Lead Image Credit: PA
Pokémon GO's undeniably addictive nature almost certainly has some correlation with how repeatedly frustrating it is.
At its heart, it's essentially a quest to bag a monster which isn't total, unabashed turd. Another Pidgey, fab.
Another Drowzee? I didn't extend my data allowance for this shit.
I continue playing in the hope that I'll stumble upon something rare. But some people have to be the very best, the best there ever was.
Since its release a few weeks ago, there have been many tips, tricks and cheats that can help you along your quest to reach peak virgin. So, here's a quick recap.
How to start with Pikachu
This is old news, you already know this. When you start the game you will be presented with either a Charmander, Bulbasaur or Squirtle to catch as your starter Pokémon. Catch none of them. Walk away until they disappear and reappear again. Repeat this step four times until Pikachu appears with the original three. This can be difficult, however, so check Polygon's full guide on how to make this a guarantee.
Evolving Eevee
In some way, the kind of fluffy fox Pokémon Eevee is unique because it can evolve into a number of things. Naturally, you have no control over whether that would be Vaporeon, Jolteon or Flareon.
Well, if you rename Eevee while it's still an Eevee you can dictate which evolved form you will end up with. According to The Guardian, Vaporeon is the strongest of the lot. You will need to name Eevee after one of the Eevee brothers off the TV shows to get either of the three results.
E.G:
Jolteon: Name your Eevee Sparky and you will get the electricity based evolution.
Flareon: Rename it Pyro.
Vaporeon: Rename it Rainer.
After you've done this, hit save and then reload the app just to make sure the name has definitely changed. Then, you're good to go.
Poke Radar
Sometimes after a long day at work, a tough or perhaps fruitless walk to catch a new Pokémon can feel like a real chore. What if you just want to know the location of specific Pokémon? There's an app for that, obviously.
Credit: Poke Radar
The app, which was put together by Braydon Batungbacal and Nick DiVona, shows you where any rare Pokémon sightings have been anywhere in the world. And if you're choosy it will even let you set a filter so you only get the results back that you desire.
We wrote about it on this very site the other day. Read the full piece here.
Bank your Pidgeys
As cute as they may be, Pidgeys are fairly pathetic. They offer very little going forward but don't ignore them no matter much you may want to. Use them to build XP.
You only need 12 Pidgey candies to evolve into the marginally less rubbish Pidgeotto.
Evolving your Pidgey will gift you around 500XP and, with a lucky egg active for 30 minutes, that doubles your XP. So, if you evolve three Pidgeys in half-an-hour that will gift you a neat 3000XP and then you can bin them off on Professor Willow anyway. This way you can level up much faster and that's good because being a higher level than your friends is the 2016 equivalent of having a massive dick or a shiny sports car.
Words by Matthew Cooper
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