Seems like absolutely everyone is playing Pokemon GO since it came out. And I mean everyone. At all hours. I was in New York not long ago and this was the scene at 1am in Union Square a couple of days after the release:
And while it IS New York City, this was definitely an interesting site to see.
Pokemon GO is the number one video game app in the world now, but I know so many have questions on what different things mean in the game and how to use them, so here we go…
1. How do you catch Pokemon?
Basics are you throw a PokeBall at a Pokemon by moving your finger up toward the Pokemon on your screen. Sometimes they get out of the ball and you have to do it again. When you catch a Pokemon, the ball will shake and light up 3 times and you know that monster is staying put. You’ll get XP points along with Stardust which will help you increase your Pokemon’s power. You’ll also get that monster’s special candy that you can use to evolve them which makes them stronger. Do all of this by clicking on the PokeBall when you are in the navigation screen, then click “Pokemon” on the left. Click the Pokemon you want to evolve or increase the power of and you’ll open their page of stats and options.
You have to walk around to find them, so get out to a park, a mall, or other area where people are. You’ll find Pokemon there! Merlot Mommy has an excellent post on where to find different types of monsters.
2. What does the blue shading behind Pokemon mean?
Blue shading means you caught that Pokemon in the last 24 hours.
3. What are the blue towers in the navigation area?
The blue towers are PokeStops. When you are close enough to them the diamond will change into a medallion. Click on it and spin the circle by swiping left or right quickly and you will get prizes. Levels 1-4 will only get PokeBalls, 5 and up will get special prizes like Incense (used to lure Pokemon to you), Raspberries (makes hard to get Pokemon stay so you can catch them), and Potions for reviving and healing battled Pokemon. When you have used it the whole thing will turn pink for about 5 minutes and then you can spin again.
4. What if the PokeStops have pink floaties around them?
The pink heart confetti means that someone used a lure on that PokeStop to get Pokemon to come to them. Lucky for you this is a benefit to everyone in the area, so look for these when you are out.
4. What are the big towers with a spinning Pokemon on top?
These are Gyms and used to level your Pokemon up and increase their CP (combat power) by battling other Pokemon monsters. Gyms can be complicated, luckily Polygon breaks it down for you.
5. What do the shadows of Pokemon mean in the navigation screen? And the footprints?
These are Pokemon you haven’t caught yet. The footprints mean they are close: three footprints = within a kilometer of you, two footprints = 100 meters; one footprint = 10 meters.
6. Eggs? Why are there eggs?
Green speckled eggs are awesome – access the ones you have by going to that Pokemon screen mentioned above and swipe left. You can hatch the eggs by clicking one and then clicking Incubate. Choose an incubator and when you walk, as long as you have the game active and are going under 20mph (so driving around is not gonna work), you’ll hatch the egg. It could be super rad, it could be so-so, but always worth hatching them! Another note – the walking is geographical, so you have to be going somewhere and not just walking or running on a treadmill. I tried that already.
Blue eggs are in your “items” section (if you have any. These will double your XP for 1/2 hour helping you level up super fast. Check out Sweep Tight’s post on using XP eggs effectively.
7. What are the little green leaves in the navigation screen that randomly disperse?
See something that looks like leaves or grass being rustled up on your screen? Go to it, that’s a clue that Pokemon are in that area!
There’s SO much more to Pokemon GO that I am still learning, but these tips will at least get you on your poke – way!
