How Do You Become A Gym Leader In Pokémon GO?
It's not... easy.
By John Lim — 07 Aug 2016, 11:10 PM
Pokémon GO is FINALLY here! Although the augmented reality game has only been out for a few days, Malaysians are already doing what they can to be the very best.
Aside from Malaysia, the game is also now available in Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Taiwan, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Federated States of Micronesia and Pala
In the game, trainers who've reached Level 5 will have the opportunity to challenge rival Gyms or train at one of your team's Gyms
Gyms are in-game locations that are typically tied to major real-world areas where you can battle other trainers. If a Gym is held by your faction, you can select a single Pokémon and train with other members of your team, raising the amount of prestige points associated with the Gym.
The higher the Prestige, the more Pokémons can be stationed at the gym, which in turn grants higher daily bonuses of stardust and Pokécoins that can be earned.
Gyms held by a rival faction, however, need to be battled for. If you and your fellow members defeat the Pokémon stationed there, you can lower the Gym’s Prestige and eventually return it to a neutral level and it can be claimed.
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Based on the Gym’s Prestige level, a number of trainers can assign their Pokémon to protect the Gym
One of those trainers is the Gym Leader a.k.a the 'Boss'. The Gym Leader's level is marked by a crown and has the highest level Combat Power (CP) Pokémon at the Gym.
So, how do you become a Gym leader? Can you only do it with strong Pokémons?
As mentioned above, to overtake a Gym, you would first need to deplete its Prestige level. The next step would be to find a Gym that's appropriate for your collection of Pokémons. It wouldn't make sense for you to bring a 110 CP Golbat to a battle with 689 CP Vaporeon, right? That would be... suicide. It's best that you scout around and find one that you could feasibly defeat.
Another thing to take note is the gym's level. Levels simply indicate the number of Pokémons you need to defeat in one particular Gym. For example. if a Gym is level 1, you would only have to defeat one Pokémon and potentially take over the Gym.
But if you think your Pokémons are not up to par yet, head to the nearest friendly gym to practice!
Train up your Pokémon first by going to a gym that your team already owns and competing in friendly battles. You’ll learn the ins and outs of battling and get something from it (XP for leveling up). Awesome!
As a bonus, your team gets Prestige points from your battle, which is how Gyms become stronger!
After defeating the number of trainers in a rival Gym, your victory will help whittle down the Gym's Prestige points. You can only win over a Gym when enough victories have been claimed to get the rival team's Prestige down to zero.
Once that team is kicked out, the Gym turns grey and you'll be able to claim the Gym as your own. Congratulations! If you claim it first, you get to be the Gym Leader. You will maintain your new Gym Leader status as long as your Pokemon has the highest CP in the Gym.
How does battling work in Pokémon GO?
The essence of Pokémon battles is to make the opponent faint, by attacking it until its health reaches zero.
Unlike previous Pokémon games, Pokémon GO it's more of a free-for-all - with the ability to dodge attacks by swiping on the screen to attack and dodge. Battles are one-on-one only and you can only heal damage after the fighting is over.
And there you have it, a crash course on the basics of overtaking a rival gym! Have fun, stay safe and strive to be the very best, guys! :D
