Transfer Your Duplicates

While it might not seem like it at first, having duplicate Pokemon can actually help you. Extra Pokemon of the same type can be traded to Professor Willow for candy, which can be used to evolve your Pokemon. To do this, tap a Pokemon that you want to get rid of in the Pokemon screen and hit 'Transfer' option at the bottom of the screen. Be wary; make sure you don't transfer the most powerful version (highest CP) of a given Pokemon type in your rush to get rid of your duplicates.

Evolving Pokemon

When a wild Pokemon is caught, it also adds two things to the inventory: Stardust and Candy. Candy is specific to the earliest evolution stage of a Pokemon species. For example, catching a Pidgey gives Pidgey Candy, and catching a Pidgeotto also gives Pidgey Candy. A Pokemon can also be "transferred" (i.e. sold forever) to Professor Willow for one candy.

Pokemon require an amount of their specific Candy type to evolve. The amount of Candy needed varies, but basically if you want to evolve a Pokemon, catch more of it to build up that Candy collection! Candy can also be used to strengthen a Pokemon by raising its Combat Power. This stat dictates how a Pokemon performs in battle. Evolution also raises the CP levels and CP cap of a Pokemon.

Turn off AR Mode for Easier Capture

While Pokemon Go's Augmented Reality mode is an attractive feature, it actually makes catching Pokemon more difficult. Turning off AR centers the Pokemon on screen, making it easier to judge the distance you need to throw your Poke Ball to catch it. AR mode can be disabled via the toggle on the top right of the battle screen.

Catching Pokemon

When engaging a Pokemon in battle, throwing the ball at the inner circle when it's at its smallest is the best way to go. The colour of the inner circle indicates how hard a Pokemon is to capture. Green is the easiest, orange is harder, and red is the hardest to catch. Razz Berries can be fed to the Pokemon to lower the difficulty for the next catch. If the Pokemon breaks free, you'll have to feed it another Razz Berry to lower it again.

Once a Poke Ball has been thrown, it cannot be picked up again. If a Poke Ball throw hits the inside of the color circle an experience bonus is granted, depending on the size of the circle. You receive 100 XP for Excellent throws (Small), 50 XP for Great (Half), and 10 XP for Nice (Full). You can also spin a Poke Ball around in circles quickly and toss it, which activates a curveball bonus if the throw lands.

Take the time to throw the ball properly; a Pokemon engaged in battle will not run away based on time. What triggers the run-away is the act of breaking out of a Poke Ball. Bringing up the item bag cannot interrupt runaways.

Items

The item bag has a limit, so be sure to keep an eye on the inventory before swiping on a PokeStop, lest you waste precious items. Always keep Poke Balls on you. If you're running out of space, try throwing out some potions or revives if you're not battling often. You can use Poke Coins to buy more bag space. Poke Coins can be purchased with real-world money, or earned through having a Pokemon defend a Gym

Need More Poke Balls?

If you ever find yourself low on Poke Balls, it's good to know that PokeStops refresh their stock every five minutes. This is a good way to farm Poke Balls if you find yourself stuck to one location or aren't willing to walk to other PokeStops

Tracking Nearby Pokemon

The graphic in the bottom right area of the screen indicates some of the types of Pokemon nearby, with the number of footsteps indicative of how far away they are from you. To track a Pokemon, tap the bar to bring up the full list, select a specific Pokemon to highlight it, and then start walking. The footsteps will either decrease, or increase until the Pokemon disappears completely. If the number of steps decreases, it means the Pokemon is getting closer. This method can be used to track a Pokemon until it appears.

If you walk in a direction and more steps appear, try turning around and walking in another direction until the Pokemon gets closer. When the Pokemon is down to zero steps, it means it's very close to you! Simply select it, and wait a few seconds for it to appear. You'll also notice pulses that emit as you explore the map. They indicate when major changes have occurred in the availability of the area's Pokemon.