtual avatar where to go to find Pokémon, you are actually walking. In the real world. Crazy, we know.
You may have come across this page because you do not know anything about Pokémon. It’s okay. You do not have to be a fan of the previous games or even know the Lore to have fun with this game: While it can open as a game about catching Pokémon and fights, the real joy explores the real world with your friends, Giggle while you dressed in historical monuments as PokéStops, and new connections in your neighborhood with other wannabe Poké coach.
Pokémon Go 101
Before you enter Pokémon Go, you’ll get the hang of how the game works. That is, to know the world, its mechanics, and how to access your Pokédex, Items and more.Pokemon go beginner guide play pokemonTo register for the game, you must use your Google Account or sign up for a Pokémon Trainer Club account. Pokémon Go stores all information on its servers, so you must use one of the two methods to link your Pokémon data to your device.
After logging in, you want to customize your digital avatar. You can choose your sex, eye color, hair color, shirt, hat, pants, shoes and the style of your backpack. Do not worry about it too much: If you change your mind later, you can go back and re-adjust it.
Once you’ve done so, you’ll enter the main area of the game: The Pokémon Go map.
Essentially, the main area of the game is a brightly animated version of Google Maps. You’ll see (unmarked) roads, rustling grass (marking Pokémon in the area), and local landmarks disguised as PokéStops and Pokémon Gyms. As you move in the real world, your avatar does too. Pokémon will pop up on the map with a small vibration as you walk along, and if you tap on them, you can try to capture them.- Player icon: Your player icon is at the bottom left a corner of the screen. Tap on this to view your character’s information, as well as a list of in-game achievements.
- Backpack: This is where all the items you pick up on your journey are stored.
- Pokédex: Your index of Pokémon, complete with information on all the species you’ve already caught.
- Pokémon: Here, you can see all the Pokémon that are in your possession.
- Sightings Screen: Tap on the gray box in the bottom right corner of the screen to see which Pokémon are nearby.Pokemon go beginner guide play pokemon
What you need to know about Pokémon
No matter if you’ve never caught a Pokémon, or have gathered these creatures since your childhood, you’ll quickly get to know the Pokémon of the world. (Heck, the very first screen you see after logging in is a giant Gyarados that threatens a subconscious player, as a warning, while gambling vigilantly.)In the beginning, you are only able to catch Nintendo’s original lineup of Pokémon – found in red, blue and yellow titles – although we expect extensions to appear as the game grows and the bugs work out.
Pokémon is available in various types, shapes, and sizes: from the over 100 Pokémon available for capture, you will find creatures of the fairy, psychic, electric, grass, water, And normal. We have not yet discovered Legendary Pokémon, but that does not mean they do not hide.
Each geographic area has a specific Pokémon type, and some creatures are harder to find than others. If you run into the same group of Pidgey and Caterpie, do not lose hope: you must travel around your area to find all the Pokémon. You can go to local lakes, ponds or beaches to find, for example, water Pokémon, or wait until the evening to have a better chance of taking a fairy type.
It’s not a bad thing to catch a lot of the same kind of Pokémon. You will soon learn that there are quite a lot of Pidgey and Rattata. You get a so-called “catch bonus” to win more Pokémon. So, do not feel bad if you have 50 Pidgey in your Pokédex. These things are good for something after all.Pokemon go beginner guide play pokemon
How to catch your first Pokémon
As with all Pokémon games, when a trainer begins their first journey, they’re given a choice of which Pokémon to start with. After you’ve finished customizing your avatar, three Pokémon will appear in front of you. You can choose from Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle; after capturing one, the other two will disappear.But wait: There’s more. If you walk away from the original three Pokémon four times, you’ll get a fourth starter Pokémon option: Pikachu.Pokemon go beginner guide play pokemon
How to catch other Pokémon
Once you’ve gotten started with the game and captured your first Pokémon, it’s time to go hunting for some others.You can find wild Pokémon by physically walking around your area. Stick to populated areas: Pokémon appear most often near PokéStops. The more PokéStops nearby, the more creatures should appear. Try visiting locations with a lot of public art; tourist spots or malls are great starting points.
As you walk around in the real world, your avatar moves along the map using GPS. When a Pokémon is close enough to capture, it pops up on your screen. Since walking around with your eyes glued to your phone is a bit of a safety hazard, the game is designed to allow you to keep your eyes free while you wander. You can keep your phone at your side while you walk; when you are near a Pokémon, you’ll get a notification in the form of a vibration and (if your sound is turned on) the Pokémon’s unique call.
You can then move to a safe location (if you were walking along a road, for instance), and tap the visible Pokémon to capture it. Tapping zooms in on your avatar and launches an augmented reality experience with the Pokémon dancing around amidst your surroundings. If you don’t see it on the screen immediately in front of you, move your device around until it appears. (There are arrows on the side of the screen to guide you in the right direction.)
