A Trainer's Guide to Tracking Pokemon
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By Paulo Pacheco on July 16, 2016
A lot of aspects in Pokémon Go are very cryptic, leaving it to the player to find out how some systems work. One of those is the “nearby” tracking system. If you want to maximize the finding of a specific Pokémon, this system gives you a general overview of the distance and types of creatures that are in your proximity. Understanding it and using its feature to the fullest will be essential if you want to keep increasing the amount of Pokémon in your Pokédex.
After you have everything set, and start walking in search of new Pokémon, you will notice a small box on the bottom right of the screen, from where your avatar is displayed. Tap that box to open the “nearby” window. There are nine Pokémon or Pokémon shapes displayed there, in a 3x3 grid formation. These are the ones that are in your local area. You may notice that some of them have a footprint below them. Others have two or three, and some don’t have any. These footprints are a representation of how distant the Pokémon are from you. The absence of footsteps under the Pokémon in the list means that they are in the range of 0 to 40 meters from you; one footstep, between 40 and 75 meters; two footsteps, between 75 and 100 meters and, finally, if there are three footsteps, this signifies that the Pokémon are in the range of 100 to 200 meters from your current location.
Not only are the footsteps symbols important, but also the order in which the Pokémon are laid out in the grid window. This is especially important if you want to judge which ones are closer or further away from you when they have three footprints of distance. If the Pokémon is in the top left of the grid, it’s closer to you and, consequently, those that are on the bottom right of the “nearby” window are more distant. This is true even if all Pokémon in the list have three footsteps.
You can select a specific Pokémon to track by tapping on it in the list. But remember to keep the list open, because if you return to the map view there is no way to tell in which direction to proceed in order to find it. Fortunately, as explained above, the position of the Pokémon in the grid is an indication of its proximity. We’ll use this characteristic of the game to find in which direction to go. First, observe the current position of the selected Pokémon in the grid and then choose a direction and go for it. If you see it moving towards the bottom right positions, then you are going in the wrong direction. Stop, turn around, and choose another way. Repeat the process. Admittedly, this is a trial and error technique, but when you see the selected Pokémon moving to the upper right positions in the list, you can be sure that you are on the right track to approach and encounter it.
One last point about the “nearby” window list: it pulses when new Pokémon are added to it. The pulse doesn’t mean that you are near the specific Pokémon you have selected. Transitioning to the map screen, you will notice that your avatar has a small pulsing ring. It’s the personal radar, and it determines whether you are close enough to a PokéStop or Gym in order to use them. It also reveals Pokémon that are very near to you (no footprint signal Pokémon) for you to try to capture them.
You can use incenses and Lore Modules. These attract new Pokémon to you every five minutes, during half an hour. Take notice that placing incense on, hoping that it will attract a specific Pokémon that is far-away on the “nearby” list (with a three footstep signal, for example), is a hopeless endeavor. They can attract high-level, rare Pokémon but it’s not directly connected to the “Nearby” system.
Nests has been confirmed. This is when certain Pokémon routinely appear in the same spot after a certain amount of time. So, if you want various copies of a specific Pokémon, this is a technique to use, when you are in the hunt.
To track rare Pokémon you’ll have to go to specific places, at specific times. Search for places that reflect the element of a specific type of Pokémon you want to find (e.g. if you want a water-type Pokémon, go to bodies of water), and enjoy exploring these places at different times of the day to see what you can find there. Naturally, rarer Pokémon will have higher CP, and also be more difficult to catch. Also, be aware that random Pokémon spawn on rustling leaves represented in the map screen. Move there to have a chance of seeing a creature appear that wasn’t in your “nearby” list. Now that you have the basics to track Pokémon, when you finally have a sight of one that you have been craving for, all that’s left is to capture it.
Sources
- Caldwell, Serenity (2016). How to Track and Find Nearby Pokémon in Pokémon Go. Retrieved from www.imore.com/how-track-and-find-nearby-pokemon-in-pokemon-go
- How to Track Pokémon. Retrieved from pokemongo.gamepress.gg/how-to-track-pokemon
- Tassi, Paul (2016). I Have Finally Figured Out “Nearby” Tracking in ‘Pokémon Go’. Retrieved from www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2016/07/11/i-have-finally-figured-out-nearby-tracking-in-pokemon-go/#569fa7814a85
- Caldwell, Serenity (2016). Pokémon Go: 20 Tips, Tricks, and Cheats to Be the Best Trainer in the World. Retrieved from www.imore.com/Pokemon-go-tips-tricks-cheats
