It doesn’t matter if you’re playing Pokémon GO or not, the craze over the Niantic Inc. augmented reality game is at an all-time high. Much more so this week because the app made its long awaited debut in Malaysia just last weekend.
Yay 🙂
The good thing is Malaysians are finally feeling less #FOMO (fear of missing out) about it, the bad thing is that we’re a little late to the game so there could be some things about Pokémon GO that we’re unaware of. For the uninitiated, here are some quick tips and tricks to keep you informed and help you overcome challenges.
As it stands, there are currently 40 levels in Pokémon Go. Each level you gain will give you rewards and allow you to unlock new items. Rumour has it that Niantic Inc. may add more levels in the future, but some players have already figured out how many experience (XP) points is needed to reach level 40. Trust us when we say that it does require tens of thousands of points to level up at a certain stage!
The below chart will come in handy when you need to budget your stock of items if you’re not planning to purchase coins to buy them in the shop.
| Level | Experience needed | Items received | Unlockables |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | None | None |
| 2 | 1000 | 15 Poké Balls | None |
| 3 | 2000 | 15 Poké Balls | None |
| 4 | 3000 | 15 Poké Balls | None |
| 5 | 4000 | 10 Potions, 1 Incense, 10 Revives | Choosing a team, gyms, Great Potions, Revives |
| 6 | 5000 | 15 Poké Balls, 10 Potions, 10 Revives, 1 Egg Incubator | None |
| 7 | 6000 | 15 Poké Balls, 10 Potions, 10 Revives, 1 Incense | None |
| 8 | 7000 | 15 Poké Balls, 10 Potions, 5 Revives, 10 Razz Berries, 1 Lure Module | Razz Berry |
| 9 | 8000 | 15 Poké Balls, 10 Potions, 5 Revives, 3 Razz Berries, 1 Lucky Egg | None |
| 10 | 9000 | 15 Poké Balls, 10 Super Potions, 10 Revives, 10 Razz Berries, 1 Incense, 1 Lucky Egg, 1 Egg Incubator, 1 Lure Module | Super Potions |
| 11 | 10000 | 15 Poké Balls, 10 Super Potions, 3 Revives, 3 Razz Berries | None |
| 12 | 10000 | 20 Great Balls, 10 Super Potions, 3 Revives, 3 Razz Berries | Great Balls |
| 13 | 10000 | 15 Great Balls, 10 Super Potions, 3 Revives, 3 Razz Berries | None |
| 14 | 10000 | 15 Great Balls, 10 Super Potions, 3 Revives, 3 Razz Berries | None |
| 15 | 15000 | 15 Great Balls, 20 Hyper Potions, 10 Revives, 10 Razz Berries, 1 Incense, 1 Lucky Egg, 1 Egg Incubator, 1 Lure Module | Hyper Potions |
| 16 | 20000 | 10 Great Balls, 10 Hyper Potions, 5 Revives, 5 Razz Berries | None |
| 17 | 20000 | 10 Great Balls, 10 Hyper Potions, 5 Revives, 5 Razz Berries | None |
| 18 | 20000 | 10 Great Balls, 10 Hyper Potions, 5 Revives, 5 Razz Berries | None |
| 19 | 25000 | 10 Great Balls, 10 Hyper Potions, 5 Revives, 5 Razz Berries | None |
| 20 | 25000 | 20 Ultra Balls, 20 Hyper Potions, 20 Revives, 20 Razz Berry, 2 Incense, 2 Lucky Eggs, 2 Egg Incubators, 2 Lure Modules | Ultra Balls |
| 21 | 50000 | 10 Ultra Balls, 10 Hyper Potions, 10 Revives, 10 Razz Berries | None |
| 22 | 75000 | 10 Ultra Balls, 10 Hyper Potions, 10 Revives, 10 Razz Berries | None |
| 23 | 100000 | 10 Ultra Balls, 10 Hyper Potions, 10 Revives, 10 Razz Berries | None |
| 24 | 125000 | 10 Ultra Balls, 10 Hyper Potions, 10 Revives, 10 Razz Berries | None |
| 25 | 150000 | 25 Ultra Balls, 20 Max Potions, 15 Revives, 15 Razz Berries, 1 Incense, 1 Lucky Egg, 1 Egg Incubator, 1 Lure Module | Max Potions |
| 26 | 190000 | 10 Ultra Balls, 15 Max Potions, 10 Revives, 15 Razz Berries | None |
| 27 | 200000 | 10 Ultra Balls, 15 Max Potions, 10 Revives, 15 Razz Berries | None |
| 28 | 250000 | 10 Ultra Balls, 15 Max Potions, 10 Revives, 15 Razz Berries | None |
| 29 | 300000 | 10 Ultra Balls, 15 Max Potions, 10 Revives, 15 Razz Berries | None |
| 30 | 350000 | 30 Ultra Balls, 20 Max Potions, 20 Max Revives, 20 Razz Berries, 3 Incense, 3 Lucky Eggs, 3 Egg Incubators, 3 Lure Modules | Max Revive |
| 31 | 500000 | 10 Ultra Balls, 15 Max Potions, 10 Max Revives, 15 Razz Berries | null |
| 32 | 500000 | 10 Ultra Balls, 15 Max Potions, 10 Max Revives, 15 Razz Berries | null |
| 33 | 750000 | 10 Ultra Balls, 15 Max Potions, 10 Max Revives, 15 Razz Berries | null |
| 34 | 1000000 | 10 Ultra Balls, 15 Max Potions, 10 Max Revives, 15 Razz Berries | null |
| 35 | 1250000 | 30 Ultra Bells, 20 Max Potions, 20 Max Revives, 20 Razz Berries, 2 Incense, 1 Lucky Egg, 1 Lure Module | null |
| 36 | 1500000 | 30 Ultra Balls, 20 Max Potions, 10 Max Revives, 20 Razz Berries | null |
| 37 | 2000000 | 20 Ultra Balls, 20 Max Potions, 10 Max Revives, 20 Razz Berries | null |
| 38 | 2500000 | 20 Ultra Balls, 20 Max Potions, 10 Max Revives, 20 Razz Berries | null |
| 39 | 3000000 | 20 Ultra Balls, 20 Max Potions, 10 Max Revives, 20 Razz Berries | null |
| 40 | 5000000 | 40 Ultra Balls, 40 Max Potions, 40 Max Revives, 40 Razz Berries, 4 Incense, 4 Lucky Eggs, 4 Egg Incubators, 4 Lure Modules | null |
Also, to be the very best like no one ever was, you don’t only need to be at a higher level and to have enough items in stock, you also need an entourage of powerful Pokémons.
