10 Best Pokémon Go Tips for Beginners

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10 Best Pokemon Go Tips for Beginners

Whether you are new to the Pokemon franchise or simply just new to Pokemon Go, here are 10 of the Best Tips all Pokemon Go Beginners should know. These tips include understanding Pokemon Types, Capturing, Evolution Strategies and more!

New to Pokémon Go? Check out the Pokémon Go Beginner's Guide.

#1. Prepare Yourself!
Before even trying to download Pokemon Go, make sure to prepare yourself by doing some research on the game requirements. One thing you don’t want to do is get hyped for Pokemon Go, only to later find out that your device is not compatible or you don’t have enough data. Make sure to follow the three steps below before trying to download the Pokemon Go App.

Step 1. Make sure your device meets the Mobile Requirements and Specifications. This is step is critical for all Pokemon Go newcomers. If you can’t play the game, all other Tips are useless!

Step 2. Beginners should look into purchasing an extra Battery. Pokemon Go will drain a fully charged Phone after only a few hours of gameplay.

Step 3. Get a Mobile Data Plan. If you already have a Data Plan make sure to check out the Top Ways to Reduce Data Usage.

#2. Understand the Different Types of Pokemon

If you have played any other Pokemon games it is likely that you are familiar with at least some if not all of the different Pokemon Types. If you are completely new to the Pokemon franchise, there are a total of 18 different Types of Pokemon. Each Type has strengths and weaknesses against certain other Types in battle. For example, Fire is strong against Grass, Grass is strong against Water and Water is strong against Fire.

Pokemon Beginner’s should familiarize themselves with all Pokemon Types to help provide that extra advantage in battle.

#3. Capture all Nearby Pokemon

Some new players may choose not to capture a nearby Pokemon for a variety of reasons. Some of reasons for avoiding Pokemon may include:

- Personal preference. Not all players love Magikarp... 

- That particular species of Pokemon has already been captured. 

- Player may be running low on Pokeballs. (May be a very legitimate reason, but standard Pokeballs are easy to obtain). 

- Player may have too many of that Pokemon already. 

However, before you decide to disregard a nearby Pokemon, take the following into consideration:

- Capturing Pokemon will reward you with XP. If it is your first time capturing a certain Pokemon you will get an added XP bonus.

- You will be credited with Candy for each Pokemon you capture. Even if you release the Pokemon, you still get credited with Candy. Assuming that the Pokemon has an Evolution Line.

Note: Getting enough Candy is very important in Pokemon Go. Evolved Pokemon are usually much more powerful than Wild Pokemon of the same species. For example, a Charmeleon evolved from a Charmander will be much stronger than a Charmeleon caught in the wild. Evolutions result in a substantial boost in CP.

#4. Know the Candy Requirements

Pokemon will have different Candy requirements in Pokemon Go. For example, Bulbasaur may need 25 Candy to evolve into Ivysaur, and Rattata may need 25 Candy to evolve into Raticate. Magikarp needs 400 Candy to evolve into Gyarados!

#5. Look for and Travel to Pokestops 

This may already be common knowledge even among beginners, but visiting Pokestops in Pokemon Go is one of the best ways to obtain Pokeballs, Eggs and other items such as Potions and Revives. As you travel, make sure to pay close attention to your mini-map in order to find nearby Pokestops.

Beginner Tips Navigation

Pokémon Go Tips for Beginners: Part 1

Pokémon Go Tips for Beginners: Part 2

Additional Resources
Beginner's Guide
Leveling Guide for Beginners
9 Best Battery Saving Tips
Quick Tips for Capturing Evolving & Battling (Video)
Pokemon Go Glossary (Terms and Descriptions)

10 Best Ways to Prepare for Pokemon Go

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Millions of Pokemon fans are anxiously awaiting the official release of Pokemon Go. Unless you were one of the lucky ones who got into the Closed Beta, waiting is really the only option at this point.

While you wait, why not use that time wisely and prepare yourself for Pokemon Go? There is much information already out there about the game, but it can be a daunting task trying to sift through all the data and find what is truly important. To help out newer players I decided to summarize ten main points I thought would be most helpful in preparing for the TBD 2016 release.

Here are the 10 Best Ways to Prepare for Pokemon Go.

