Anna "Anomaliya" Gordeeva Pokémon Go is a game with elements of augmented reality, where you can catch creatures on the streets, in parks, and even at home. To succeed, you need to move around, participate in raids, and understand the mechanics. It can be challenging for beginners, but these tips will help you get the hang of it faster and avoid mistakes.
How to Start Playing Pokémon Go
First, download title from Google Play or the App Store and install the game. When everything is ready, open the app and create an account—you can use Google or register through the Pokémon Trainer Club.
Character Customization
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The first thing you need to do is set up your character. You can choose gender, appearance, clothing, hair color, and accessories. This only affects how you look, so don’t worry — you can change it at any time.
Then create a unique name that will be displayed in the game and visible to other players. It must be available, and you can only change it once, so choose carefully.
Catch Your First Pokémon
At the beginning of the game, you’ll be offered one of three classic starter heroes: Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle. Pick any of them — it’ll be your first, and later you can collect them all.
There’s a secret: if you refuse the choice four times and simply walk away from this screen, Pikachu will appear instead of the standard Pokémon! So if you want to start with Pikachu, just don’t rush.
How to catch a character:
🔸 Tap on it to enter capture mode.
🔸 Swipe your finger on the screen to throw a Poké Ball.
🔸 If the Poké Ball hits the target, the creature will end up inside.
During the tutorial, the capture is guaranteed, so you don’t have to worry about missing.
Basic Mechanics
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After catching your first Pokémon, the map opens, reflecting real streets, parks, and buildings around you. Project uses GPS, so your movement in the real world directly affects gameplay — Pokémon appear depending on location, time of day, and even the weather.
On the map, you can encounter several key objects:
🔹 Wild Pokémon — they appear in different places and can be caught. Some are common, while rare ones are harder to find.
🔹 PokéStop — special points where you can get Poké Balls, potions, berries, and other useful items. To collect resources, you need to get close and spin its icon.
🔹 Gym — arenas where teams battle each other. Here, you can earn coins and test your Pokémon team.
Your first step should be to find the nearest PokeStop. It’s marked on the map with a blue icon and is located in real places — for example, near monuments, sculptures, or landmarks. Spin it to get a starter set of items, including Poké Balls for catching new creatures.
If there’s a wild creaure nearby, it will be displayed on the screen. To catch it, just tap on its icon, and the capture screen will open. Keep playing to unlock new features in the game, which depend on your level.
How to Level Up in Pokémon Go?
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A trainer’s level is one of the key indicators in the game. The higher it is, the more possibilities open up: you encounter stronger Pokémon, gain access to raids, and unlock new mechanics and items.
You earn XP (experience points) for various actions:
⭐️ Catching Pokémon. You get XP for every hero you catch. Additional bonuses are awarded for accurate throws — Great Throw or Excellent Throw — as well as for Curveballs.
⭐️ Evolution. Evolving gives a lot of XP, especially if you use a Lucky Egg, an item that doubles the experience gained.
⭐️ Visiting PokéStops. Each spin provides a bit of XP. You can get more if you visit a new location for the first time.
⭐️ Participating in Raids. Defeating a raid boss brings a lot of XP, especially in higher-level battles.
⭐️ Completing Tasks. Field Research are daily quests you get by spinning PokeStops. Special Research are a series of special missions often tied to story events.
⭐️ Friends and Gifts. Adding friends and exchanging gifts also gives XP. If you reach the highest friendship level, you can get a significant bonus.
Leveling up quickly is important not just to access new features but also to encounter rare and powerful hero. So from the very start, actively catch Pokémon, complete tasks, and join raids to progress faster in the game.
How to Power Up and Evolve Your Pokémon?
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Once you’re familiar with the basic mechanics, you’ll face new tasks: how to evolve your Pokémon, strengthen your team, and use your resources wisely. Our helpful tips will help you level up faster, avoid wasting valuable items, and succeed in battles.
You can develop Pokémon in two ways:
- Evolution lets you transform a character into a stronger form using candies. After evolution, its CP (Combat Power) increases, and sometimes its moves change.
- Powering up increases a stats using Stardust and candies, making it more powerful in battles.
However, resources in the game are limited, so it’s important to use them wisely. Don’t spend Stardust on just any hero — it’s better to focus on strong fighters with good stats.
Here are some tips for allocating your resources properly:
- Evolve first, then power up. It doesn’t make sense to invest Stardust in initial forms if you plan to evolve the Pokémon later, as its CP will change after evolution.
- Some evolutions require special items. To evolve certain Pokémon, you sometimes need items like Metal Coat, Sinnoh Stone, Unova Stone, and others, which drop from battles or PokéStops.
- Use a Lucky Egg before a mass evolution. It doubles the XP earned. If you save up a lot of candies and prepare Pokémon for evolution in advance, you can get a huge XP boost.