If AR makes you nauseous or you don’t want your battery drained, you can always turn the feature off in the upper right corner.Pokemon go beginner guide play pokemon
Once you’ve found the Pokémon, it’s time to throw a Poké Ball to try and capture it. You “throw” in-game by tapping and holding on your Poké Ball; a growing, shrinking ring appears then around the Pokémon. When the ring gets to its smallest, you want to flick your Poké Ball directly toward the creature (with the aim of bopping it on the head) and release your finger; if successful, you’ll capture the Pokémon inside.
Not all Pokémon enjoy being inside itty bitty areas, however, and some may jump out of your Poké Ball after one or two shakes. If this happens, you’ll want to throw another Poké Ball to try and recapture it — or, if you’re running low on supplies, run away.
As you progress in the game, you’ll encounter stronger Pokémon that require a more powerful Poké Ball (or Razz Berries, which lull the Pokémon to complacency). If the ring surrounding the Pokémon is green, you should have no problem capturing it; if it’s yellow, you have a fifty-fifty chance; when you see a red ring, you’ll need to use multiple Poké Balls, more powerful Poké Balls, or Razz Berries to have a remote chance of catching it.
More than one player can catch the same Pokémon; if you and your friend see the same Pokémon on the street, you can both grab it for your separate collections.
You can also use special items to attract Pokémon to your location: You can use incense to lure Pokémon to you personally for 30 minutes, or — if you’re at a PokéStop — use a Lure Module. This will bring Pokémon to the stop; every player there can catch them for the next 15 minutes.Pokemon go beginner guide play pokemon
How to get cool items from PokéStops (and explore the world around you, too
PokéStops are important or iconic places around your area: They may be special benches with dedication plaques, permanent art installations, or historic landmarks. They’ll never be something as mundane as a stop sign, nor will they be in a location that is not accessible to the public — like something inside a private building, or beyond a locked gate.PokéStops are an easy way to collect items, experience, and Poké Eggs (which hatch into Pokémon with the help of incubators, which we’ll talk about later).Pokemon go beginner guide play pokemon
They’re indicated on your map by tall poles with blue cube atop them: You can tap one even if you’re not in range to find out which landmark they’re associated with, but you won’t be able to check in until you’re close to the PokéStop.
When a PokéStop is within range, the blue cube will transform into a spinning disc, which you can tap on to visit. Inside, you’ll see the PokéStop symbol with a disc in the middle that displays the location’s photo; you may also get some historical information about the monument if you’re into that sort of thing.
Swipe the disc to spin it, and you’ll be rewarded with a variety of items. Items can include Poké Eggs, Poké Balls, healing potions, and more. As you increase in levels, you unlock new items to collect.
After you visit a PokéStop, the blue pole will change to purple, and you’ll be unable to visit for at least 10 minutes.Pokemon go beginner guide play pokemon
How to use items in Pokémon Go
Items are a must-have in this game: You need Poké Balls to capture Pokémon, Incense to lure them, and potions and revives to heal them after Gym battles.Like many games of this era, you can purchase many of these items with real-world currency as transformed into PokéCoins — but you don’t have to. You can stock up on most items just by visiting PokéStops. (About the only things you can’t find at stops are the Bag and Pokémon Storage upgrade.)
You never know what you’re going to come across at a PokéStop, but it’s almost always helpful. Each item has a specific use in the game; most fall into either the “capture” or “recovery” category, helping you capture new Pokémon or aiding your current Pokémon in healing after Gym battles.
You can also find incense, which lures Pokémon to you; Lucky Eggs, which grant you double experience for 30 minutes; Lure Patches, which draw Pokémon to a PokéStop; Razz Berries, which make it easier to catch more of the same species of Pokémon; and Poké Eggs, which can hatch into new Pokémon.
What’s the deal with eggs and incubators?
As you move through the world collecting items from PokéStops, you might just luck out and pick up a Poké Egg. These eggs will eventually become Pokémon in their own right, but they need a little bit of incubation — and a lot of steps — to make that happen.When you pick up an egg, you need to place it in an incubator to get the hatching process going. You start the game with a single, unlimited-use incubator, but you can purchase more if you want to hatch several eggs at once.
Once the egg is incubated, you’ll need to physically walk — sorry, would-be cheats, but driving won’t work — a certain distance before the egg will hatch. Depending on the rarity of the Poké Egg you’ve found, that could be as little as 2 kilometers or up to 10 kilometers. And yes, you will have to walk with the app open for those steps to register. RIP battery life.
Silph Road discovered that you can’t move more than 10.5 km/h for Pokémon Go to register your movement. Any faster and it will flag you as driving (or riding a bicycle too fast). The game also determines your movement by logging your steps from point A to point B and then calculating the distance, so you can’t put your device on a record player or tape it to a ceiling fan.
