Pokémon GO has taken the world by storm, but there are a few things that don’t get fully explained to you when you begin. Our review details what the game is all about if you don’t already know, so why don’t you have a read and come back to our Pokemon GO Hints and Tips page once you’ve got the game installed onto your device?
Pokémon GO follows a relatively simple concept, but if you want to be the very best like no one ever was, you’ll need to know some good hints and tips to start capturing Pokémon like a true Pokémon Master! Please take a look at our Pokemon GO hints and tips below and good luck on your journey!
Finding Pokémon
To begin with you’ll want to know where to find Pokémon. To do this you can see which Pokémon are around by tapping the little box at the bottom right of your screen when in map view. Here you’ll be given a box showing Pokémon that are nearby. Underneath each Pokémon will be some footprints. The more footprints there are, the further away a Pokémon is. If there are no footprints under a Pokémon, simply tap to track it and a Pokémon will pop up on your map ready to capture in a few seconds.
Rustling Grass
Around your area, you might come across some rustling grass on the map. This indicates a Pokémon is nearby. You can’t tell what it is, but if you check out your Pokémon tracker, you should get a fairly good idea. So go forth and start hunting those Pokémon down!
Capturing a Pokémon Easier
When it comes time to capture a Pokémon, you’ll notice a circle appears when you place your finger on the Pokéball. Another circle will appear inside this initial circle and it will be either Green, Yellow or Red. Firstly, the colour indicates how easy it will be to catch this Pokémon. Green – Easy, Yellow – Medium, Red – Hard. To increase you chances of making a successful capture, keep your finger held down on the Pokéball until the coloured circle is as small as possible before throwing the ball. Also make sure you get a good aim to make sure you Pokéball doesn’t go astray and get wasted.
Learn to Throw
The way you throw the ball can affect how much XP you gain for catching a Pokémon. The few bonuses you can receive are as follows:
- Nice +10XP, Great +50XP or Excellent +100XP: Throwing your Pokéball so it lands within the coloured circle will trigger one of these. The smaller the circle, the higher your chances are of receiving Excellent.
- Curveball +10XP: If you throw your Pokéball so it has a bit of an arc to it’s trajectory but still hits the Pokémon and captures it, you should receive this bonus.
Retrieve Your Pokéballs (not fully confirmed)
Keep missing those Pokémon? If you throw your Pokéball and it misses, tap it before it rolls off the screen for a chance to retrieve it. It doesn’t work all the time, but when it does, it might just be the difference between catching that rare Pokémon and retreating!
Choose Which Pokémon Eevee Evolves Into
Finally the internet has found a way to get the evolved form of Eevee you’ve been begging for! Pokémon fans might remember this from the TV show, but all you have to do is give your Eevee a particular nickname to get the evolution you’re after. The nicknames and their evolutions are as follows:
- Pyro = Flareon
- Rainer = Vaporeon
- Sparky = Jolteon
Turn AR Off To Make Things Easier
Although it’s fun to see the Pokémon hopping around in your garden/toilet/car, turning off AR (Augmented Reality) makes it easier to judge the distance between you and a Pokémon and also makes them settle properly on the ground. From there you’ve just got to look out for a Pokémon trying to dodge you.
Visit Pokéstops Regularly
If you’re an avid Pokémon Trainer who likes to go out and spend the entire day capturing Pokémon, you’ll most likely run out of Pokéballs very quickly. To stock up on them, make sure to go out and find Pokéstops to visit regularly. These grant you items such as Pokéballs, potions, revives, eggs etc. and re-activate every five minutes or so.
Visit a Pokémon’s Natural Habitat
Certain Pokémon can only be found at specific areas. For example, water type Pokémon are more likely to be found around bodies of water. Just be careful you don’t do anything silly and fall into the water.
Go Out At Night
Just like when Pokémon Gold and Silver introduced day and night cycles, Pokémon GO takes advantage of day and night by offering different Pokémon for you to catch. Brave the night time and go and find some different Pokémon, but stay safe!