Pokémon GO

[Vinc2612]

My best advice would be to move in a big city, next to the center. If you can find a place where you can reach several PokéStops, PokéStops also reached by a bar, then you won the game.
I'm serious, this is the easiest way to improve. I level up faster than my friends by playing less, just because I can refill from my couch.

Less effective tricks (but maybe more affordable) would be to XP spam at least until the level 20, with well-timed lucky eggs. It's fast, and I don't think you can "really" start to play before lvl 20.

Don't hatch 10km eggs before the level 20: from this point, your newborn Pokémon are capped, so you'll get the best possible Pokémon. 2 and 5km eggs are rather common so it's fine hatching them early for the xp, but level 10 are really valuable (unless you're Vinc-lucky and get two Jynx in three eggs ;_;).

And the one advice I wished I knew early: Whenever you have a Pokémon in a gym, you can claim some coins (the ones you could buy with real money). You'll get 10 coins and 500 stardust for each Pokémon in a gym. The cooldown is 21h, so even if you manage to get a second gym, you won't get the coins if you claimed some already. Have fun with the "should I take the 20 coins now, or try to get a third gym before someone smashes those I already have?"

 

[Fluke]

Pffft, don't worry 'bout it. I always end up cringing when I look at my old posts.

That said I still find it incredible and unbelievable that it became a worldwide phenomenon. Like I was out with my friends yesterday and I used Pokémon Go and there was this park full of lures and everyone was there with their phones and I'm just like... what the fuck when did this happen; I'm hearing people call to each other about eevees and magnemites and candy

It's indeed unbelievable. There's a spot here in The Netherlands (Kijkduin, a beach in The Hague) which is STUFFED with Pokestops, lures 24/7, and most importantly very rare Pokemon. It's not even near the city centre. In fact, you have to travel 40 minutes by bus to get there. There's a freaking official street sign there, saying 'Kijkduin - Pokémon Capital of The Netherlands!'. I've been there twice (for a whole day) and I what I caught there is out of proportion. Raichu, Primeape, Blastoise, Lapras x2, Snorlax, Porygon. I kid you not when I say that there are thousands of people every day, playing Pokémon GO just on that square. And when one notices there's a rare Pokemon somewhere, they all start running to that spot at the same time. It's madness. There are barely even Pidgey and Rattata there; Voltorb and Magnemite are more common. There were several newsflashes on TV about it too. Bizarre.

 

[Bendiving]

Don't hatch 10km eggs before the level 20: from this point, your newborn Pokémon are capped, so you'll get the best possible Pokémon. 2 and 5km eggs are rather common so it's fine hatching them early for the xp, but level 10 are really valuable (unless you're Vinc-lucky and get two Jynx in three eggs ;_;).

Actually, eggs hatch at the level you receive them, not the level you hatch them. Moves, IVs etc are also all predetermined at the moment you collect the egg. So feel free to go nuts hatching early on as there is no benefit to waiting (although you can hatch 2km eggs quicker so I guess they give you more xp per step if you're trying to power-level). The rest of the advice is good though :)

 

[Vinc2612]

Oh rip, I waited for nothing
thanks for the info

 

[PumpedAaron]

What is Smogon's perspective of Pokemon Go? Do they treat it like a Spin-off game, or are they planning on adding information, research, tutoring etc to it similar to the main games?

 

[Pikachu315111]

What is Smogon's perspective of Pokemon Go? Do they treat it like a Spin-off game, or are they planning on adding information, research, tutoring etc to it similar to the main games?

I'm guessing its being treated like a side game until those planned Sun & Moon connectivity comes to fruition.

 

[phalanx]

got silph road for all the research
I hatched 10km eggs before 20 because they were more then likely to be something I hadn't caught.
only had 3 of them, and 2x onix and Electabuzz (yay), and yes I can say that eggs hatch at the level you receive them, as I got a low CP Ponyta out of a 5km egg, that I had probably had there a while due to focusing on the 10's 2's and the random orders.

 

[Fluke]

there are no tips and tricks to anything, its all guesswork.
I find that chilling in parks with 4 lured pokestops is actually bad. you go through balls faster then you can refill.

I didn't limit my words to 'tips and tricks' only. There are enough facts that are still vague for a lot of people.

>What are nests?
>What is the maximum level?
>How does STAB work in this game?
>What rewards will you get at level X?
>Do special throws actually affect catch rate?
>Do IVs exist in this game, and how do they work?
>Best Pokemon and movesets for offense/defense?
>Does the Eevee naming trick work more than once?
>Do eggs hatch at the level you receive them, or at the level you hatch them?

I can continue endlessly.