- Invest Stardust only in strong fighters. Choose those with high IV (Individual Values) and good CP — they have the best potential in battle.
- Don’t waste Rare Candy. This valuable resource is best saved for Legendary Pokémon or ones whose candies are hard to obtain.
By evolving Pokémon wisely, you can assemble a truly powerful team that will come in handy for raids, Gyms, and PvP battles. However, strength alone isn’t enough — using the right battle strategy is also crucial.
How to Win Battles?
There are three types of battles in Pokémon Go: Gym battles, raids, and PvP battles with other players. Each type has its own goals and strategies. Let’s look at how to prepare for each kind of battle and what mistakes to avoid.
Gyms
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Gyms are arenas fought over by three teams: Instinct (yellow), Mystic (blue), and Valor (red). You can join one of them at level 5.
Players can attack rival Gyms to capture them for their own team, defend those already captured by placing their Pokémon there, and train the defenders to strengthen their position. Holding a Gym brings PokeCoins, so battling for control is important for all trainers.
Battle Tips:
☀️ Attack as a team. You can quickly defeat defenders and capture the Gym with friends. Capturing it in the morning or at night increases the chance it won’t be taken back immediately.
☀️ Choose durable Pokémon for defense. Blissey, Snorlax, and Slaking last the longest because they have high HP.
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☀️ Place character of different types. If everyone in defense is of the same type, the opponent can easily pick counter Pokémon.
☀️ Use type advantages. In attack, it’s more effective to use fighters whose moves deal extra damage. For example, Electric-types are great against Water-types, and Water-types are good against Fire-types.
Raids
Raids are battles with powerful boss Pokémon that appear at Gyms for a limited time. Defeating such an opponent can earn you rare rewards and the chance to catch it. The higher the raid level, the tougher the boss and the more valuable the rewards.
Battle Tips:
☀️ Fight as a group. For high-level raids (Tier 3–5), it’s almost impossible to win solo, so it’s best to team up with other trainers.
☀️ Pick Pokémon with type advantages. For example, Ice and Fairy attacks are effective against Dragon-type bosses, while Dark-type attacks work well against Psychic types.
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☀️ Use Charged Attacks at the right moment. Don’t fire them off immediately — sometimes it’s better to wait until the boss is weaker.
☀️ After the raid, use Golden Razz Berries and Premier Balls. This increases your chance of catching the boss and not losing a rare Pokémon.
PvP Battles
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PvP battles are fights between players, either in the GO Battle League or with friends. Each league has a CP limit, so you need to consider not just a strength but also its effectiveness in that specific format.
PvP Tips:
☀️ Choose hero based on the league format. In the Great League (up to 1500 CP), Azumarill and Alolan Marowak perform well, while in the Master League (no CP limit), Legendary fighters are often used.
☀️ Pay attention to energy buildup. The faster a Pokémon charges its Charged Move, the greater its chance to deal a decisive blow.
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☀️ Use shields wisely. In PvP, each player only has two protective shields, so it’s best to save them for blocking the opponent’s most powerful attacks. Sometimes it’s better to sacrifice a Pokémon than waste a shield on a weak attack.
☀️ Unlock a second Charged Move only for promising fighters. This requires Stardust and Candy, so invest them in Pokémon that will really help in PvP.
A Selection of the Best Tips for Pokémon Go
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Pokémon Go has plenty of nuances that can make leveling up easier and faster. Experienced players share their life hacks so that new trainers can adapt more smoothly:
- Use Curveball throws. They increase the chance of catching a hero and give more XP. Throw a Poké Ball when the circle around the Pokémon is small to get a Great or Excellent Throw.
- Add more friends. You can find players on Facebook, Reddit, and PokeMate. Open their gifts every day — they often contain rare items and Stardust.
- Catch character in suitable weather. Pokémon appearing in appropriate conditions get a Weather Boost — a bonus to their IV and +5 levels.
- Watch out for Spotlight Hours and Community Days. On these days, more rare hero appear, and you get boosted rewards for catching them.
- Attach your phone to a robot vacuum. The device’s movement counts as steps, helping you hatch eggs without long walks.
- Turn off AR mode. This way, the Pokémon stays in the center of the screen and doesn’t move around with your phone, making it easier to catch.
- Enable AR+ mode if character often run away. Sometimes this increases their catch rate and can even load additional creatures into your field of view.
- Incense works better while moving. The more you walk, the more Pokémon will appear.
- You can still catch a Pokémon after a raid if the game freezes. Just restart the app — the boss will still be there.
- Regularly clear your inventory. Get rid of low-level potions, regular Poké Balls, and berries to make room for valuable items.
Everyone finds their own focus in the game: some hunt rare hero, others strive for battle victories, and some simply enjoy exploring. The main Pokemon Go tip is to play at your own pace, have fun, and not be afraid to try new things. Over time, you’ll gain experience and achieve more, and the game will reveal new facets.
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