Pokémon GO is not even officially released in our country, but the entire community of fans (and not) is literally going crazy behind this new Niantic project. Thanks to the apk downloadable from the internet, in fact, the whole world had access to this title which instead had to remain segregated in Australia and New Zealand until July 15.
This mobile title, for the uninitiated, using gps and augmented reality will allow you to catch Pokémon around your town, to visit places of interest where you can stock up on Pokéballs and various items or challenge and conquer gyms.
Pokémon GO, however, is not always clear and in our opinion a few more tutorials would not have hurt. But don't worry, we'll take care of it by explaining everything you will need in your adventures.
How to download it
Before the official release you will have to resort to alternative methods to download the title:
- On Android, just download the apk you find in our guide
- For Apple users, the matter is a bit more complicated: you will have to create a new account with Australian or New Zealand nationality. Once done you will find the game in the store
- As for Windows users… switch phones
Before downloading the apk, however, check the specifications of your phone: if you have a device with an Intel structure, abandon the idea of playing games for now Pokémon GO, as it is not compatible.
How to catch Pokémon
From the very first seconds of the game you will find many Pokémon around you. The title explains that to catch them all you need to do is click on them, throw the Pokéball with the right precision and hope to catch them. But no. Did you notice the large white circle around the critters and the smaller concentric circle inside? Well, that's the key to a quick catch. By holding your finger on the Poké ball you will see the colored circle get smaller and smaller and when you release the ball it will freeze. What you need to do is throw the ball while the circle is smaller, doing so will maximize the chance of catching it.
Another mechanic that the game doesn't explain in the slightest, but rewards with bonus experience points when performed, is the effect shot: pressing on the Pokéball and starting to spin it you will see it spinning on itself, if you let it go while it spins you will get a spin shot that will maximize the chances of capture and give you 10 to 50 experience points more.
The game's HUD also includes a section dedicated to Pokémon “in the vicinity”: by clicking on it you will find marked all creatures located within a radius of at least 150 meters. The same nearby Pokémon will be arranged in order of proximity and in three groups:
- 1 footprint: between 1 and 50 meters
- 2 footprints: between 51 and 100 meters
- 3 footprints: between 101 and 150 meters
How to refuel at Pokéstop
Pokéstops are nothing more than points of interest scattered around the cities where you can top up your stocks of Pokéballs and various items. They will be marked on the map with a blue marker. To activate them, just get close, plug over the point and rotate the circular plate with the photo of the place that will appear in front of you. . Each Pokéstop will give you random items and sometimes even eggs, which you can hatch by placing them in incubators.
Once used, the Pokéstops will be available again after 5 minutes.
The teams
Once you have reached level 5, the game will ask you to choose between one of the three available teams:
- Team Instinct (Yellow / Zapdos)
- Team Wisdom (Azure / Articuno)
- Team Courage (Red / Moltres)
The choice of the team for now does not affect the gameplay and your gaming experience won't change depending on which team you decide to belong to. The choice only serves to divide all the players and create competition between them.
The gyms
The gyms are structures scattered around the cities that can be controlled by the various coaches of one of the three teams. You too can control a gym and by doing so you will earn rewards, every 20 hours you can in fact, entering the shop, click on the symbol of a shield at the top and obtain stardust and coins based on the gyms you control.
PTo conquer a gym, all you have to do is challenge it and bring its prestige value to 0. Each victory will take away from the gym from 1000 to 2000 points depending on how many Pokémon you defeat. The number of creatures that can protect each gym is directly proportional to the level of the gym, which will drop by losing prestige points, ergo every time you remove prestige points from a gym it will lose levels and Pokémon making it an increasingly fragile goal.
But be careful: you won't always be the one to attack. You can only attack gyms belonging to an opposing team, while you can upgrade those of your own. By fighting against your gym (or one of your team's color) you can upgrade it by adding 100 prestige points to each victory. If you level up the gym by creating a new slot for a Pokémon, you can put one of your own to defend the structure.
The fight
Combat in Pokémon GO is cut to the bone. It will be possible to fight only in gyms and everything will be reduced only to a continuous tap on the screen: by pressing on the enemy Pokémon you can deliver a shot, swiping your finger sideways will preform a dodge and holding your finger on your monster (provided that the blue bar below the waist is full) you will use his skill.
Follow us for more Pokemon GO guides and tricks!
Other Pokémon GO guides:
Pokémon GO: How Eevee evolves
Pokémon GO: How to level up quickly
Pokémon GO: How to save battery and traffic
Pokémon GO: Everything you need to know about stardust
Pokémon GO: How to get free coins
Pokémon GO: Guide to weaknesses and strengths