 

[Pikachu315111]

So apparently they're making the leaders actually do something by giving obvious tips when you go face a Gym, but I suppose its something.

Also Pokemon Go continues spreading the t-Virus, this time in Taiwan.

 

[Pyritie]

And when one notices there's a rare Pokemon somewhere, they all start running to that spot at the same time. It's madness.

So apparently they're making the leaders actually do something by giving obvious tips when you go face a Gym, but I suppose its something.

Also Pokemon Go continues spreading the t-Virus, this time in Taiwan.

>kotaku

 

[Fluke]

"Implemented Pokémon Appraisal: Trainers will now be able to learn about a Pokémon’s attack and defense capabilities from their Team Leader (Candela, Blanche or Spark) to determine which of their Pokémon have the most potential for battle."

"Now, every time you go into battle at a gym, Candela or Blanche will tell you about your opponent’s attack and defence capabilities, and will recommend which of your Pokémon “have the most potential for battle."

Haven't battled a gym yet with this new update, but if we're forced to sit through that entire dialog over and over again without an option to skip it, I'm getting frustrated. Very often I just want to battle a gym quickly. Don't want to hear about stuff that's already basic knowledge to actual Pokémon players. Guess this was implemented to school everyone who is new to Pokémon (which is a lot of people since the release of PoGo).

 

[Kurona]

"A new patch has started to go live for Android and iOS devices. This patch, Version 1.5, brings several new updates to the game including a special feature that allows for the team leader to check the Attack and Defense potential of your Pokémon akin to that of the IV Checker in the main series games. Some Pokémon have also received some changes with moves that are currently being catalogued"
~Serebii

 

[Fluke]

"A new patch has started to go live for Android and iOS devices. This patch, Version 1.5, brings several new updates to the game including a special feature that allows for the team leader to check the Attack and Defense potential of your Pokémon akin to that of the IV Checker in the main series games. Some Pokémon have also received some changes with moves that are currently being catalogued"
~Serebii

Hmm, I've got the latest version and I can't seem to find the option to check IVs anywhere. Any idea where I could find that?

 

[Vinc2612]

I've heard it's when you try to challenge a gym, although I don't have it yet so couldn't test myself.

 

[Pyritie]

Yeah I don't have the patch available yet either.

 

[phalanx]

so the leaders tell you IV's?
awesome.

 

[Fluke]

so the leaders tell you IV's?
awesome.

I don't think it will state exact numbers. I think it will come with quotes like pic below

 

[phalanx]

it will still be helpful for IV checking, as there are only 3 stats if you can get attack and defence, you can practically find the correct IV's.

patch isn't out here yet.
can't wait for the utter meltdown of opponents when they check my Gyarados

 

[Fluke]

it will still be helpful for IV checking, as there are only 3 stats if you can get attack and defence, you can practically find the correct IV's.

patch isn't out here yet.
can't wait for the utter meltdown of opponents when they check my Gyarados

Indeed, I hope there'll be a specific quote for perfect (100% IV) Pokemon. I'm thinking of only evolving those, if IVs are becoming easy to check.

 

[The_Emperor]

I hope it will just be 'use this pokemon.' I am disgusted by IVs.

 

[Fluke]

I am disgusted by IVs.

Only in this specific game? Or all Pokémon games in general?

 

[The_Emperor]

Only in this specific game? Or all Pokémon games in general?

They were hidden well enough in the games already. I thought it was only checking attack and defence. If so, how can IVs be checked if we don't know the original stats without IVs...

 

[phalanx]

way to check IV's on this game right now.
either, find a site that downloads the info from server (like pokeadvisor used to)
or use the IV calculators, based on CP HP and candies, which is useless on lower level things.
for more precision there was using Silphroad AND pokeassistant combined as silphroad gives some stats as well, which can be checked along with Pokeassistants IV range for more accuracy.

 

[Fluke]

Got softbanned twice this evening because I was playing in a train. Well, 'playing'... I was only in the menu giving some of my Pokemon nicknames and such, spinning a Pokestop every now and then. Guess I'm not going to play in trains anymore.. I'll just stare to the ground with some music through my earphones instead :^)

 

[Marowak2000]

Got softbanned twice this evening because I was playing in a train. Well, 'playing'... I was only in the menu giving some of my Pokemon nicknames and such, spinning a Pokestop every now and then. Guess I'm not going to play in trains anymore.. I'll just stare to the ground with some music through my earphones instead :^)

It must be quite a speed before the game thinks that you are trying to hack it as i can drive while my wife is on pokestop duty and whilst gps is often slow to keep up now and she dont get to hit all the stops we havent yet seen a softban from it