How to level up and evolve your Pokémon
Evolution doesn’t work the same way in Pokémon Go as it does in the classic games: Pokémon doesn’t evolve or level up after battles with other Pokémon trainers.Instead, you must catch duplicates of the same Pokémon, which drop Candy and Stardust. You can also send unwanted Pokémon to the Professor for a single candy, but be careful. Once a Pokémon is sent to the Professor, you can never get that version back.
Once you have gathered enough of a single type of Pokémon, you’ll be able to use the Candies to evolve it. Candy is Pokémon-specific and can be used to level up any Pokémon in that evolutionary chain. For example, you can use Candy that Charmander has dropped to evolve a Chameleon.
In addition to giving you the next evolutionary stage of a Pokémon, evolving will raise a Pokémon’s CP and HP. CP represents how strong a Pokémon’s attacks are while HP represents how much damage a Pokémon can take. Stats may also be increased by combining Candy and Stardust.
How to join a Gym team and battle other players
When you reach level 5 and visit a gym, you are asked to join one of three color-coded teams: Instinct (Yellow), Mystic (Blue), or Valor (Red). They are color coded based on the original titles – Pokémon Red, Pokémon Blue, and Pokémon Yellow: Special Pikachu Edition.Unlike Nintendo’s games, the team you choose does not affect the Pokémon type you find in the wilderness. After selecting a team, you will join millions of other players around the world; Will each team work together to become the most successful. As with Niantic’s previous title, Ingress, Teams Pokémon can go from a single-player experience to a group of sports.
Teams are like you are with your friends to make a dent in the world. You and your team take over and climb up fitness studios; If you have a gym, you get Pokécoins and Stardust, which can help you expand and develop your Pokémon.
Similar to PokéStops, Gyms are real landmarks in the world, and they are where all Pokémon battles happen. You can claim them for your team or help you level a gym already claimed for your team to build its prestige. Instructors, Mystic or Valor team can claim an unstaffed gym. If the color of your team has control over a gym, you can train your Pokémon individually. If a Gym is held by an opposing team, you have to control the Pokémon Post to lower its prestige and have a chance to take it.
Gymnasia earn prestige when you train your Pokémon in one that your team controls and lose prestige when opposing teams win battles against the abandoned Pokémon. The gym of your team collects experience points to gain prestige. As its levels increase, so do the number of Gym Leaders. For example, if your gym has reached Level 3, you can make three Gym Leaders in it, which makes it more difficult for opposing teams to overthrow.
Entering a gym triggers a fun mini-game where you attack the opponent’s Pokémon and evade their attacks. While you are fighting, you have three choices: you can tap the screen to attack, press and hold the screen to initiate a special attack or swipe left or right to avoid the attack of an opponent. Just like the traditional Pokémon games, the goal is to reduce your opponent’s Pokémon to zero points.
To steal control over a gym already occupied by an opposing team, you must win against all Pokémon of the Gym Leaders. Beating leaders in the gym will reduce its prestige, but it takes several battles against the same Pokémon to occupy it for your team.
If you occupy a gym, help not only your team but also PokéCoins! Every 20 hours, you can shop and redeem your coins, based on how many gyms you currently occupy.
Pokémon Go isn’t just about taking care of and leveling your Pokémon — it’s about your experience, too. You can gain levels as a trainer by catching Pokémon, exploring PokéStops, and battling at Gyms.
As you hit higher levels, you’ll be able to fight at gyms, gain access to higher-quality PokéBalls and other items, and help strengthen your Pokémon.Pokemon go beginner guide play pokemon
If you have a higher trainer level than the players at a rival Gym, you’ve got a better chance of taking it over. This is especially true when it comes to fighting multiple trainers to take over a single Gym.
When you train at a Gym, you’ll be able to bring six Pokémon with you into the battle. If your Pokémon is lower level than your friendly opponent, its’ combat points will be temporarily be reduced so you have a fairer competition and can actually earn some Prestige Points for your Gym.Pokemon go beginner guide play pokemon
Do you need the Pokémon Go Plus wearable?
If you decide to go all-in and invest in the $ 30 Pokémon Go Plus portable, you can play the game without taking the phone out of your pocket. The device comes with a detachable strap and a clip so you can wear it on your wrist or lapel or backpack or wherever.Pokemon go beginner guide play pokemonWhen worn, the Pokémon Go Plus acts as a notification device and warns you when a PokéStop or Pokémon is nearby. You will get a different vibration, depending on what you are near. You can use the Pokémon Go Plus to activate a PokéStop or even catch a Pokémon without having to look at your phone. To activate a PokéStop or catch a Pokémon, press the portable device in a certain pattern.
But do you need the portable to enjoy the game? Not particularly. Your device still needs Pokémon Go in the foreground, so you do not save much battery life, and you get these vibrations from your iPhone or Android device, anyway.Pokemon go beginner guide play pokemon
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