TIL: 25 Things About Pokémon GO Every Player Should Know

Welcome teammates and rivals. I've been working hard to find some of the most basic and advanced skills that every player needs to know for Pokémon GO. These skills will be the difference between a Pokémon Trainer and a Pokémon Master! This guide contains skills for the new player to grasp and also techniques and strategies for the more advanced Pokémon GO player - something for everyone.

I first started playing Pokémon GO when it was released two years ago. It's still a rewarding and delightful feeling I get every time that Niantic release something new for the game. At the start of my journey, I and my Father joined the ranks of team instinct when we first joined. At launch, the number of team instinct players were slim, so it gave us a nice challenge to dig into. Playing since the beginning doesn't necessarily give me a better edge on the game than someone who started last month; it just means I have an understanding of techniques that can help the player from day one.

You need to be wary of certain choices, risks, and expenditures that you might make while playing Pokémon GO that will stop you making a massive mistake and slowing your own progress. I've started with some more basic techniques and slowly rolled into the more advanced techniques, this is to make the guide have some sort of order. Time to catch em' all and show people that "Today I Learned" these 25 things about Pokémon GO.

25 Save Your Stardust Until At Least Level 20

One thing to consider at all times is to conserve your stardust. Players use stardust to level up their Pokémon. However, there's numerous applications and systems we can monitor our Pokémon with. It's massively important to conserve your stardust well at least level 20. Most players would say the game begins at level 20, so try to hold off powering up Pokémon well at least then. The level cap is 40 and as you grind through the levels more powerful Pokémon appear.

24 The Four Best Pokémon: Slaking, Chansey, Blissey, And Snorlax

Defending a gym can be hard work, keeping everyone alive and well, including your own Pokémon. To try and stay at the Gym for longer, try and use some of these key tank Pokémon who can take the pounding and don't have too many weaknesses. These four Pokémon are the cornerstone of any good defense strategy: Slaking, Chansey, Blissey and Snorlax. Their strict normal elemental type means they don't have too many weaknesses.

23 Gen 4 Is Coming — Start Saving For These Evolutions Today

One thing you masters should consider on your journey now is the inevitable inclusion of Gen 4 into Pokémon GO. Generation 4 will bring a truckload of new Pokémon into play and a ton of evolutionary paths to go down. Here is a full list of all the gen 4 Pokémon to prepare for:

Magnemite to evolve Magneton into Magnazone.
Lickitung to evolve into Lickilicky.
Rhyhorn to evolve into Rhyperior.
Tangela to evolve into Tangrowth.
Elekid to evolve Electabuzz into Electivire.
Magby to evolve Magmar into Magmortar.
Eevee to evolve into Leafeon and Glaceon.
Porygon to evolve Porygon2 into Porygon-Z.
Aipom to evolve into Ambipom.
Yanma to evolve into Yanmega.
Murkrow to evolve into Honchkrow.
Misdreavus to evolve into Mismagius.
Gligar to evolve into Gliscor.
Sneasel to evolve into Weavile.
Swinub to evolve Piloswine into Mamoswine.
Togetic to evolve into Togekiss
Ralts to evolve Kirlia into Galade.
Nosepass to evolve into Probopass.
Roselia to evolve into Roserade.
Duskull and Duskclops to evolve into Dusknoir.
Snorut to evolve into Froslass.

22 Don't Use 'Recommended' In Raids

The Raid feature in Pokémon Go is one of the new features added to the game that presents the player a chance to bag some of the rarest Pokémon for yourself. You're guaranteed one raid pass a day from spinning Pokéstops. To make sure you get the most out of your raid experience you should try and counter the raid boss with Pokémon types that are going to counter it. You should also try to coordinate your strikes with other players through social media to try and take down tougher raids. Be wary of auto-select, it may indicate the Pokémon's move sets.

