Everything you need to know about Pokemon GO

Pokemon GO is reaching new levels of hype as more details come in and invites to the US field test start to go out. If you have already signed up, be sure to check your emails throughout the day to see if you got it. You can still sign up at the official site, but I don’t know how this affects the invites going out today.

More information has come out about battling and gyms, so I decided to compile everything we know so far about how Pokemon GO works.

Capturing Pokemon

The most important part of the game is how you will get Pokemon. This app is a real-world one that involves literally going outside and travelling around to catch and battle Pokemon.

• Players are notified when there is a nearby Pokemon and can catch them with a Poké Ball when they get close enough

• You can get Poké Balls and other items by going to PokéStops, which are located and places like museums, monuments, or historical markers
• You also have the chance to get eggs from these places that hatch into Pokemon.

• Certain Pokemon will only appear in certain areas. For example, a Water-type Pokemon may only appear near lakes, rivers, or oceans.

As you capture Pokemon, your trainer level will increase, which allows you to catch more powerful Pokemon. 

You can also evolve certain Pokemon by catching them multiple times, so now you have more of a reason to catch the same Pokemon.

Gyms and Battling

As you play, you will be encouraged to join 1 of 3 teams so you can engage in gym battles against other teams. These gyms are located in real world locations and players can assign Pokemon to them.

New info has come out about how these gym battles work:

• If there is no Pokemon at a gym, a player may claim the gym for their team and select a Pokemon to defend it
• A player may only assign 1 Pokemon to the gym.
• If your team has control over a gym, you can train with the defending Pokemon to increase the prestige and level of that gym
• As you level the gym, more Pokemon will be able to defend the gym.

• Players can fight rival gyms and if they win, the Gym’s prestige goes down
• If the defending gym’s prestige hits 0, they lose the gym and a new team can take over.
• You can also team up with other players to fight a rival gym.

• Pokemon have 2 attacks to choose from and can dodge
• When you are fighting gym Pokemon, your Pokemon can use either of the 2 attacks that they have, which is different from the usual 4 from other Pokemon games.
• You can also dodge left or right by swiping the screen.

Extra Info

• You can even customize your trainer avatar and unlock medals for your profile.
• There will be many challenges you can complete that involve catching certain Pokemon, exploring, and more.

• There is a device called the Pokemon GO Plus that connects to your found via Bluetooth
• This will notify you of events, such as nearby Pokemon, even when you aren’t using the app.
• Pokemon GO is free to play, but offers in-app purchases
• Players will be able to buy PokeCoins, the in-game currency, with real money.
• These can be used on power-ups, extra items, and more.

Finally, the app is still in development and many things could change by the time the full release happens later this year. 

What do you think of the info we have so far? Let me know how excited you are, or hope to have, from Pokemon GO!