Learn how to battle in Pokémon GO, from attacking/defending gyms to engaging in fights with Team Rocket and other trainers in the League.
Attacking/Defending Gyms
In order to attack and defend Gyms, you need to be Level 5 or higher.
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Find a Gym nearby that either belongs to a rival team or your own. For example, if you’re on Team Mystic, you can attack gyms belonging to Team Valor or Team Instinct. Additionally, you can defend gyms belonging to Team Mystic.
Attacking
If you do not see any Gyms in your local area belonging to your Team, you will first need to attack the enemy Pokémon protecting it before you can put one of your own down to start earning Coins for defending.
Defending
Gyms can hold up to six Pokémon at once. If there are five Pokémon or less at a Gym belonging to your team, you can place one of your own Pokémon there to defend it. You will earn up to six coins per hour in a given Gym (one coin per 10 minutes), but you will only receive the coins after your Pokémon is defeated and returned to you.
No matter how many Pokémon you have spread out at multiple Gyms, you can only earn up to 50 Coins per day.
As your Pokémon defends a Gym, it will slowly lose Motivation over time, measured by its remaining CP (Combat Power). It will start at maximum Motivation which is equivalent to its CP. Feed your defending Pokémon various berries to keep it guarding the Gym longer (this can be done remotely).
The best defenders have high defense. Consider using Snorlax and Blissey.
GO Battle League
The GO Battle League is an opportunity to engage in direct PvP with other trainers from around the world. You do not have to leave your current location and can opt-in at any time, anywhere.
To enter the GO Battle League, simply click the Pokéball icon on the Map View, then click the Battle option. There are three main leagues to choose from:
- Great League (Max CP per Pokémon: 1,500)
- Ultra League (Max CP per Pokémon: 2,500)
- Master League (Max CP per Pokémon: Unlimited)
After picking a League, you will need to choose up to three Pokémon to form a party for battle. Your options for selection will be limited to the maximum CP of the League. It helps to pick a diverse group of varying types to give yourself the best advantage.
When you engage in battle, you will be granted up to 2 Protection Shields per battle. They can be used to guarantee your active Pokémon will not take damage from an incoming Charged Attack. Keep tapping to attack the enemy Pokémon until your Charged Attack is ready. You can swap between Pokémon in your party while in the middle of a fight.
Winning matches consecutively (up to five times) grants you unique rewards, including and especially Rare Candy, which can be used to level the CP of specific Pokémon faster.
Raids
Raids are major PvE encounters in which groups of trainers come together as one to battle very high-level CP Pokémon. You can either enter one close to your proximity with a Raid Pass/Premium Battle Pass, or a Remote Raid Pass.
To fight the enemy Pokémon in the raid, simply tap the screen to perform a quick attack. When your Charged Attack meter is filled, tap the icon at the bottom of the screen to perform it. You can swipe left and right to dodge, and this is most helpful when the screen flashes.
Local Raids
To find a raid near your current location, tap the bottom right-hand corner of the Map View showing a series of Pokémon. When the Nearby window appears, tap the Raid tab.
Remote Raids
In order to join a remote raid, you must first be invited by someone on your Friends list. You will receive an orange notification in the Nearby window on the Raid tab. Simply click the icon indicating the invitation to join.
Team Rocket
You will find members of Team Rocket spread across various Pokéstops around the world and in flying balloons. Spin a Pokéstop with a black ‘R’ around it or tap a nearby balloon to engage the Team Rocket trainer in a PvE battle.
Just like in the GO Battle League, you will need to choose up to three Pokémon to form a party for battle.
When you engage in battle, you will be granted up to 2 Protection Shields per battle. They can be used to guarantee your active Pokémon will not take damage from an incoming Charged Attack. Keep tapping to attack the enemy Pokémon until your Charged Attack is ready. You can swap between Pokémon in your party while in the middle of a fight.
If you win the battle, you will be granted a certain number of Premier Balls to catch one of the enemy Shadow Pokémon belonging to the Team Rocket trainer. The amount of Premier Balls you earn depends on how well you did. If you lose the battle, you can simply retry it.
To catch the enemy Shadow Pokémon, simply tap the Rescue Pokémon button. After catching it, you will receive Mysterious Components necessary to assemble a Rocket Radar, which will aid you in locating Team Rocket GO Hideouts.
Pokémon GO is an augmented reality (AR) game developed by Niantic and released worldwide in 2016 for iOS and Android mobile devices.