Maybe you're a Pokémon fan who wants to play the phenomenon that is Pokémon GO but don't really care about being forced to go outside. Maybe you're someone who wants to play Pokémon GO but is stuck having to work at home or don't have a lot of free time to venture out. Maybe you're in the middle of nowhere with no or very few Pokéstops nearby and certainly no Pokécrawls in the area. Maybe you're handicapped in a way where you can't leave your space. Maybe you're just contrarian. Or lazy. Or both!
Whatever the case, you want to participate in the Pokémon GO craze but you just don't have a lot of incentive or time to head outside. Well, you're in luck. While Pokémon GO does encourage players to take a brisk walk around the neighborhood in search of new Pokémon, Pokéstops for items, and Gyms for competition, you don't actually need to go anywhere. You're free to lay on your couch or wherever you have a strong GPS connection, and collect Pokémon without leaving the comforts of your home.
That said, playing Pokémon GO the lazy Snorlax way will cost you a pretty penny. Many items, particularly the stronger Pokéballs, can only be found at Pokéstops, and you will be losing out on some of the friendly competition and cooperation with other players (though that could be a plus for you). But many of the top players still spend quite a bit anyway, so you won't be the only one lightening their wallets purchasing Pokéballs and a variety of other items.
So here are five guidelines on how to play Pokémon GO without actually going anywhere. SNOR… LAAAAXXX!!!!
1. Purchase All of the Incense and Pokéballs
As I mentioned earlier, playing Pokémon GO without going anywhere is mainly a privilege. Apart from the starting Pokémon and a few Pokémon that might venture near your home, you won't find many Pokémon sitting in one place.
For that, you'll need to head into the in-game shop and exchange money for Pokécoins, which can then be spent on incense and Pokéballs. I recommend spending enough to acquire incense in packages of 25 and Pokéballs in packages of 200 for the best value.
As the item's description will tell you, incense will draw Pokémon toward your trainer, but that's actually not how it works. Pokémon nearby won't inch closer to your target or anything. Instead, the game will draw upon the table of likely Pokémon that will spawn near your location and then pick about five or six of them to spawn in your vicinity over the course of the next 30 minutes.
You'll know if the incense is working if a purple cloud begins to encircle your trainer on the field, and any Pokémon that are spawned due to the incense will also have purple cloud beneath them. (Quick note: All Pokémon spawned with incense are yours to catch. No one else can catch them.)
And of course you'll need all the Pokéballs to catch them all. Buying 200 Pokéballs at a time may sound like a lot, but you'll find yourself running through them quite quickly. And if you decide not to visit any Pokéstops, you won't be getting any Great Balls or Ultra Balls, so you'll only be getting through Pokéballs that much faster.
2. Save Pidgey, Weedle, and Caterpie Candies for Levelling
This applies to every player for Pokémon GO really, but even more so for players who what to play without going anywhere. Leveling will be tougher for you since you won't encounter too many new Pokémon if you don't venture out and you'll miss out on Pokéstops that get you 50XP for every hit. Incense only gives you Pokémon from a select group depending on your location's environment as well.
But usually, around any area will be Pidgeys, Weedles, and/or Caterpies as they are the most common drops. It only takes 12 candies to evolve these into the next evolution, giving you 500 XP each time you do so. If you have a Lucky Egg or purchase one from the shop, this will double it to 1000 XP. Thus, it's better for you save as many of these candies as possible before using a Lucky Egg and earning a large burst of XP.
By levelling up your account, you will generally have a much stronger likelihood of encountering new and stronger Pokémon. They will be much tougher to catch, though, so you may want to consider visiting at least one Pokéstop, if one isn't already available where your live or work (you lucky bastard). That said…
3. If You Do Go Outside, Find a Location With Multiple Pokéstops and Stay There!
If the game does finally convince you to head outside but you want to make the best use of your time, try to look on the map for a place that activates at least two Pokéstops within your trainer's circle. And well, just sit there. Every five minutes or so, you'll be able to spin the Pokéstop for extra items of all kinds, the best of which are eggs (more on that later).
I recommend bringing some water, maybe a lawn chair, a few battery chargers for your phone, maybe even a solar-powered generator. The rate at which you'll accumulate items from these two or more Pokestops will likely be equal to or better than all those people who are walking everywhere anyway.
Better yet, these locations with two or more Pokéstops will likely be a popular place with other Pokémon GO players. So in many cases, they might even drop lures that act as incense at Pokéstops that assists everyone in the area (in which case, you won't have to drop your own)
4. Save Pokéballs By Ignoring Mid-Tier Pokémon
If you choose not to go outside, though, you'll want to save every Pokéball you can. Your mantra should be “one ball, one catch.” As you level up, the Pokemon you'll find will also level up to the point that even Pidgeys and Weedles might give you trouble. At a certain point, you'll to consider whether catching a Pokémon is worth the cost in Pokéballs or not, since each Pokéball will cost money for you.
Any Pokémon with a low CP under 100 should be caught regardless, if just for the 100 Stardust and the candies they give. You'll also want to capture any Pokémon that has extremely high CP for its breed (how high the CP will go will depend on your trainer level), especially for basic Pokémon so that its CP will be multiplied when it evolves further.
So it's those mid-tier Pokémon that you'll need to think about catching. Anything that has a yellow or orange ring when you attempt to catch it may not be worth the Pokéballs, especially if you've already registered it and its entire evolution chain in the Pokédex. If it's matter of XP, you will want to ignore Pokémon that require 50 candies to evolve, because chances there will be that one Pokémon that appears over and over again (I'm talking about you, Zubat, I hate everything about you).
5. Trick the GPS System Into Thinking That You're Walking
Hatching eggs is one of the best methods to collect stardust and of course rare Pokémon. But in order to so, you'll need to find a Pokéstop to get them first off and you'll need to walk a certain distance (2km, 5km, or 10km) for the egg to hatch. Well, that's annoying if you don't want to go anywhere, right?
Well, you can trick the GPS system into thinking that you're walking in multiple ways. One method is finding a spot in your house where the GPS system can barely track your signal. If you're lucky, this can lead the game to think that you're not in a single location. Luckily for me, my bed is one such spot, and I've had my trainer walking around the area despite me being curled up in a blanket the entire time.
Another method is finding something that automatically moves like a spinning plate or a Roomba (not a microwave, please), and place your phone on it. Maybe have your house dog wear a pack that has your phone inside. Hey, don't underestimates the lengths some players will go to be lazy. It takes hard work, darnit!
You can also look into other methods like jailbreaks where you can walk around without having to move at all. Of course, beware of being caught and bricking your phone. [Thanks to Hawon Nguyen for the tip!]