#1. Make Sure Your Mobile Device Can Support Pokemon Go!

Before you do anything, definitely make sure to check if your Mobile Device can run Pokemon Go. Mobile Devices will need to have GPS and an internet connection (Mobile data or Wi-Fi). In addition, the Pokemon Go App will only be available for Android and iOS devices.

If you do not have an Android or iPhone, you may be out of luck when it comes time for the official release. If you have a newer Android or iOS device you are good to go. However, still make sure that your phone meets the Operating System Phone Requirements.

#2. Get a Mobile Data Plan

Yes, you can play Pokemon Go using Wi-Fi, but you will be limited to Wi-Fi only areas (Home, Coffee Shops, Restaurants, College Campuses, etc.). If possible, get a Data Plan to fully enjoy your Pokemon Go experience. Pokemon Go is all about traveling the world searching far and wide for Pokemon, with the ultimate goal of catching em’ all. You don’t want to limit that dream to circling your house looking to catching “a select few”.

#3. Free Up Storage Space 

The Pokemon Go App will take up approximately 50MB to start. In addition, there will be updates to download in the months following the release. To be safe, prepare for Pokemon Go by freeing up 200MB of storage space on your device. Most smartphone users should have at least 200MB free, but if not, look to clear your cache or remove old unused app(s).

#4. Learn How to Stretch Your Data Plan

Many people have a Data Plan, and many of those people quickly burn through their Data Plans. Unless you have a lot of Money to spend on overage fees or if you already have an unlimited Data Plan, allocating Data for Pokemon Go is very important.

Make sure you know how much monthly data usage your plan allows for and prepare ahead of time. If you need help stretching out your Data, I recommend you check out the 10 Best Ways to Reduce Data Usage.

#5. Look into Buying an Extra Battery

According to multiple Beta Testers, Pokemon Go does drain battery very quickly. It has been reported that full charged phones last for only 3-4 Hours of gameplay. Make sure to keep your Phone in power saver mode or turn it off when not in use. Many Pokemon Go fans are already purchasing extra batteries to extend their playing time. If you see yourself playing for three or more hours per day, get prepared now by purchasing an extra battery or two. Make sure to also check out this list of Best Battery Saving Tips.

#6. Learn About the Basics of Pokemon Go

A lot of information about Pokemon Go has already been released to the public. If you have not stayed up to date make sure to check out this Pokemon Go Overview. This post has information on Game Development, Pokemon Go Plus, Battles, Items, Gyms and more.

#7. Learn More From Beta Field Testers

Pokemon Go has already been field tested by users in Japan, New Zealand and Australia. Through interviews with Beta Field Testers we have learned a lot about the gameplay and mechanics of Pokemon Go so far. Here is a comprehensive post of all information that has been released so far on the Closed Beta. This post contains information on capturing Pokemon, Evolutions, Gyms, Trainer Profiles, Pokestops and much more! Be informed to get prepared for Pokemon Go!

#8. Learn How to Evolve Pokemon

All 151 original Pokemon will make an appearance in Pokemon Go. Capturing enough of one species of Pokemon will allow you to gain Evolution Shards to eventually evolve them. How many Evolution Shards will you need to get your favorite Pokemon? Be sure to check out the Evolution Chart Requirement Chart to prepare for Pokemon Go!

#9. Play Ingress

Ingress is a game created by Niantic, a company that also happens to be heavily involved in the development of Pokemon Go. Because of this fact, Ingress and Pokemon Go share many gameplay similarities. These include finding points of interests within the real world using GPS, gaining XP for your avatar, working with your Team to compete against other Teams, etc. If you’re interested to learning first hand how Pokemon Go will work, playing Ingress is your best bet.

#10. Choose a Team!

In Pokemon Go each player will have the option of choosing one of three Teams (Red, Blue or Yellow). Teams will compete with one another for control of Gyms. Get your friends together now and decide which team you would like to be a part of!

Personally, I will be joining team Blue (Pokemon Blue was the first Pokemon game I ever purchased).

I hope this information was helpful in getting you prepared for Pokemon Go! If you have anything further to add feel free to leave a comment below.

Get a head start by reading the comprehensive Pokemon Go Beginner's Guide!