The basics of Pokemon Go are simple and fun. You walk, you catchPokemon, you collect as many as you may and you visit Poke Stops to load your backpack up with goodies to help your Trainer along the way.
But when it comes to mastering the game, there’s a lot more you need to consider. Here are some top tips to help you become a Pokemon pro:
1. Hatch your eggs and use your incubators wisely
The eggs you collect at Poke Stops or get from gifts will help you get some Pokemon as well as gain XP and boost candies, once you’ve put them through an incubator and walked the required distance - 2km, 5km, 7km or 10km. Everyone starts with an infinite-use incubator with a ∞ symbol on it, but sometimes you’ll be rewarded with 3x incubators, as well as being able to buy them in the shop. Use them wisely:
Using this technique, you’ll get more efficient use of those incubators. Also, watch out for special events where hatching distances are slashed. Generally speaking, the longer-distance eggs have greater rewards.
2. Build your XP first, then power-up Pokemon
The skill of your Trainer is dictated by the XP you have. You move through the levels of XP, needing more XP each time to level up. But as you do so, the rewards get higher and you’ll evolve and hatch Pokemon at a higher level, as well as being able to power-up to higher levels.
Powering-up your Pokemon when your XP is low means it costs you more candies to do so. So it’s better to save your power-ups of Pokemon until you’ve reached a higher XP level - like over level 20.
To help build XP quickly, try some of these things:
3. Build an army, manage your bag
There are two areas of the game that register the Pokemon you catch:
There’s no need to carry every type of Pokemon as a growing collection in your bag - that’s what the Pokedex is for.
It’s better to keep only the Pokemon you need: that’s an army to fight with in Gym and Raid battles. You’ll need high-power versions of Pokemon, but it’s better to have a number of powerful Blissey than one Blissey and a Caterpie, Metapod, Kakuna and so on, because those Pokemon - once registered and evolved - won’t really do much for you. So, learn your Pokemon’s skills and build an army of those who fight well, like Gengar, Blissey, and Vaporeon.
You’ll also need to carry those you still need to evolve and hang on to those who need a special item to evolve, like Onix if you’ve not yet got Steelix.
Also keep your eye out for special edition characters - like the seasonal Pikachu. These evolve into special Raichu, so it’s worth having and holding these, just so you may put them in Gyms for others to be jealous of.
4. Transfer Pokemon for candies
There’s an option to Transfer Pokemon to the professor, in return for Candy of that Pokemon variety. Having captured a Pokemon and got the Stardust and Candy they bring, you can then transfer out Pokemon you don’t need.
If, for example, you already have 20 Rattata, you can probably swap some for candies to power up those who will actually battle for you as Raticate. As we said above, you can only carry a finite number of Pokemon and you want them all to be powerful, so get rid of those weaker specimens.
5. Check the evolution path
The Pokedex shows how Pokemon evolve and it’s worth checking out what a Pokemon can evolve into before you drop Candy on it to power it up or evolve lesser forms. For example, if you have lots of Pidgy and a few Pidgeotto, you probably don’t want to spend Candy evolving Pidgy into more Pidgeotto: you want to save them until you can evolve Pidgeotto into Pidgeot because it needs more candy.
Making more mid-tier Pokemon is less useful than getting the rarer evolved form which will often be more useful in battle.
Also, double-check the evolution path. Many Pokemon have another evolved form that opens up as the game expands. For example, with the addition of the Sinnoh region, new versions became available. You’ll need a Sinnoh Stone to evolve them, meaning some Pokemon you thought were finished can now do something else, so it’s worth going back to check.
6. Use your Lucky Eggs wisely
Sometimes you’ll collect a Lucky Egg. This will double your XP earned for 30 minutes. Don’t just randomly drop it, however, try to use it for maximum gain to help level up your Trainer. That might be when you arrive in a new, busy, place and you know you’re going to be catching or hatching Pokemon, or where there are lots of Gyms for you to battle - and win.
So, save those Lucky Eggs for those epic town centre Pokemon Go sessions to get the most XP in return.
7. Turn off AR mode
Sure, the AR mode is fun because it brings it to real life, but it uses battery and it makes the game more difficult - it also doesn’t work on some lower-power phones.
Switch it off and play in the game world and you’ll find it’s easier to catch Pokemon because the environment is always the same. It will save you battery life too. If you need more battery,check out our best power banks to recharge on the move.
8. Master the Poke Stop
When you visit a Poke Stop and spin the sign, you don’t have to tap all the things released. Just hit the X at the bottom to close the Stop and you’ll automatically claim your rewards.
Remember that if you’re near a PokeStop having lunch or coffee, you can visit that Stop again and again - it just takes a few minutes to become available again.
9. Get in Gyms
Gyms are where the real glory lies, as they are the route to Coins. Gyms are really what Pokemon Go is about. You battle, win and take over a Gym for your team. You’ll want to leave behind a powerful Pokemon to defend that Gym, as the longer they sit in place and defend it, the more Coins you earn. The more Coins you earn, the more stuff you’re able to buy.
You’ll take over Gym for your team and other team members can defend that Gym with you. Some Pokemon like Blissey are hard to knock out. If you want to keep it, Blissey it, but remember that in high turnover Gyms (like in town centres) your Pokemon will soon be knocked out, so there’s little point in using your most powerful.
Also consider that Pokemon that sit in Gyms but don’t defend it, don’t earn many coins - so that remote Gym no one ever challenges isn’t going to earn as many Coins as you might think.
10. Only fight Raid Battles you can win
This might sound like a cowardly approach, but there’s little point in pitching your 86CP Squirtle against a 50000CP Kyogre. If you don’t have enough powerful Pokemon of your own or a team of friends to battle with, then you’ll lose and just have to revive your Pokemon and treat them with Potions.
So, check the power of the Pokemon in the Raid Battle before you start.
When battling Gyms you’re able to wear down your opponents gradually, so you can take on opponents that are more powerful - you’ll still lose, but you might make some progress.