21 Pro Tip — Thin The Pokémon Around To Increase Sightings

The Sighting feature can be a powerful ally in the hunt for Pokémon. This feature shows nearby Pokémon and the place they were sighted. If a Pokémon only has one paw print under its image, it could be up to 40 meters away! The best way to go about finding the Pokémon you see in the tracker is to thin the Pokémon out at the Pokéstop by catching them all and moving around the area - that Pokémon will eventually pop!

20 Learn Where The Pokémon Nests Are

Alternatively, you can always use an application that shows the nests of Pokémon so you can pinpoint the Pokémon you want. Some applications even reveal specific pokemon locations. These applications come with a timer, showing how long the Pokémon has left before it flees. Using Pokémon pinpointers and nesting guides is often frowned upon in the community. However, if your time is precious, then these applications should be something you consider.

19 7 Day Streaks Provide Items For Evolutions

One of the most basic features you need to grasp. Be sure to grab your first catch and pokéstop of the day, every day, for seven days. This will give you a massive bonus to your inventory with a frenzy of free items. Taking advantage of this feature will ensure you always have the items you need. Since March 2018 the game has received a patch that gives the player a rare evolutionary item, allowing you to evolve certain Pokémon. The first pokéstops and the first catches of the day provide you with XP and Stardust bonuses, and as the days go on, this reward becomes larger.

18 Look At Your Medals (They Give Rewards)

A very basic, yet overlooked feature in Pokémon GO is the in-built achievements system. As you go out-and-about on your adventures, you will no doubt have medals pop up. These medal grant you XP and Stardust boosts, therefore you should familiarize yourself with them and go for gold. Medals can be checked from the trainer screen and are rewarded for accomplishing a variety of goals. Walking distance, catching tiny Rattata, and catching specific types of Pokémon are a few ways you can secure medals.

17 Master Your Curve Throw For More XP

Using the Curveball is without a doubt one of the most important basic skills you will learn when playing Pokémon Go. It's a technique that gives you extra 10XP for your catches. The Curveball happens when you throw your Poké Ball at an angle, spinning it before you throw it to ensure that gold stars appear around the Poké Ball.

But it's not just the Curveball you want to master.

Take note of where the aiming circle is, catching the Pokémon at certain points within the circle will give you the following bonuses: Nice throw - 10XP, Great throw - 50XP, Excellent Throw - 100XP.

16 Spend Your Coin On Incubators (And Use Them Together)

Every good trainer knows how to get the most out of their eggs. The egg feature allows players to hatch Pokémon from eggs by walking a certain amount of distance. Whatever you think you need to spend your coins on in the store, believe me, at least three egg incubators need the coins more. Stack up multiple eggs of the same distance at the same time, so all your eggs hatch together, then repeat. This ensures you constantly have two or three eggs cooking.

15 Play With The Battery Saving Options

Battery Saver is one of the key features in Pokémon Go that you should try come to grips with as soon as possible. Access it through the settings menu. Saving your battery when your miles away from home could be the difference between that next level up. As a player, there's more you can do to preserve your battery life on your mobile device. You can Turn off sound, dim the screen, lower all volumes, close background apps and turn off services you don't need to run Pokémon Go.

14 Turn Off AR Mode For Easier Catches

Using the AR Feature in Pokémon Go is a nice feature to show off to friends, take pictures with Pokémon in the real world and just generally, it's something to have fun with. The problem with AR mode is that it doesn't really make cathing Pokémon an easy task. If it works for you, then keep doing what you're doing. If not, then it's highly recommended that you turn this feature off. The increase in Pokémon catches is something we can all smile about!

13 Searching "Evolve" Shows You All The Pokémon You Can Evolve

Navigating through Pokémon GO's menus can become a chore after you've caught over 200 Pokémon. Especially when you're looking to evolve that new entry for the Pokédex but it's lost in a sea of colourful faces. Your solution? Hit the search icon in the top right of the Pokémon menu and type evolve into the search bar. Bellow and behold. the Pokémon that can be evolved are now at the top of the list and you can rearrange them into CP, Number, Name etc. Don't forget that you can mark up multiple Pokémon to send to the professor in exchange for candies! Let's get evolving people!

