Pokémon GO has taken the world by storm and while there are some critics of the popular game, there is an overwhelming amount of people who are loving it.

If the game is available in your country, but you haven’t tried it because Pokéstops, Pokédex, Lucky Eggs, PokéCoins and Stardust are all foreign concepts to you then we are here to help you understand it all. Make sure you read our article of how to get started with Pokémon GO and how to catch those Pokémon.  

Making sense of the in-game map

On your in-game map you will see the following icons:

• Player icon: In addition to information about your character, the player icon will also show what level you are on.  
• Backpack: Is where you store all your items (more of what these items are is detailed below).
• Pokémon: This icon shows all the pocket monsters that you are currently carrying.
• Pokédex: This provides an indication of all the Pokémon that you have collected personally.
• Nearby: Tap the bottom right bar and you will see Pokémon in your immediate area while the footsteps under the Pokémon images shows just how close or far they are from you.

The Pokémon in-game map is made up of three main areas:

• Grass: The green, slightly moving grass areas is where you will catch Pokémon. When one is near your device will vibrate or you will hear the individual Pokémon’s unique call, if your sound is switched on.
• Pokéstops: The rotating blue cubes, typically located at points of interest like museums is where you can collect useful stuff like Eggs, Pokéballs, Potions, etc. To collect the reward, simply swipe over the icon.  
• Gyms: These spire-like structures are where you get to pit your Pokémon against other people’s Pokémons. Unfortunately you first need to reach level five before you start to battle.

Pokéballs, Potions, Razz Berries … what?

We have already mentioned some of these weirdly named items, but you are probably wondering how they all help you in the game.

• Pokéballs: You use Pokéballs to capture the Pokémon you see scattered around. If you fail to catch a Pokémon with a Pokéball it is gone for good and there is no way to get it back. You can collect Pokéballs at Pokéstops and as you increase your level you will be able to collect Great Balls and Ultra Balls.  
• Razz Berries: These help calm wild Pokémon so that you can try to catch them.
• Eggs: When your Egg eventually hatches you will get a full-grown Pokémon. To get the Egg to hatch though you will need to do some exercise by walking around with the app open. No cheating the system and hopping in a cab, you can’t walk faster than 15 miles/hour.
• Egg Incubator: If you have multiple Eggs that you are trying to hatch you will need to have an incubator. At level five you will get one with unlimited use, alternatively you can buy one, but these will ‘break’ after three uses.
• Incense: For 30 minutes, Incense increases the number of wild Pokémon you find.
• Lure Module: Used at Pokéstops, Lure Module will increase the number of Pokémon you come across, like Incense. However, unlike Incense it will affect all the players in the vicinity.
• Potions: If your Pokémon is wounded you can use a Potion and restore its health points.
• Revive: This item will revive your Pokémon if it has fainted during a Gym Battle. However, it will only have half of its maximum health points while a Super Revive gives your Pokémon full health points.

What’s in your backpack?

Your backpack starts at a capacity of 350, but you can buy extra capacity at 50 slots at a time. You will store the following items in your backpack:

• Candy: Pokémon drop Candy when they are caught and are specific to each individual Pokémon. You can use the Candy to evolve your monster and make them stronger. If you have Pokémon that you don’t need you can exchange them for their specific Candy.
• Stardust: Also dropped by a captured Pokémon, Stardust allows you to level up your Pokémons and make them stronger in battle, but it will affect your whole collection.
• PokéCoins: To make a variety of in-app purchases you will buy PokéCoins, which you can then use to buy a variety of items.

Now that Candy, Stardust, Pokéballs and the like are no longer foreign concepts you can get out there and start collecting the items and Pokémons.

Source: PCMag

Main image credit: Jordan Bajc; Flickr | Image credit: Darren Mark Domirez; Flickr