In our never-ending quest to ‘Catch ‘Em All’ we often overlook our most important tool: the Pokeball. These incredible little spheres are considered the peak of technology in the Pokemon universe. They have the almost magical ability to contain a Pokemon of any size or strength in the small space inside them, and then allow you to release them at will. Though this overlooking may not be the case in Pokemon Go. With all the Pokemon you meet you’ll be running out of Pokeballs regularly, so it's essential to know how to stock back up.
Ways to get Pokeballs
Renewable Sources
The main way to obtain more Pokeballs in Pokemon Go is in its Pokestops and Gyms. Each of these structures is attached to a real-world location and has a spinning Photo Disc which, when spun by the player, will dispense random items like a strange spinning each machine. Of the random items you can receive are the three main Pokeballs: Pokeballs, Great Balls, and Ultra Balls.
After being used, the Pokestop or Gym cannot be spun for rewards again for five minutes. After these five minutes are up, the Pokestop or Gym can be spun for rewards again.
Pokeballs from Rewards and the Shop
Pokeballs can also be obtained from achieving milestones. Leveling up, completing Research Tasks, and opening gifts can all reward the player with different Pokeballs. These can be large rewards but are very infrequent so your best source is still from Pokestops and Gyms.
If you still find yourself lacking Pokeballs even from spinning Photo Discs, there is one last way to get Pokeballs. The Shop menu allows you to buy items, including Pokeballs, in large quantities. Though this method only allows you to buy normal Pokeballs and not Great or Ultra Balls, it's still a quick way to refill on Pokeballs.
Adventure Sync Rewards
If you have your Pokemon Go app connected to your device’s health app, you can access a feature called Adventure Sync. This feature allows you to walk with Pokemon Go closed but still have it track the distance you walked. But this feature isn’t just for your eggs and buddies, having it active unlocks rewards for distance. Walking a certain distance in a week will reward the player with pokeballs as well as other items and Stardust. The rewards are as follows:
- Walk 5km (3.1 miles) - 20 Poke Balls
- Walk 25km (15.5 miles) - 20 Poke Balls, 10 Great Balls, 500 Stardust, and the chance at 1 Rare Candy or 5km Egg
- Walk 50km (31 miles) - 20 Poke Balls, 10 Great Balls, 1000 Stardust, and the chance at 3 Rare Candy, 5km Egg or 10km Egg
- Walk 100km (62.1 miles) - 20 Poke Balls, 10 Great Balls, and 16000 Stardust
Different Types of Pokeballs
There are five different types of Pokeballs in Pokemon go which all have different catch rates and rarities and some are exclusive to certain events.
Standard Pokeballs
Pokeball - The most basic of Pokeballs, easy to find and easy to use but not very effective when used on powerful Pokemon.
Great Ball - A bright blue upgrade to the normal Pokeball. This better ball increases the chance to capture a Pokemon by 50% when compared to the normal Pokeball. Though these Pokeballs are rarer and are only unlocked after the player reaches level 12.
Ultra Ball - The best ball in the game, being 100% more effective than the standard Pokeball. These balls are even rarer than Great Balls but are worth stockpiling for the rare powerful Pokemon that show up from time to time. These Pokeballs are only unlocked after the player reaches level 20
Event and Unimplemented Pokeballs
Premier Ball - This white Pokeball is only given to the player during special events. During Raids and when capturing Shadow Pokemon, these Pokeballs are temporarily given to the player. They are the only Pokeballs that can be used on Raid Bosses and Shadow Pokemon and cannot be kept after the events are over, whether you caught the Pokemon or not. Despite their exclusive status, they are effectively just a normal Pokeball when it comes to their capture rate.
Master Ball - This is a legendary Pokeball from the mainline Pokemon games which will capture any Pokemon it is thrown at without fail. While its data is in the files of Pokemon Go, it isn’t yet obtainable and it's unclear if it ever will be. Due to its power, it may be decided that it is too powerful to be obtained in any number larger than one so it may be cut from the game before it makes its debut.
FAQs
What is the fastest way to get Pokeballs?
There are few ways to speed up the individual methods of getting Pokeballs so the best way to speed up Pokeball farming is to combine them. Visit Gyms every day and participate in them to get Pokecoins and XP while spinning Photo Discs. Complete research along the way and soon you’ll find that your resources of not just Pokeballs from stop and Gyms but also of Pokecoins to buy more balls will begin to rise.
How do I unlock new Pokeballs quickly?
Unlocking new Pokeballs is tied to leveling up, which means you have to farm XP as quickly as possible. This essentially means using as many Lucky Eggs as you can and catching Pokemon and spinning Photo Discs while the eggs are active. Also returning daily to complete research can reward large amounts of XP upon completion.
Conclusion
Pokeballs are the most essential item you can get in Pokemon Go and knowing how to get them will allow you to stockpile them more than a Swalot that’s actually using Stockpile. And knowing the different powers of your Pokeballs will allow you to use them more efficiently, saving the best balls for the best Pokemon.
