Tricks for Pokémon GO

Yes, Pokémon GO! The Borg were right: Resistance is futile. Pokémon GO is everywhere, despite the limitations of its official release in certain regions. Users have managed to get the game one way or another, and in recent days all kinds of tricks, hacks, suggestions, and tips have emerged to optimize our adventure as would-be Pokémon masters. Some tricks have been verified, others are anecdotal, and the "gray" ones can be nullified by Niantic at any moment, but while they're there, why not take advantage? With that said, let's dive into the facts...

Pikachu as your first Pokémon

We can't help it. The adorable yellow rodent with static problems has been with us for decades. Ash Ketchum's faithful partner in the anime, a main character in hundreds of events, and one of the available characters in the entire Smash Bros. saga, Pikachu is "the" first Pokémon many desire. As expected, Pokémon GO offers the classic trio Charmander-Squirtle-Bulbasaur, but instead of choosing one and catching it, what the player must do is physically walk away from them... several times. The three Pokémon will return to the player's reach each time, however, on the fourth or fifth attempt, Pikachu will appear alongside the group. Be very patient: Some players took more than half an hour to pull off this trick.

Choosing Eevee's evolution

Eevee is one of the most flexible Pokémon we can find. With the introduction of new generations, its total available evolutions rose to eight, but if we talk about the original generation that Pokémon GO focuses on, the options are three: Vaporeon, Jolteon, and Flareon. Up to this point, many players thought Eevee's evolution was a random process, since there are no special stones (Water Stone, Thunder Stone, and Fire Stone) in Pokémon GO. However, multiple reports indicate that the key to "inducing" Eevee's evolution lies in its name. If before evolution the player changes the name to Pyro, Sparky, or Rainer, they will get a Flareon, Jolteon, or Vaporeon. Why those names? They are a direct reference to the "Eevee Brothers" episode that aired in 1998. Opinions are divided here: Many players swear by this trick, while the rest say it doesn't work 100 percent of the time.

The record player trick for gaining distance

Pokémon GO wants you to walk. And walk a lot. Besides catching Pokémon, visiting Poké stops, claiming gyms, and other things, the player's physical movement is critical for hatching eggs. If we recall, it's exactly the same mechanism from the games, applied to real life. The problem is that a significant number of players have outright rejected the distances certain eggs demand (you want that Dratini? You owe me 10 kilometers, soldier!). The solution? Explore alternatives like placing the smartphone on a turntable, a stationary bike wheel, on a pet (with a harness), miniature trains, Roombas, and in more extreme cases, the blades of a ceiling fan. Apparently, the trick depends on how good or bad the GPS is on the device, and the speed (cars and trains don't count), but one thing is certain: The app must be active, in the foreground, which devours the battery...

Spoofing GPS data

A good part of this trick was covered in our article on playing Pokémon GO on a computer. One of the resources Nintendo and Niantic have in their favor is geographic restriction. We imagine that in the future there will be an advanced international trading system that allows everyone to have their favorite Pokémon. Until that happens, many players have put on an eye patch and started spoofing GPS data with the help of Fake GPS and Lucky Patcher apps. This requires root access on the device and installing Fake GPS as a system app, but we also need to remember that it goes against Niantic's terms of use, and the possibility of a ban is high.

iOS users have it a little easier: If they've already done the corresponding jailbreak, an app on Cydia called PokemonGoAnywhere 'simulates walks' within the game. Of course, there's another problem: Pokémon GO has the ability to detect jailbreaking on an Apple device. The way to block that detection is with another Cydia app called MasterBall. The cat and mouse game. Or should we say 'the Meowth and the Rattata'?

Pokémon GO on the lock screen

Another option available to iOS users is raising Pokémon GO's profile to the lock screen. This means that just by carrying it in your pocket, the game will record all steps and movements as if it were a normal execution. As in the previous example, it depends on a jailbreak, the presence of MasterBall to block Niantic's detection, and an additional app, Pokémon Lock. One more detail: For it to work correctly, the iPhone must not be protected by a password or Touch ID. This is a security risk that each player will have to carefully evaluate...

Ingress, Pokéballs, and Razz Berries

It's very likely that at this point Pokémon GO players know that Niantic is the same company responsible for the augmented reality game Ingress. What Niantic did was recycle a considerable amount of information collected with Ingress and put it into Pokémon GO, to the point that if you find a portal in Ingress, its equivalent in Pokémon GO will be a Poké stop. Combining data from both games, the search for Pokémon should be a bit more efficient. Finally, Nintendo emphasized the "capture mechanic" of Pokémon. It's hard to explain in words, but when a player holds a Pokéball ready to be thrown, a circle appears that changes size over the Pokémon. The circle can have three shades: green, yellow, or red, indicating how difficult the capture will be. Then there are different experience bonuses depending on the size of the circle: Nice (large), Great (medium), and Excellent (small). The famous Razz Berry improves the catch rate (this reminds us of throwing food in the old Safari Zone), as does throwing a curve ball. In essence, the player must spin the Pokéball and throw it at the exact moment.

Capture, capture, capture

As the saying goes, 'Others see a weak Pidgey. You see experience.' This last trick we know very well for the simple fact that we've applied it in many other games. Logically, I'm talking about "grinding". Can you catch 50 Pidgey? Do it. You'll receive candies for that Pokémon family for each capture. If you transfer a Pokémon to the professor, you'll receive one more candy, but there's something better: Each evolution gives 500 XP, and with a Lucky Egg (which doubles experience for half an hour), it jumps to 1,000 XP per evolved Pokémon. A good organization, several Pokémon, multiple candies, and a Lucky Egg activated at the exact moment will make the XP fly through the air. If I remember correctly, the base storage is 250 Pokémon, more than enough for any "power leveling". Don't want to do the math? There's a site for that.