‘Pokémon GO’ Tips And Tricks After Key Feature Removed

Pokémon GO tips and tricks have never been so important now that players no longer have the ability to track their footsteps or use third-party apps.

The 3-step tracking feature in Pokémon GO was essential to helping players figure out exactly how close they were to capturing their next Pokémon creature, but Niantic removed the feature in a recent update.

But don’t fret! Now that the way fans must play the game has drastically changed, below are a few Pokémon GO tips and tricks that don’t require third-party help.

1. Hatching Eggs Works Best When Traveling Under 20 MPH

Though some players have assumed that driving in a vehicle may aid in the egg-hatching process, Pokémon GO has a way of knowing how fast you’re going. Rather than encouraging people to get in a vehicle and drive around, which is contradictory to the game’s “get up and get moving” ethos, Christian Times said it works best to simply walk around at a brisk pace.

2. Don’t Balk At Collecting More Of The Same

While it may be harder to find the Pokémon you really want to find now, don’t balk at collecting more of the same creatures you’ve already caught. Keep in mind: Bustle says catch everything you can because you need candies. This Pokémon GO tip may not be revolutionary, but it’s easy to forget that one of the best ways to level up is to capture duplicate Pokémon and transfer them to Professor Willow in exchange for candies. The candy and Stardust combine to evolve Pokémon or make them stronger, so it’s never a bad thing to have extras.

BONUS: Save your Stardust for your Pokémon creatures who are already powerful, if at all possible.

3. Defend A Gym

Don’t forget that there’s more to this game than simply catching Pokémon. If you’re having a hard time finding Pokémon, thanks to Niantic’s recent changes, switch gears and head to a gym. Once you’ve reached level 5, you can earn valuable resources, such as Stardust and PokéCoins, by defending it.

IGN noted that this, in addition to catching Pokémon and hatching eggs, is one of the best ways to get more Stardust.

Pokémon GO tips and tricks are only as helpful as the game allows them to be, as many fans found out when Niantic, the game’s developer, made the changes to its game recently. The company said on a Facebook post early Tuesday morning that its 3-step system was confusing players and getting in the way of the game’s success. Many fans are outraged, accusing Niantic of being unclear, confusing, and lacking transparency when it comes to the game and its updates.

“We have removed the ‘3-step’ display in order to improve upon the underlying design. The original feature, although enjoyed by many, was also confusing and did not meet our underlying product goals. We will keep you posted as we strive to improve this feature.”

Additionally, players can no longer use third-party apps, such as Pokévision or Pokéfind. Without these services, players claim that using the game’s own, buggy interface makes it incredibly difficult to be successful. But Niantic claimed that it was necessary to shut down access to these sites in order to successfully implement the game around the world.

“We have limited access by third-party services which were interfering with our ability to maintain quality of service for our users and to bring Pokémon GO to users around the world. The large number of users has made the roll-out of Pokémon GO around the world an… interesting … challenge.”

[Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images]