Did you successfully complete your main reason for visiting RetailMeNot today? What is your main reason for visiting RetailMeNot today? Thanks for your feedback, we are always working to make RetailMeNot a better site to save you money.It's been a while since an app captured the world's imagination quite like Pokemon Go. The augmented reality game from developer Niantic (in collaboration with Nintendo) is so popular that it's on track to have more active users than Twitter after barely a week of activity. And it's already having a societal impact, with people being brought together by the act of trapping and battling pocket monsters. The most bizarre thing about the game, though, is how opaque it is. Pokemon Go has virtually nothing in the way of in-game help or instructions. You're dropped into the world of virtual monster hunting and asked to find your own way, and many people are missing out on stuff. In this article, we'll walk you through the Pokemon Go experience and tell you everything you need to know to play like a pro.

Pokemon Go is an "alternate reality game," which means that it uses the world we live in and adds a fantasy layer on top of that. That fantasy layer is, of course, the insanely popular Nintendo franchise that launched on the original Game Boy in 1996, and gave that primitive portable a second renaissance. In Pokemon Go, players travel the world capturing a variety of cute and charming monsters inside Pokeballs, raise their stats, and battle them against each other. And by "travel the world," we mean that quite literally. You need to move around to succeed in Pokemon Go, visiting locations to catch monsters, get items, and more. Where You Can PlayRight now, Niantic has only rolled the game out in the US, New Zealand, and Australia, but they are preparing to launch across Europe and Asia as well. There are cracked and sideloadable versions of the game available, but we seriously recommend waiting for the official builds—some of the graymarket versions have been found to be infected with malware.

Even if you live in those places, you're not guaranteed to be able to actually sign on and play. When a massively multiplayer game launches, it's common for server problems to plague the experience. That's because companies know that the initial wave of curious downloaders probably won't stick around, and they don't want to shell out a bunch of cash for machines that will go unused when the player base stabilizes. For Pokemon Go, that's led to some frustration. But the real answer to "where can you play?" is "everywhere." Pokemon and useful objects are found in real-world locations, and to get them you have to physically move your body (and your phone) to them. Different types of Pokemon are found in different locations, so if you want a well-balanced group you need to get out of your comfort zone. How To Get StartedDownload the app to your phone (iOS, Android) and launch it. You're given the option to sign up through Google, but the privacy-minded might want to skip that option.

Instead, create a Pokemon Trainer Club account. Once it connects (if it connects), you're given a few choices to customize the look of your Pokemon trainer. These are entirely cosmetic, so just find a style you like. After you've finalized your appearance, your avatar will be deposited on a map that should look pretty familiar.miquelrius backpack Get In The Game Now that you're all set up, it's time to start catching Pokemon. nsw eugene backpackThe game gives you a choice right at the beginning of the original starters from the first game—Squirtle, Bulbasaur, or Charmander. backpack slotted decoy bagThey're all good picks, so just go with the one you like best. samsonite laptop backpack tectonic large

If you're picky, though, walk away from the trio four times and Pikachu will appear. There are three main things to look for on your in-game map: The map also has a few icons that you need to know: All of these items are kept in your Bag, which starts with a capacity of 350. Buying Bag Upgrades allows you to add 50 slots at a time:sloatsburg pta backpack Capturing PokemonWhen you get the notification, pull your phone out (making sure you're out of traffic) and you'll see an "augmented reality" view of your area, using your phone camera for the background and overlaying a 3D modeled Pokemon on top. asus streamline backpack 16 incAt the bottom of the screen, you'll see a Pokeball. topo designs daypack ukFlick the Pokeball at the creature to catch it.

