Everyone’s on Pokémon Go, seriously. Okay not literally everyone, but since Saturday morning when this long-awaited augmented reality game finally launched in Singapore, we’ve seen an unprecedented number people gather in our neighbourhood parks and playgrounds, and every other person we walk past on the streets has their head bowed, eyes trained on the game lighting up their phone screens.
It’s official: there has never been a game that has united people for a common cause – to be the very best, like no one ever was – to such an extent. One of the main reasons is that Pokémon was one of the defining games of the 90s, so for all the 90s kids out there, Pokémon Go is a nice dose of nostalgia packaged in a sleek technologically-updated package, a way to bring the game from our beloved Nintendos to our smartphones.
But we won’t assume everyone’s a Pokémon expert here. We recognise that there are people getting in on the game without a full understanding of exactly what sets an Aerodactyl apart from a Zubat, and what exactly is the difference between a Pokémon Gym and a Pokéstop. So here are a couple of handy tools we found to help you figure it all out:
How rare is the Pokémon you just caught?
(Image: Reddit)
Behold, this gem of a chart created by Reddit user RotomGuy, which sorts all the Pokémon into how rare they are in the game. All 151 Pokémon are represented here (one per evolutionary line is shown only, so for example Bulbasaur in this chart also represents Ivysaur and Venusaur).
In general, the rule of the game is the higher the level you’re at, the more easily you’ll catch rarer Pokémon – but there are exceptions should you be at the right place at right time, like how we caught a Tangela, considered “Rare”, when we were all of Level 2.
Speaking of the right place and right time… so where do you go to find Pokémon?
We found this highly handy map:
Say hello to PokemonGoMap.info, your best friend for seeking out the nearest Pokémon Gyms and PokéStops around you.
To sum up, PokéStops (the blue squares) are locations where you can stock up on game essentials such as Pokéballs to catch Pokémon with, potions to heal your Pokémon during battle, eggs to hatch into more Pokémon and incense that you can drop to attract more Pokémon to a certain location.
And then, there are the Gyms (red squares). Once you reach level 5 in the game, you’ll be able to join one of the three teams (Instinct, Mystic or Valor) and battle other trainers within each Gym. If the Gym you’ve selected is currently claimed by an opposing team, to claim it for your own team, you’ll need to battle the trainers there and lower a vital stat of theirs called the “prestige level” – when this hits zero, you’ll be able to claim the gym for your own team. To claim it, you’ll need to leave one of your Pokémon there, preferably the strongest one, which other trainers will then have to take on if they’d like to claim the gym for themselves.
Some general tips for Pokémon catching: Hang out near bodies of water to catch Water-type Pokémon, and go roaming after sunset to catch Ghost-type ones. As you might have already heard, some of the biggest hotspots around Singapore include the parks, shopping malls (especially ION Orchard, which has done a really clever job of luring Pokémon trainers), Changi Airport, and many of the residential estates in the heartlands.
As for the NYLON Singapore team, it’s unfortunately not looking too exciting where we are:
The only gym in our vicinity is the iconic dragon playground about a 10-minute walk away; looks like we’re skipping lunch today to hang out there instead.
Main image: youtube.com
You must be logged in to post a comment.