Getting Started
- First things first, you need to download the app. It is currently available for iOS and Android in the United States, Europe, Austrailia, and New Zealand, but the list territories will expand as time goes on. Unofficially, you can play the game in other areas not stated on that list if you can get ahold of the APK or App for your device. The Google Play and App Store links are as follows:
Once installed, you will need to create an account with the Pokemon Trainer Club or log in with your Google Account. Follow the on screen steps and the process of logging in is self-explanatory and needs no explanation.
After you’ve created your account and logged in, you are introduced to the game by Professor Willow. He will give you a walkthrough of catching your first Pokemon, Charmander, Squirtle, or Bulbasaur, the three starter Pokemon from the Pokemon Red and Blue games, which should be very familiar to you if you’ve played the classic Gameboy Games.
After you’ve caught your first Pokemon, you’re ready to explore the world. The Sky is the limit for where you can go or where you can visit. Since the game is based off of your GPS location, you can catch Pokemon virtually anywhere. The game currently limits you to what you can do in Pokemon Go, but is expected to expand to have more features: Catching Pokemon, Visiting the Pokestops, and Battling Gyms.
Finding Pokemon
- When you’re introduced to the game and start the introduction, you will see Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur in front of you and you get to choose which one you want. After choosing your starter, the other two disappear. Finding new Pokemon after this can be a challenge. You’ll need to move around outside to find more Pokemon. Going for a walk around the neighborhood or going to a Park or a area with a lot of people nearby is the easiest way to find more Pokemon. When you come across a Pokemon, your phone will vibrate and it will appear on screen. Tap on the Pokemon and you’ll be given the chance to catch it.
If you’re looking for a certain type of Pokemon, you might only find them in certain locations. Grass-type Pokemon are usually found in Parks, Water Pokemon are found near bodies of water, and Electric Pokemon are found near power plants.
Catching Pokemon
- Catching Pokemon is similar to how you’d catch Pokemon in the classic Game Boy games. When you tap on the Pokemon in your area, your phone camera will open up and you’ll be able to throw a Pokeball at it. To throw a Pokeball, you will tap the screen in a launching motion and the Pokeball will go towards the Pokemon. There will be a circle around the Pokemon before you throw the ball to help you know how hard it is to catch that Pokemon. Green means it’s an easy catch, yellow means it’s itermediate, and red means it’s a difficult Pokemon to catch. Throwing the Pokeball and catching a Pokemon basically works with Trial and Error, so you’ll get the hang of it after a few tries.
When you catch a new Pokemon, it records it in the Pokedex just like it would in the classic games. When you catch a Pokemon you also get Stardust and Candies for that Pokemon that can be used to level up or evolve it later on. I’ll explain the difference between the Candies and Stardust later on in this guide.
Evolving and Leveling Your Pokemon
As you catch more Pokemon, your trainer levels up which improves the amount of Pokemon you will see and the Pokemon you come across will be at higher levels, known as CP (Combat Power) levels. CP determines how powerful your Pokemon will be and the higher your Pokemon has, the better it will perform in a Gym battle. To raise your Pokemon’s CP level, you need Stardust and the Candy for that specific Pokemon.
Stardust is an item that is not specific to any Pokemon and is something you receive by hatching eggs, catching Pokemon, and Evolving Pokemon. Candy is specific to the Pokemon and the Pokemon it evolves to, you receive Candy by catching Pokemon, Evolving them, and transferring excess Pokemon to the Professor.
The amount of Stardust and Candy required to Level your Pokemon depends on the level and evolution status of your Pokemon, and also differs from Pokemon-to-Pokemon. Same goes for Evolving them. To Level up or Evolve your Pokemon, simply click on the Pokemon from your bag, click Level or Evolve, and you should get a notification with the details of your Pokemon.
Edited by TimeCenter, 23 July 2016 - 08:10 PM.