Pokemon Go: On the Subject of Gyms

 

There is no tutorial in-game that actually explains much about joining any of the 3 teams much less what to do with a Gym when you are attempting to tackle it. While it takes some trial and error, it is not too hard to understand what you are doing with Gyms. They offer some great rewards and present the first instances of Trainer Battling available in Pokemon Go.

 

Accessing Gyms

 

 

Once you reach Trainer Level 5, you will be able to join a team by tapping on any Gym in the world. Once you have chosen a team then you will be able interact with a Gym. You will need to find them in the world by roaming around. They can be found digitally in anything from Nature Preserves to churches. They are very visible, being the highest structures in the Pokemon Go map. Move within range of one and lights will appear around the top of it and the Pokemon seen in the Gym. Simply tap the Gym icon to begin interacting with it.

 

Joining a Gym

 

 

If you are aligned with the team that presently controls the Gym you reach, then you can deposit a Pokemon into it. As long as that Pokemon remains in the gym you will get a Defender Bonus. If the Gym is taken over, then the Pokemon you deposited it immediately returned to your stock. This is done by tapping the icon in the lower left-hand corner of your screen when you are looking at the gym.

 

 

Strengthening a Gym

 

 

Each gym has an amount of Prestige. By training your Pokemon at an allied Gym, you will be able to increase the prestige. The more prestige a Gym has, the more Pokemon can be stored here to defend it. A new Pokemon can be added into the Gym, up to the maximum of 6, per 4000 Prestige Points the Gym has accumulated. It helps immensely for allied players to put a low CP pokemon in the first Gym Slot for easy grinding.

 

Defending a Gym

 

Every 21 hours that your Pokemon is active inside a Gym you will receive 10 [[Pokemon Go: Pokecoin|Pokecoins]] and 500 [[Pokemon Go: Stardust|Stardust]]. This is for each Gym that you have a Pokemon in. It is a great way to collect a lot of supplies.

 

Challenging a Gym

 

 

When you challenge a Gym, you can choose 6 Pokemon to contest the Gym with. Your victory will result in the loss of prestige for that Gym. When the Prestige is lowered to Zero, then you will have the chance to take over the Gym for your team and turn it into an Allied Gym. Be sure to inspect the gym by swiping through the Pokemon Roster for it before you challenge it to be sure your Poemon

While in battle, you cause your Pokemon to attack by tapping the screen. By Swiping left or right, you will have them dodge the incoming attack. Press and hold on the screen to trigger a special attack once any of the gauges under the Pokemon's name has filled up.

You challenge a Gym by tapping the boxing glove icon on the Gym screen's lower right-hand corner.

 

Known Glitches

 

1 HP Glitch - Caused by a server issue, the opposing Pokemon will not faint.