There's actually a lot more going on than that. You can catch low-level Pokemon by brute force, but for tougher ones you'll need to do a few more things. First, hold your finger down on the Pokeball and a contracting circle will appear on the critter. If it's green, you can probably catch it, but yellow and red means you're wasting your time. The size of the circle matters, too—you need to land the Pokeball inside it to succeed, but scoring a shot on a small circle does more "damage" and increases your capture chance. It can definitely take multiple Pokeballs to snag them. VIEW ALL PHOTOS IN GALLERY Using the Razz Berry items on more powerful Pokemon will lull them into complacency and make them easier to catch as well, so save those for the yellow and reds you encounter. Sometimes, surlier Pokemon will break out of the ball after you capture them—you'll need to throw another couple balls to close the deal. When you catch a Pokemon, you'll also be rewarded with Candy and Stardust.

BattlingWhen you're ready to test your Pokemon in battle (and are at least level five), head to a Gym. That's where you square off with other players, who stationed their monster there to defend the turf. The battle system in Pokemon Go seems simple at first glance, but there's actually a decent amount of strategy to be found. The first thing you need to understand is the Affinity system, the backbone of Pokemon play since the very first game. There are 18 different "types" of Pokemon, in categories ranging from the basic (Fire, Water, Electricity) to the bizarre (Steel, Ghost, Fairy). Attacks from certain types are more or less effective against other types. For example: Fire-type attacks do double damage against Grass-type Pokemon, but half damage against Rock-type Pokemon. Winning battles is hard if you're not taking those affinities to heart. In a traditional Pokemon game, you pick your attacks from a list of moves the creature has learned. That's out the window in Go—just tap to attack the enemy Pokemon and swipe to dodge.

There's actually a lot of timing involved, so don't just hammer at your screen. In addition, a "special bar" fills up with successful attacks, and you can use it to launch super effective moves. Doing so leaves you vulnerable to counterattacks, so try to use it to finish a fight if possible. Just beating the enemy trainer doesn't automatically transfer the Gym to your team, though—you might need to take down several to lower the "reputation level" enough. Here's a tip: bring a friend on the same team with you, and the two of you can attack the defending Pokemon at the same time for a much easier win. Once you've taken the gym, you need to leave one of your precious Pokemon there to defend it against the other teams. Make sure you've replenished its HP with Potions so it can weather the storm. You can also train your Pokemon at gyms your team controls to gain experience. Picking a TeamWhen you get to level five, you'll be prompted to make a choice. The game divides players into three teams: Red, Blue, and Yellow.

There are no inherent differences between the three, but you should take into account some factors before you decide. First and foremost, do you have nearby friends playing the game who have already chosen a team? Being able to coordinate with another local player to capture gyms gives you a tremendous strategic advantage. Capturing gyms and helping to hold them gives players rewards every 24 hours, so you're going to want to do as much of that as possible. In addition, check the captured gyms in your area. If they're dominated by one team, you're going to want to join that team. It's going to get tougher and tougher to flip gyms as power structures solidify, and you don't want to be the scrappy resistance going up against a well-funded army. Use your social media and sites like Reddit to coordinate with other team members in your area to increase your influence and get better rewards. Safety FirstThere have already been multiple reports of injuries obtained while playing Pokemon Go, from people falling in ditches to a gang of armed robbers jacking people while they're focused on their phones.

We know it's hard to look away from that screen, especially when there might be a Meowth nearby, but you won't be able to conquer many gyms from a hospital bed. Nintendo is selling a wearable gadget called the Pokemon Go Plus that takes some of the danger out of the enterprise. The $35 device connects to your phone via Bluetooth and vibrates when you near a Pokestop or Pokemon. By pressing the buttons on the Plus you can interact with those in-game objects without looking at your phone's screen. Upcoming FeaturesAs with many online games, what you're playing now isn't the "final version" by any means. Niantic has already announced that it will roll out an update that will allow trainers to trade with each other, which will add another layer to the game's strategy. The game's original trailer also featured players battling each other outside of Gyms, so we wouldn't be surprised if that was in the works as well. So that's everything you need to know about Pokemon Go. Now get out there at catch yourself a Mewtwo.