How do PokéStops work in Pokémon GO? What bonuses and items do they offer? How do you catch more rare Pokémon with lock modules and smoke? We answer all these questions in this guide. So you become the top trainer, attracting dozens of strong monsters and collecting countless rewards in the mobile game.
While many of the gameplay mechanics in Pokémon GO are self-explanatory, there are some strange design decisions here and there that deserve a developer’s explanation in the mobile game. First and foremost are the hugely important PokéStops, where you get free Pokéballs, eggs and other items.
Find and recognize PokéStops
Normal PokéStops are displayed on the map of Pokémon GO with blue dice. Once you approach a stop, the cube turns into a blue poke ball, tapping it with your finger to interact with the way-point.
Collect many useful items
You’re probably going to be fumbling around on the PokéStop to get the free goodies. The app also points you to a “free module slot,” which complicates the whole thing even more. But do not worry, we’ll help you with the problem.
You do not need a module to use a PokéStop. All you have to do is turn the circle in the middle with your finger to get Pokéballs and the valuable bonuses and items in Pokémon GO (the same applies to the photo discs in arenas, by the way ). If you’ve done everything right, the PokéStop on the map will be colored purple. It takes five minutes for you to revisit a used PokéStop. Then the waypoint turns blue again and you can dust off items there again.
Among the help items are usually many useful items. Also development items for special evolutions in Pokémon GO you can find there.
So you use lock modules and smoke
Lock modules are closely related to PokéStops. You get them as a reward for level upgrades or in the shop for 100 poké coins. To use such an item, go to a PokéStop of your choice, tap the photo disc and the empty module slot to complete the process.
Now the Lock module is active for thirty minutes and attracts additional Pokémon in the area for all players who are there. An activated PokéStop you recognize on the map by pink, flying flowers. We’ll show you helpful companion apps for Pokémon GO that help you pinpoint PokéStops even faster, where dozens of rare monsters show up.
The item smoke works much like lock modules, but you can use it anywhere on the kart. No matter where you are, if your smoke sets in, you will see many more rare Pokémon appearing in this location for 30 minutes.
Tips for using lock modules
To take full advantage of the rare lock modules, we recommend that you take advantage of the full 30-minute period and hunt until the module is exhausted. Bring some friends with you, so you too can benefit from the item. Since you will meet many Pokémon, you should also have enough balls to catch.
In the course of some events, the effect of lock modules lasts longer than usual.
Special lock modules and PokéStops
In the shop of Pokémon GO you can also buy special lock modules for every 200 poké coins. These include the magnetic lock module, the glacier lock module and the moss lock module. These basically work like normal lock modules with some additional effects. So they attract mostly Pokémon of a certain element and help creatures like Evoli in the development.
Some PokéStops in Pokémon GO also differ from the above blue way-points. These PokéStops are black and maybe you’ve already met one in your city.
At these black PokéStops, a Team GO Rocket member always blocks your way and challenges you to fight if you want to rotate the photo disc. The rogues use Crypto-Pokémon, of which you can catch one after the successful fight. But then you have to redeem the monster to reach its full potential.
Recovered Crypto-Pokémon are usually very strong, as you can see in the evaluation of Team Leaders in Pokémon GO. However, you have to be careful because fighting Team GO Rocket is not as easy as battling the team leaders.
Bring your own PokéStop into play
If you have reached level 40 in Pokémon GO, you can also make proposals for new PokéStops to Niantic. So you can get additional waypoints for more items and rewards in your city.
If you like Pokémon GO, it’s worth taking a look at the free Pokémon Masters mobile game.