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Original poster

Can anyone explain Pokemon Go to me please?

36 replies

CakeNinja · 05/08/2019 11:39

Dd has just started playing, we downloaded it this morning and went out for a quick trot round the block.
Found a thing to catch, failed about 15 times to throw the ball in the circle (are we supposed to hit it?) which made our total amount of balls reduce (do we have to pay for more balls?). Then there was a gym battle which she couldn’t complete until she’d levelled up - she did level up and didn’t really understand the gym battle.
There was a page of Pokemon’s local to us to find but it didn’t refresh once we’d found them - we moved to a new area and it was still showing us the ones we’d caught with nothing new to find...
We thought this would be a nice way to get outdoors and it’s just seemed a bit crap! Any advice?!
Tia

OP posts:

Celebelly · 05/08/2019 11:58

gamewith.net/pokemongo/article/show/2448

Decent guide here.

Celebelly · 05/08/2019 12:00

I wouldn't bother with gym battles for now. She'll be way behind the pack so won't really be able to do anything. Just focus on wandering around and collecting Pokémon and visiting Pokestops to replenish stocks.

Luckypoppy · 05/08/2019 12:22

If she's into Harry Potter, download Wizards Unite. It's only been out a few weeks so she won't be as far behind and there's loads of stuff out there to help.

Luckypoppy · 05/08/2019 12:22

If she's into Harry Potter, download Wizards Unite. It's only been out a few weeks so she won't be as far behind and there's loads of stuff out there to help.

CalamityJune · 05/08/2019 12:23

The battles are a bit advanced for now. Just het out exploring, catching new pokemon and collecting items.

3jane · 05/08/2019 12:42

There’s a Pokemon go thread on here. To get more balls you need to spin stops or gyms (free). If you go somewhere with lots of stops/ a high traffic area you will probably find a better variety of Pokemon to catch. You’ll get better at throwing pretty fast, and gym battles will become clear, but try looking on Youtube for videos of how it works if you’re really confused!

Uberbeeboo · 05/08/2019 12:52

She doesn't need to buy Pokéballs, you replenish them by spinning the discs at gyms and Pokéstops which are scattered around, so get to know where your local ones are. In the early levels she really just needs to get out there and catch as many Pokémon as possible until she has a strong enough batch to take on a gym.
I'd advise to catch everything possible, as some Pokémon evolve into stronger ones once you've gained enough candies. Hang on in there, it's slow going at the start.

Uberbeeboo · 05/08/2019 12:52

Original poster

CakeNinja · 05/08/2019 14:00

Thank you, this is really useful!
We have just got back (again) and avoided the gyms. There were loads of Pokemon’s but nowhere near enough balls. She doesn’t really realise that you can pay for more but either way there’s no chance of me buying any!
Seems like you can revisit the same pokestops over and over which is useful but just a shame that they only seem to give you about 3 balls at a time and we had about 3 or 4 and sometimes 5 creatures in between stops!
She levelled up, got 15 balls and then used them all to catch a little bastard who kept breaking free

OP posts:

SealPenguin · 05/08/2019 14:13

Is she using berries to make them easier to catch?

Keep an eye out for gyms in her team colour. If there's a free spot, she'll be able to add a Pokemon to the gym and you can earn free coins, up to 50 a day, which can be used to buy more balls and other stuff.

When I'm low on pokeballs, I do a few laps of my town centre. It's not interesting but it's a lot of stops in a small area and builds my items back up quickly.

Original poster

CakeNinja · 05/08/2019 14:26

Yes she used 3 berries and caught it 3 times that way but it kept breaking free!!
She did a few laps of the park, there seemed to be 5 stops there so we did build up some balls but then as I say, she used them all very quickly.
We will persevere, this morning I discovered a cricket club I had never known was there despite living here for 13 years

OP posts:

Butterchunks · 05/08/2019 14:27

Another one here to suggest Harry potter wizards unite. It's basically the same as Pokémon go (same makers, same game play just in a different story universe). I tried Pokémon go when it first came out but being more familiar with HP wizards unite is easier to understand.

samlh · 05/08/2019 14:36

Just keep hitting pokestops. They refresh about 4-5 minutes after you spin it. Build up on your items (balls, berries etc) and then start trying to catch.

I wouldn't bother with battles or raids etc until shes comfortable with the gameplay and understands it a little more.

If you are on Facebook, have a look for local PokemonGo pages/groups to join.

Most importantly, just have fun with it. It's a great way to get outdoors and a bit of walking in and there are always different events like community days and raid days that will help her :)

Original poster

CakeNinja · 05/08/2019 16:39

Thanks everyone.
Will check out the Harry Potter version too, she’s not got into them yet but she’s never expressed an interest in Pokemon either.
Yes I’m basically using it as an excuse to get out and about and she hasn’t twigged yet that we’re walking for miles!!

OP posts:

1idea · 05/08/2019 22:17

Don’t forget to put your eggs in incubators

1idea · 05/08/2019 22:18

And you can add a buddy to walk with to earn candy which will help evolve Pokemon to the next stage.

SuperLoudPoppingAction · 05/08/2019 22:22

I love playing this with my DC. It gets better once you level up a bit. Things are easier to catch.

I've played Wizards Unite with them a few times but I'm not sure if it's too complicated for them.

dementedpixie · 05/08/2019 22:28

You can get items from gyms too so spin them as well as pokestops

ThisIsMyBuick · 05/08/2019 22:42

She just needs to practice catching the Pokémon. It will get easier. Your don’t need to buy anything ever.

Maybe go to your nearest town or city where there will be lots of poke stops and gyms (where you can also collect items) so she can stock up.

You can only carry so many items so throw away things you don’t need.

The easiest thing to to with the gyms is ‘slide in’ to gyms that are your colour but not full. Then you don’t have to fight to get in.

Original poster

CakeNinja · 06/08/2019 00:04

Can anyone tell me what the pass raids are?
I’m genuinely asking on behalf of my child by the way

OP posts:

HarveySchlumpfenburger · 06/08/2019 10:47

Every single often each gym will have a ‘raid boss’ that you can battle and if you win you will get the chance to catch the raid boss. You need a pass to do this.

If you are playing on your own I wouldn’t bother with this until you are a higher level. You might find that in popular areas there are other players around and then you can battle as a group which will give you more chance of winning.

HarveySchlumpfenburger · 06/08/2019 10:47

God I hate my autocorrect. Every so often.

dementedpixie · 06/08/2019 11:47

You might be able to do a tier 1 on your own once you have a few decent pokemon but I'd avoid to start with

IncyWincyGrownUp · 06/08/2019 11:50

I have PoGo and WU, and think PoGo is better as it’s not as complicated. That’s as a massive HP fan too.

LBOCS2 · 06/08/2019 15:46

I agree IncyWincy. I've played PoGo since it was released and downloaded WU and just can't get the hang of it.

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