The problem here is that not everyone will be able to find high combat point (CP) Pokémons in the wild and even if you do, they could be hard to catch. And without a badass Pokémon, you may not be able take over Gyms that are dominated by Pokémons with over 1,000 CP. How do you deal with this predicament? By evolving your current ones.
But you can’t just be evolving any random Pokémon in your collection.
Reddit user Kyurun took the liberty to calculate the minimum CP a Pokémon must have to ensure that its final evolutionary form is over 1,000 CP. What you’re seeing in the chart above is a rough indication of what is needed for different types of Pokémons before evolving them.
For example, if you want to evolve your Pidgey to a Pidgeotto with a high CP of over 1,000, then your Pidgey will need to have at least 339 CP. The next progression for that Pokémon type would be from a Pidgeotto to a Pidgeot, and to ensure that your Pidgeot scores over 1,000 CP post-evolution, your Pidgeotto will need to have at least 579 CP.
There really are lots of Pidgeys to go around, aren’t there? We know that feels, guys. Which brings us to our next point – where to catch what Pokémons.
The good thing is that Pokémon GO is not a shared universe so everyone stands a chance at catching them all. Otherwise, there would be bloodshed, pretty much.
Your immediate surroundings and climate can affect the types of Pokémon you can catch so say for example, if you’re near water or a water PokéStop that has an activated lure, you’d likely be able to find psychic and water-type Pokémons like Psyduck, Magikarp, Staryu, Goldeen, Poliwag, etc.
If your current location has grassy plains, the game will recognise that and ensure that the area spawns grass, bug, and flying types like Oddish, Spearrow, Caterpie, Weedle, etc. And for fire and rock types e.g. Geodude, Sandshrew, Growlithe, they can generally be found in areas with hot conditions so yay for Malaysians!
Parking lots, shopping malls, university/college campuses, parks, and city centres are also good places to hunt. We know for a fact that Sunway Pyramid and Pavilion KL have started activating lures at their 29362145178 (an exaggeration, of course, but you get the picture) PokéStops. Also, we hear that Pikachu can be found at Sunway Pyramid!
True story.
As for the rare ones, such as Snorlax, Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee, Magnemite, Porygon, and Electrabuzz, just to name a few, they’re harder to find and catch. You would probably have more luck hatching eggs to get them.
Last but not least, the blasted Pidgeys and Rattatas!
The reason why you’re seeing a lot of Pidgeys and Rattatas is because it’s one of the most commonly spawned ones and also, you could be in a residential area. You see, the whole point of the Pokémon GO is for you to lug your butt out of your comfort zone and explore. So do that, but please be mindful and do not trespass people’s compounds or places of worship, or climb high places and jump off elevated grounds.
And above all, have fun becoming the very best 🙂
Other handy tips for good Pokémon GO gameplay include:
- Switching off your augmented reality (AR) feature: Sure, it’s fun to see a Clefairy hanging out across the table from you while you’re having dinner, but the AR camera not only sucks the living daylights out of your phone’s battery, it’s also distracting when you’re trying to catch a Pokémon. Switch it off.
- Make it a point to walk a lot and slowly: Unpopulated and undiscovered locations are good places to start (not in the middle of the night) if you want to score a rare Pokémon. Look out for rustling leaves in the game because it means that a Pokémon is about to spawn. It also helps to use incense to draw them out.
- You have a Lucky Egg? Use it to your advantage: When you need tens of thousands XP to level up, you’re going to get impatient. There are only 24 hours in a day, after all, so to make the best out of the hours that you get to play Pokémon GO, use the Lucky Egg. It doubles your XP for a short period of time!
