Gym (GO)
A Gym (Japanese: ジム Gym) is a type of location in Pokémon GO.
In the Map View, Gyms are marked as color-coded towers with the Gym symbol above them. If the Gym belongs to a team, the top of the tower will swap between the Gym symbol and the Gym's strongest Pokémon.
Placement
Gyms are fixed locations in the real world that players must physically visit to battle. Gyms are generally in public locations, including (but not limited to) public artwork/murals, libraries, famous landmarks, churches, police stations, fire stations, and public parks. While players must be physically close to Gyms to battle them, they generally do not need to enter the building to be close enough (if the Gym is a building).
Gyms are based on a selection of portals from the Niantic game Ingress. Until 2015, Ingress players could submit proposals for portals which subsequently had to be approved by Niantic. Gyms are less common than PokéStops, which were also created from Ingress portals.
If for some reason a physical location is unsuitable as a Gym, players may send a request to Niantic via the Pokémon GO website to remove it from the game. This could be due to safety concerns or if there is an error related to the Gym (the landmark no longer exists, never existed in the first place, or has been converted to a different use such as a private residence).
Inspecting a Gym
If a Gym tower is visible in the Map View, it can still be inspected even if it is outside of range.
If the player is not on a team and below level 5, they will be advised to return at level 5.
If the player is not on a team and above level 5, they will be given the option to select a team. Once the player selects a team, it cannot be changed. This is the only way to select a team.
If the player is on a team, they can view the Gym screen. The Gym screen shows each defender one at a time, with the inspecting player able to swipe through them; for each of the defending Pokémon, its name (or nickname if owned by the player), its appearance, its CP, and its Trainer (avatar, level, and username) will be displayed. Additionally, the Gym's level, Prestige, and name are displayed, as well as a photo of the real world location.
Control
If a Gym tower is white, that Gym is currently not controlled by any team. If in range of the Gym, a player on a team can claim it for their team by placing one of their own Pokémon in it.
If a Gym tower is red, yellow, or blue, that Gym is currently controlled by the team of that color. Trainers on the same team can use their team's Gyms to train. Trainers on opposing teams will be prompted to challenge the Gym to lower its Prestige. In the Map View, the defending Pokémon in the Gym with the highest CP will appear on top of the tower marking the Gym, and it is marked with a crown when inspecting the Gym.
If a tower in the Map View has explosions and battle signs, it means that the Gym is currently being challenged.
Defenders
A Gym can house multiple defenders, the maximum number of defenders being equal to its level. If in range of the Gym and there is room for another defender, a player on the same team as the Gym can add one of their Pokémon to the Gym. Each player can only add one of their Pokémon to each Gym.
Only Pokémon with full HP can be deposited in a Gym as a defender. A Pokémon placed in a Gym cannot be removed until it is removed due to the Gym's Prestige falling too low, at which point the Pokémon will return to its owner's collection, but with only 1 HP. While in a Gym, Pokémon cannot be evolved or Powered Up.
Prestige
|
This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. Reason: Prestige lost/awarded for each action |
Any Gym that is controlled by a team has a level, which is determined by its Prestige. The Gym's level determines the number of defending Pokémon that can be placed in it. If a Gym's level falls below the number of defending Pokémon, the Pokémon with the lowest CP is ejected from the Gym and returned to its owner. If a Gym's level is higher than the number of Pokémon currently stationed there, a Trainer on the same team as the Gym can add an additional Pokémon.
Gyms begin as neutral with 0 Prestige and available to be claimed by any team. Stationing a Pokémon in a neutral Gym will claim that Gym for your team. When a Gym is claimed for a team it will transform and display the colors of the team currently holding it. Stationing a Pokémon in a Gym increases the Gym's Prestige by 2000, so a newly claimed Gym will increase to level 2, allowing a second Pokémon to be stationed there.
Players from the same team can train at a Gym to increase its Prestige. The Gym gains Prestige for every Pokémon a player training at the Gym defeats.
Players from an opposing team can challenge the Gym to decrease its Prestige. The Gym loses Prestige for every Pokémon a challenger defeats, with a bonus Prestige loss if the challenger defeats all of the Gym's defending Pokémon. A Gym loses approximately 1 level for every victory against all of its defenders, so it may take multiple victories in order to claim a Gym if it has a high level.
Once a Gym's Prestige reaches 0, it becomes neutral and not controlled by any team, available to be claimed by any team.
The maximum prestige a gym could get is 52,000, but you can still train their without adding prestiges, the maximum prestige could get by training is 50,000.
Levels
The higher the level of the Gym, the more Prestige is required to level it up again.
| Gym Level | Minimum Prestige required |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0 |
| 2 | 2000 |
| 3 | 4000 |
| 4 | 8000 |
| 5 | 12000 |
| 6 | 16000 |
| 7 | 20000 |
| 8 | 30000 |
| 9 | 40000 |
| 10 | 50000 |
Gym Battles
In Pokémon GO, battles can only be conducted at Gyms. Battles are not turn-based, and they are conducted between a player and a computer-controlled opponent. Battles are timed, limited to 100 seconds. Defending Pokémon are battled in sequence, from the lowest CP to the highest.