12 Best Friends Forever

The friend system is a recent addition to Pokémon GO. It allows people to trade with one another and send gifts. Be sure to throw your Trainer Code about so people can add you as a friend. Be sure to raid and take gyms with your friends daily to help contribute towards that ultra friend status. The higher your friendship level with individuals, the better gifts you can send and receive! For you super popular trainers, be wary there is a maximum of 20 gifts you can send or receive in one day.

11 Your Buddy Should Always Be Something You Want To Evolve Or Power Up

The buddy feature in Pokémon Go is something that should be grabbed with both hands and strategically shaken like a candy machine. The buddy system allows the player to take a specific Pokémon with them on their journey. As you progressively tick up the miles, your new buddy will generate candy of its type for you. There's a trick to it. The first step to mastering the buddy system is to let your sentiments go, don't pick a buddy because it's your favourite Pokémon. Secondly, you want to familiarize yourself with the Pokémon you have and the Pokémon you need. Finally, make a choice. Choose a Pokémon that you want to power-up or evolve.

10 In Rural Areas, Plan Your Route

If you live in a rural area, you may find disappointment in the lack of Pokéstops and Gyms. Plan journeys to places like malls, parks, landmarks, areas of interest and retail zones. These places are actually rich in Pokéstop goodness. It's an ideal solution to the fun you may feel you're missing out on. You can also use applications and the internet to get a map with all the Pokéstops and Gyms located on it. Time to get those raid passes out. The wisest traveler knows their way, so plan ahead to save time and effort!

9 Lucky Egg Tips 101 (First Stop, Raids, Eggs, Pidgeys)

Get used to using your lucky eggs, and using them to your advantage. Both are two different things, any player can activate a Lucky Egg, but only true Pokémon fans know how to get the most out of them. You should queue up Pokémon ready to evolve, then when you have half an hours worth of evolving to do, crack a lucky egg and reap the double XP benefits. For a boosted effect, try to get your eggs to hatch and your first stop and catch of the day while the egg is active. Use lures to attract Pokémon if you run out of things to do.

8 Renaming Your Eevee To Pick Its Form

Eevee is one of the most beloved Pokémon out there. This Pokémon can evolve into multiple forms, each with its own elemental type. It can be a massive game of chance trying to get the Eevee form you want the most.

Personally, I'm a Jolteon kind of guy.

However, there is a way of deciding who your Eevee will become. You can actually rename the Pokémon to the following nicknames to get the evolve form you want: rename Eevee as Rainer to evolve it into Vaporeon; rename Eevee as Sparky to evolve it into Jolteon; rename Eevee as Pyro to evolve it into Flareon; rename Eevee as Sakura to evolve it into Espeon; rename Eevee as Tamao to evolve it into Umbreon.

7 Max CP

When we think about the type of Pokémon we want to put our hard-earned stardust into, it's important we consider its max CP level. Every Pokémon has its own max CP number, that is a number that it can't surpass, although it changes from time to time, it's important not to be reckless with that stardust. Research into it, what Pokémon can be pushed the furthest and how can you get the most from your stardust? Pay attention to its moves and what its IV Calculations are too!

6 Secret (Android) Weapon: Calcy IV

Meet your new best friend in Pokémon battling, Calcy IV. This handy little device can be downloaded from the Google Play Store and is completely free! It weeds out the weak from the strong by giving Pokémon an overall rating. This percentage takes many factors into account before giving your selected Pokémon a score out of 100%. It's these perfect Pokémon we want to be spending our stardust and candies on. The application is vital for any serious Pokémon trainer - especially those who participate in Gym battles regularly. Calcy IV runs in the background and alongside Pokémon Go.