Pokemon Go is already a worldwide phenomenon. It has taken the world by storm, sent Nintendo’s stock prices soaring, atheists into churches, and people into police stations. Heck, the app caused a dead body to be found. Needless to say, Pokemon Go is the hot new ticket in town.
With something so popular, players are always on the lookout for ways to get ahead in the game. Since technology can always be hacked in one way or another, the internet is already full of tips and tricks on how to get ahead if you want to “catch ‘em all!”
How to start the game with Pikachu as your starter Pokemon
Who needs Bulbasaur, Squirtle, or Charmander when you have Pikachu? In true Nintendo tradition, Niantic Labs, the developer of the application, has provided intrepid fans with a fun little hack at the beginning of the game: Instead of starting with one of the three classic starter Pokemon, you can choose Pikachu – if you’re willing to walk to catch it.
In the beginning of the game, when the Professor prompts you to “Catch a Pokemon,” walk away from Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander. If you walk far enough away, the three starters will respawn and the phone will vibrate. Repeat this step three to five more times, and a fourth Pokemon will appear: Pikachu!
Throwing a curveball
Once you choose your starter Pokemon, there are plenty of hacks to be used along the way in your quest to catch them all. For example, when catching a wild Pokemon, don’t simply flick your finger to toss the Pokéball at the creature. Instead, “move your finger in small circles on your screen when touching the ball. That will make [it] rapidly spin and when you feel comfortable, throw the ball towards to Pokemon. That will send a curveball towards the Pokemon and will increase your chance of catching it,” a user on Ownedcore, a gaming forum, wrote.
How to catch Pokemon without leaving your house
While Pokemon Go is insanely enjoyable, not everyone’s experience has been fun and games – the quest to “catch ‘em all” has led people to dead bodies and even armed robbers. For those of us who prefer to avoid such possibilities, there are ways to catch Pokemon without leaving your abode at all.
In order to hatch Pokemon eggs, the game requires you to physically walk a certain distance, whether it be two, five, or even ten kilometers. If you think driving around with your phone is going to help, think again: Niantic has placed a limit on the speed you can hatch eggs at. Luckily, there are ways around this. Grab an old model train track, place your phone on the train, and let it go in circles. Basically, anything that rotates will do the trick. This tricks the application into thinking that you are constantly walking, thus allowing you to rack up those kilometers. We are thinking of attaching our phones to our dogs and seeing how that goes for us!
Hitting all the PokéStops
Outside of your home, there are a few ways to hit a bunch of PokéStops in a short amount of time. For example, a slower train ride, such as the “L” in Chicago, goes slow enough to allow you to check-in to PokéStops as you ride by them. All you’ve got to do is keep you phone open and start spinning a PokéStop before you get there. By the time your bus or train passes the PokéStop you’re spinning, hit the X to collect all the items, then move onto the next one!
A 30-minute commute in any major city should be plenty to fill all the space in your bag, allowing you to always be equipped with enough Pokéballs to capture whatever you need. If you initiate an encounter with a Pokemon before you get too far away, you can also capture the little guys on your way to work.
Spoofing your GPS
According to a few sources, the most effective way of cheating in Pokemon Go has been the rooting of Android phones, jailbreaking of iOS devices, and subsequently using GPS spoofing to mock locations. This is done by a GPS spoofing application, which fakes one’s location to access Pokemon in other locations.
While Niantic has been detecting players who utilize this method by checking whether a device has been rooted or jailbroken, it is possible to to hide your phone’s root or jailbreak to avoid detection. Applications like Hide My Root for Android or tsProtector for iPhone can help hide your root or jailbreak.
It is possible to spoof your GPS this way, although users are advised to spoof as if they are actually walking or driving. Players should not open too many PokéStops within a short period of time and neither should they battle at far away gyms within minutes of one another.
All the same, Pokemon Go players should keep in mind that they will get banned if caught spoofing their GPS.
So now that you’ve got some new tips, tricks, and cheats, get out there, Ash Ketchum, because you “gotta catch ‘em all!”
