Pok?mon Go: A Beginner's Guide

If you have no idea on why people in your surrounding are seriously hooked on their phones while walking, then this is where you should be right now.

Pokémon Go is currently dominating smartphones not only in the Philippines, but also across the world. However, if you are not familiar with this augmented reality game, then things might tend to be a little confusing.

The main purpose of the game is to catch, train, and battle little Pokémon creatures. To sum it up, there are a total of 150 different types of Pokémon. With Pokémon Go, you can either focus on catching all of the 150 creatures and complete your Pokédex or make your character the most powerful through levelling up (by taking part in Pokémon gym fights).

In order to play the game, these are the things you must remember:

1. Turn on your GPS function

• Through your GPS function, you will be able to scan your surroundings and locate Pokémon creatures.

1. Tap your screen once a Pokémon creature appears on your map

• Some types of Pokémon may suddenly pop in front of the player, but some are quite rare. The main gameplay of Pokémon Go is to tap your screen once a creature appears on your map so that you may try to catch it and add it to your Pokédex.

1. Swipe upwards to hit your target

• Once your screen switches to augmented reality mode, a Pokémon creature will immediately appear. Swipe the screen upwards to throw Pokéballs at the Pokémon. If you perfectly aimed at the Pokémon, a ball will close around it which mean you captured the Pokémon creature.

1. There such this as in-game locations in the real world

• These locations are called Pokéstops. Pokémon are markers that rewards the players with items.

1. You can place “lures”

• Lures are items one may obtain once s/he has levelled up. Through these lures, the player can make the Pokéstop sparkle for 30 minutes which leads to the player more likely to find Pokémon creatures lurking around the area.

1. Pokégyms do exist!

• These are where Pokémon trainers train or do battles. These gyms can be held by one of the three teams present in Pokémon – red, blue, or yellow. You'll be able to tell which team holds the gym by the color shown on top of the tower. Once a player reaches level five, you can pick which team to join.

1. Own other team’s Pokégym through battling

• If you happen to pass a gym owned by another team, you can do battle with those Pokémon to gain control of the gym. Once you’re close to the gym, activate a battle by tapping the boxing glove icon. Select a Pokémon for the battle (tap as fast as you can to beat your opponent) and compete with the other Pokémon by swiping left or right (this will help you dodge attacks).

1. You can make your Pokémon more powerful

• Once you capture a Pokémon, it will come with items such as Stardust and Candy that can eventually make your creature more powerful.

Go ahead and give Pokémon Go a try!

Source:

Parsons, J. (2016, July 22). Pokémon GO beginner's guide: How to get started with the most popular smartphone game in history. Mirror. Retrieved from http://www.mirror.co.uk/tech/pokmon-go-beginners-guide-how-8471600.