Players can train at friendly Gyms to increase the Gym's Prestige, or challenge opposing Gyms to decrease its Prestige. The mechanics of both kinds of battle are similar, with the player battling the Gym's Pokémon which are AI controlled. In both cases, defeating Pokémon at Gyms will yield a small reward of XP.
During battle, the player can forfeit or switch Pokémon by tapping the buttons at the bottom-right of the screen. Forfeiting counts as a loss, but the number of Pokémon defeated before forfeiting determines the change in the Gym's Prestige and the XP the player gains.
During Gym battles, Pokémon take damage, which lowers their HP and may cause them to faint if their HP reaches 0. Battle-damaged Pokémon can have their HP and consciousness restored with healing items, such as Revives and Potions.
Training
At a Gym of the same team, the player can train in order to gain experience and increase the Gym's Prestige.
During training, the training player selects a single Pokémon of their own to battle against the defending Pokémon. Each defending Pokémon defeated will award experience to the training player and Prestige for the Gym, even if not all of the Gym's defenders are defeated.
If the training player's Pokémon faints, it is returned to the player's collection at 1 HP (not fainted).
Challenging a Gym
At a Gym of an opposing team, the player can challenge it in order to lower the Gym's Prestige in an attempt to relinquish that team's control.
During a Gym challenge, the challenging player selects six of their Pokémon; the player can select them manually or use the Shuffle button.
If all of the challenging player's Pokémon faint, they lose the Gym battle. If all of the Gym's defending Pokémon faint, the challenger wins the Gym battle. Each defending Pokémon that is defeated will decrease the Gym's Prestige, with a bonus Prestige loss if the challenger defeats all of the Gym's defending Pokémon.
Players can work together to challenge a Gym, with the defending Pokémon's HP being shared between players. An icon with a number will appear on the left-hand side of the screen indicating the number of players currently fighting that Gym.
Battle mechanics
Battles are shown with the Gym's Pokémon at the middle of a circular arena with the attacking Pokémon at the circle's edge.
Each Pokémon has two stats which are relevant to Pokémon battles: its HP and its CP (Combat Power). A Pokémon's CP determines the amount of damage it deals, meaning that Pokémon with higher CP are more powerful. A Pokémon loses HP when it is hit by attacks, and faints when its HP is depleted.
Type effectiveness applies in Pokémon GO the same way it does in the core series games, with the same type chart as the Generation VI games. The same-type attack bonus is applied, giving a 25% boost to moves of the same type as the user.
Combat actions
During battle, a Pokémon can perform one of three basic actions.
- Dodge: swipe left or right on the screen.
- Fast Attack: tap the screen.
- Special Attack: long press the screen. This can only be used when the Special Attack meter is sufficiently charged to execute at least one special attack.
Each Pokémon has one Fast Attack and one Special Attack, being based on moves the Pokémon can learn in the core series games. Special Attacks are normally more powerful than Fast Attacks.
Dodging
When a Pokémon is about to use its Special Attack a message will appear above its head. This allows Special Attacks to be dodged, with the correct timing.
Fast Attacks
The challenging Pokémon's Fast Attack can be used at any time during a battle simply by tapping it. Using a Fast Attack charges the Special Attack meter.
Special Attacks
Using a Special Attack requires consuming one bar of the Special Attack meter. There is also a warm-up period between commanding the Special Attack and executing it, leaving the Pokémon open to enemy attacks.
The Special Attack meter is empty when the Pokémon is sent out (including after a switch or teammate fainting), and is filled by using Fast Attacks or taking damage from the opponent. The Special Attack meter is displayed below the HP bar.
The amount of the Special Attack meter that is consumed by an attack depends on the number of bar segments for that move (visible on the status screen). Special Attacks with more bar segments use less of the meter for a single use, so can be used more frequently than Special Attacks with fewer bar segments.
Typically, the power of a Special Attack is inversely related to the number of bars in its meter. For example, a weak Special Attack like Struggle with a power of 15 has 5 bars, whereas a strong Special Attack like Hyper Beam has a power of 120 and 1 bar. Consequently, weaker Special Attacks can typically be used more frequently than stronger ones.
Defender bonus
Every 21 hours, it is possible to claim the Defender bonus from the Shop menu using the Shield icon in the top right corner. Upon claiming it, the player receives 500 Stardust and 10 PokéCoins for every Gym held, up to a maximum of 10 Gyms. This is the only way to obtain PokéCoins without paying for them with real money.
Until the player claims their bonus, the timer will not reset. If the player's team loses control of the Gym within the 21 hour countdown, the timer will not reset. This gives the player the opportunity to take the Gym back in order to receive their bonus.
