Tips to Safely Get Pokecoins on PokemonGo

Maybe the novelty has worn off since it became the mobile game of the summer, or perhaps the cold weather is keeping aspiring trainers from being the very best, but PokemonGO has been a little quieter these days. Even with a Halloween update bringing some players back into the fold, only the most devout players remain catching and battling Pokemon on a regular basis. Still, even with a diminished population of active gamers, there is a need to remain safe while playing the game, particularly while attacking Gyms.

As the number of new monsters to catch decreases, and the level of your current Pokemon increases, the one thing left that can sustain and engage the dedicated trainer are Gyms; geographic locations that members of Team Mystic, Valor, and Instinct can battle over to control. Aside from local bragging rights, these Gyms provide Pokecoins, an in-game currency that can be redeemed in the app’s built-in shop for rewards like PokeStop Lures, Incense, PokeBalls, Egg Incubators, and extra space for Pokemon and items. To get these coins, you must either battle the occupying team until no Pokemon remain, or find space in a friendly gym, before placing one of your monsters in the gym and claiming your coins. The more Gyms you hold at one time before cashing in, the more coins you’ll have. Then, it’s just a short 21-hour wait before you can repeat the process and get those sought-after coins.

Read More: Olympians Couldn’t Play PokémonGO and They Were Pretty Upset

Still, whether you’re a trainer yourself, or the parent of one, these in-game locations may not be safe to congregate at. Some may be in less-than-ideal locations in your neighborhood that aren’t 100% safe, while others may be too remote and away from houses and communities in case the unimaginable occurs. No matter the reason, it pays to follow a few simple tips while battling Gyms to make sure each gaming session is as fun as it is safe.

Battle With Friends
With some gyms hosting Pokemon with particularly high combat points, attacking gyms with friends on your team is not only effective in staying safe while strolling around the neighborhood, but can make the process of taking a high level gym far quicker and entertaining than it would be flying solo. Moreover, going with a friend ensures that you get wherever you need to go, and that nothing happens to you or your buddy while you’re gaming

Don’t Battle Gyms Far Away from Others
While most Gyms are located in places frequented by pedestrian traffic, like monuments, churches, or historic landmarks, others may be off the beaten path that see far fewer visitors. It may be tempting to go after these gyms since there is less of a chance that competing teams will battle you for control of the gym, but their remote locations can also be potentially dangerous — whether someone decides to mug you at this gym, or if you fall and sprain an ankle, help won’t arrive quickly, To lower the odds something awful like that happens, leave those backwater gyms for other trainers to claim.

Visit Gyms During the Day
Following similar logic to the previous tips, you’ll want to be playing while there are many people around and about. As the days become shorter and the temperature drops, this means you should be playing between dawn and dusk, both because autumn and winter aren’t as conducive to an outdoor video game like PokemonGO, and because common sense would conclude that you’re less likely to deal with vengeful players, thieves, or other delinquents in broad daylight.

Maintain Situational Awareness
This one should be an obvious recommendation (the loading screen for the game even says this for legal reasons), but considering that people have died playing PokemonGO because they were distracted and unaware of surrounding hazards, it deserves repeating here. If you’re going to spend 30 minutes battling Pokemon, do so somewhere that has clear lines of sight of your surroundings, is outside of roadways, and, when possible, where you can have your back against a building or wall. Not only does this give you a good view of the pedestrian and vehicular traffic around you, it gives you protection from potential muggers coming at you outside of your field of vision. 

While we hope that you never have to put these tips to the test in real life, these tips are intended to give players of all ages a sense of security while gaming by lowering the odds of something bad happening to you. To this end, strive to be the very best, but keep in mind that your safety matters more than becoming a Pokemon master.