Pokemon Go is no longer as simplistic as finding Pokemon and capturing them. There are now multiple facets to the game and different ways to maximise efficiency when playing it. Here, we discuss Pokemon Go tips and tricks for advanced players.
Pokemon Go Advanced Tips
These more advanced tips focus on the intricacies of Pokemon Go that will affect long time trainers of the game. For new players who aren’t ready for the more expert tips, check out our Pokemon Go Beginner Tips & Tricks.
Catching Pokemon
Irrespective of being a beginner or expert, catching Pokemon is the main mechanic of Pokemon Go. Even the most green of players can figure out the technique to catch a Pokemon.
However, there are additional methods you can use to throw the poke ball. These more advanced techniques are unsurprisingly harder to pull off but will give you more XP and a greater chance of capture.
Firstly, it is useful to understand capture probability. Using a great ball as opposed to the normal poke ball will give you a 1.5x chance of capture. Furthermore, an ultra ball will give you a 2.0x chance of capture.
Secondly, the curveball technique will also bolster the chances of capture. It is estimated that a curveball will increase the chance of capture by 1.7x. Therefore, throwing a successful curveball with an ultra ball will give you a 3.4x chance of capture as opposed to throwing a poke ball in a straight line. Further discussion on these odds can be found here.
The question remains though, how do you throw a successful curveball? First off, whilst maintaining connection with the poke ball on screen, spin it in clockwise or anti-clockwise direction. For this example we’ll assume the ball is being spun clockwise. Consequently, you’ll need to throw the ball in the opposite direction (to the left). The best way to find a consistent method is to practice. With that said, a common method used is to move the ball to the far-left of the screen, throw it and release it in line with the Pokemon.
Finally, the colour of the inner-circle also gives some pertinent information. The closer to colour is to red the harder the Pokemon will be to capture. Conversely, the closer the colour is to green the easier it will be to catch.
Eggs and Incubators
Eggs and their subsequent hatching are an integral part of Pokemon Go. The bonuses eggs derive, stardust and candy, are essential to level up your Pokemon.
Hatching an egg requires it to be put in an incubator. Sometimes you’ll be given a bonus of a 3x incubator though. This 3x incubator means you can hatch an egg 3x as fast.
Use these special incubators with 10km eggs rather than the smaller ones. The infinite use incubator, which is with you from the start, should be used for 2km and 5km eggs.
Read More: Pokemon Go Hatchathon Event is Live Now!
Buddy Pokemon
Don’t waste your buddy Pokemon on your cute Pikachu! Some Pokemon are harder to find than others.
Consequently, finding candies for these Pokemon is also harder. For that reason your buddy Pokemon should exclusively be hard to find in the wild.
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Candy Management
The higher your XP as a Pokemon trainer, the higher it is to level up. Each level increase requires more XP to level up than the previous one. As a result, it can be tempting for lower level or mid level trainers to use candies to boost their Pokemon.
However, this isn’t the optimum strategy. Pokemon you capture at higher levels will naturally have better stats. Therefore, it is wise to save your candies for Pokemon you capture later in the game (level 30+).
One advanced method to gain XP quickly is with the Pokemon Go friends mechanic. This is discussed in detail below.
Read More: Pokemon Go Friend Codes – Maximising XP & Rewards
Lucky Pokemon
For those who don’t know, lucky Pokemon have two prominent features. Firstly, they take 50% less stardust to level up. Secondly, they tend to have a minimum of 12 IVs across the board.
Like shiny Pokemon, lucky Pokemon are naturally highly sought after. Generally speaking, whether you find a lucky Pokemon is purely down to luck.
However, there are little tricks you can do to manipulate the odds in your favor. When trading Pokemon there is an outside chance both Pokemon will become lucky. Moreover, the chances of this increase when trading a Pokemon you’ve had for a long time. For example, if you have a Pokemon since Pokemon Go’s launch then this would present the best chance of getting a lucky version.
Furthermore, since September 2018, there is also a way to guarantee a lucky Pokemon. If you, or the trainer you are trading with, have less than 10 lucky Pokemon, and you trade a Pokemon you caught in July or August of 2016, then you are guaranteed one!
It is important to note that Pokemon cannot be traded more than once. Essentially this means Pokemon caught at Pokemon Go’s launch are like gold-dust. This is because the majority of trainers won’t have them and lucky variants offer a good route to get a battle worthy Pokemon. As it stands this guaranteed method looks like it could be a permanent feature!
Finish Field Research Quicker
Pokemon Go field research is a great way to acquire XP, items and sometimes encounters with the rare Pokemon.
The task themselves are obtained from PokeStops but some Pokemon Go players don’t realise you can delete them. This is particularly useful when trying to get your stamp for the day quickly.
In order to complete the tasks as quickly as possible, it is a good idea to have tasks that overlap. An example of this is catching Pokemon and making particular throws.
Another way to complete field research as quickly as possible is to make sure you read the task description. Gym and raid tasks often don’t require you to win. If that’s the case you can simply attempt to win and you’ll get that tick.