Nintendo has recently rolled out the highly-anticipated Augmented-Reality game 'Pokemon GO' in select countries including the US, Australia, Japan and New Zealand while the Pokemon community is already abuzz with new ways to conquer the game with ease.
IBTimes SG explores a few simple tips and tricks to help you master the game and come out victorious across various challenging levels. If you want to be part of the most happening game on earth, you better download the gaming app for iOS or Android, using the links provided in our earlier report.
Once you have downloaded and installed the Pokemon GO gaming app on your iPhone, iPad or any Android device, here are some simple yet smart tips and tricks that could come in handy in your quest for capturing the elite and strongest Pokemon characters in the game:
Looking for Pokestops, Gyms and special items
Before you embark on your quest for hunting the wild and elite Pokemon, you need to equip your inventory with Poke Balls to catch Pokemon, Eggs to hatch Pokemon as well as potions and boosting powers to protect or heal your Pokemon in Gym battles.
Just look around your in-game mini-map for blue icons representing Pokestops which could be landmarks or noteworthy buildings that house rare and free items like Poke Balls, Eggs and potions.
You can activate these Pokestops by moving your character near it and tapping on the blue icon. Finally, swipe across to spin the blue disc with a picture icon denoting your current location.
More Pokestops are hidden away near popular spots
Don't shy away from exploring the most popular spots in and around your locality such as the local pub, shopping complex, a gym park, a joggers' park or a massive children's playground.
More Pokestops that you find will pave the way for discovering more free items including more powerful Poke Balls which can decide the fate of your quest, especially when you hunt for the elusive wild Pokemon with the highest Combat Power (CP).
Hunting and tracking down the elusive Pokemon
Find Pokemons wandering nearby your position using the proximity scanner by tapping on the bottom-right side of your smartphone screen.
The distance of each Pokemon from your current location can be identified by the number of paw-prints displayed below their silhouettes on your radar. For instance, three paw prints suggest that they are quite far away while a single paw print means they are just around the corner.
Whenever you spot a yellow circle around the Pokemon you just found, just pat your back as you should know it is the one with higher Combat Power (CP). It should look different from regular Pokemon in its colour and body texture.
Note: A Pokemon's CP indicates how well it can perform in Gym battles. Higher the CP, stronger is the Pokemon and vice-versa. Also, catching Pokemon with higher CP will be challenging and strenuous as you need to give your best shot at it.
Using Razz Berries and Ultra or Master Balls to capture tougher Pokemon
After reaching a certain higher-levels in the game, you can find Razz Berries and Ultra as well as Master Balls hidden around Pokestops. These can be collected as free items and some special upgrades can later be bought via the App Store.
True to its name, Master Balls help you master the art of capturing the Wild and Elite Pokemon with the best Combat Power (CP) in the game. Nevertheless, there a couple of nifty tricks to get the best results out of your limited Poke Balls.
Spin your Poke Ball to create a semi-circle or Tap and Hold
Drag your Poke Ball for a semi-circle spin, before you release it to capture the Pokemon. The curveball spin bonus will bring you more XP and increase your chances of successfully capturing the Pokemon.
Alternatively, tap on the Poke Ball and hold it for a while before releasing the ball for greater power and momentum. This will ensure that the Pokemon will not side-swat and escape your ball's trajectory for a hit and miss case.
Use incense sticks to draw a bunch of Pokemon
Sometimes deception could be your best bet, especially if you are running out of time. Just use an incense stick and you will spot at least one Wild Pokemon every 30 minutes.
If you run out of incense sticks, just buy a lure module at the nearest Pokestop and now you are all set to attract a Wild Pokemon every 30 minutes to your location. However, be warned that other players at the Pokestop may also target the same Pokemon and neutralise your advantage.
Exchange low-powered Pokemon for power candies
You can now trade off your low-powered (low CP) Pokemon for power candies with Professor Willow. One Pokemon can be traded for one candy and each such candy can be used to upgrade your Elite Pokemon with highest CP to the next level.
Incubator trick to hatch eggs faster
Buy and use an incubator to hatch all your eggs found at the Pokestops. Each incubator holds only one egg at a time and so you need to hatch the egg before you can place another egg into the same container.
Buy more incubators if you want to hatch multiple eggs simultaneously. You need to hold the incubator and walk some distance in order to hatch the eggs and get a new Pokemon or other rewards like candy.
Rare eggs need more incubation time and walking distance
Some eggs require more time to hatch and more walking distance, depending upon their rarity levels. A 10 km incubation egg is rarer than a 5km egg and a 5km egg is rarer than a 2km egg and so on.
Note: The higher the walking distance required for an egg to hatch, better will be the rewards and vice-versa.
Specific types of Pokemon appear more often in natural habitat
You will find more dark-type Pokemon at night, more grass-type Pokemon in the woods and water-type Pokemon near ponds. As these are their natural habitat, you will see more densely populated Pokemon of a particular type here than some other random locations on the map.
Turn on battery-saving mode
Just open the Settings menu via main menu after tapping on the Poke Ball. Now enable the battery saver mode by placing a checkmark against the option.
Don't worry, the game will still run in low-power mode after turning off unwanted background services. This is a best way to prolong your smartphone battery life especially while you are making a long distance walk during incubation.
