Pokemon GO Battle Guide: Everything You Need to Know

Pokemon GO isn’t all about catching Pokemon and evolving them in order to complete your Pokedex, it’s also about battling them to help control the different Gyms in the area. However, if you’re about to jump into the combat side of Pokemon GO, you’re going to need to know a few things. Let us run you through them.

Unfortunately, Pokemon GO doesn’t allow you to make a team of your own. You can only join one of the three already set up- Instinct (yellow), Mystic (blue), and Valor (red).

Choose wisely, as you cannot change between teams once you’ve made your decision.

You can’t just battle anywhere in Pokemon GO. For now, you’re stuck to battling at Gyms which can be found at landmarks in your surrounding area.

Before you enter battle, you’re given the choice of taking six Pokemon with you. You’ll want to take your six Pokemon with the highest CP levels.

Battling works a little different in Pokemon GO from the classic titles in the series. Instead of choosing from one of four different moves, you’ll tap on your opponent to perform a standard attack. Continue to do this to whittle away at their health.

It’s a much simpler version of combat, but it’s still pretty fun all the same.

Just next to your Pokemon’s health bar you should see a little special bar that will fill glowing blue with each attack that you land on your opponent. Once filled, simply hold down on the screen to unleash your Pokemon’s special attack, dealing a much larger amount of damage on the enemy than your standard attacks. That should finish ’em off!

While it may be a more simplified version of the traditional Pokemon battle system, there is a little additional depth which comes from the challenge of dodging your opponent’s attacks as you’re trying to land your own.

When you see the opposing Pokemon about to lunge forward with their attack, simply swipe left or right. If you get it wrong, your Pokemon will sustain the normal amount of damage, but it’s all about timing.