Collecting items at PokéStops

Collecting items at PokéStops

Pokémon Go is based on another popular Niantic game called Ingress. Both titles encourage players to explore the world around them, rewarding them with virtual items when they reach real-life landmarks highlighted by the app. In Ingress, these points of interests are called portals; in Pokémon Go, they’re called Pokéstops. Niantic used a small subset of the location data from Ingress as the basis for Pokéstops in Pokémon Go.

Pokéstops are marked on the game’s map with a floating blue cube. Tapping them will show more details about the landmark, including a photo. Players can only collect items if they are close enough to the PokéStop (sometimes this means you can be across the street from it, sometimes this means you have to get right up to it). If the app deems you’re close enough, swipe the image of the landmark to spin it, and it’ll spit out three or more items. When you claim items from a PokéStop, the icon turns from blue to purple, but PokéStops refresh about every five minutes so you can return to collect more items.

For players who are just getting started, most of the items available at PokéStops are Pokéballs and the occasional egg. Eggs, when placed in an egg incubator, will hatch into Pokémon after players have traveled a certain distance. All players start with one egg incubator, and an additional one can be purchased with PokéCoins. 

Once players start leveling up, the items available to them at Pokéstops get more special:

• At level 5, players start collecting Potions, Revive, and Incense. Potions and Revive both aid injured Pokémon. Revive brings Pokémon that have fainted back to life, while Potions heal weak Pokémon by increasing their HP. Incense is used to lure wild Pokémon out.
• At level 8, players receive Razz Berries and a Lure Module. When Razz Berries are fed to wild Pokémon, they’re less likely to run away and escape Pokéballs. Lure Modules are like incense but more potent and can be attached to PokéStops for 30 minutes, making PokéStops good places to find Pokémon.
• At level 9, players start getting Lucky Eggs. Using a Lucky Egg doubles players’ experience points within a 30-minute window.
• At level 12, they’ll collect the more powerful Great Balls, which increase the likelihood of capturing a wild Pokémon.
• At level 20, they start getting the even more effective Ultra Balls.