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Guide On How To Add A Pokemon To A Gym Effectively
Adding a Pokemon to a gym in Pokemon Go lets you help your team hold that spot. It also gives you rewards like PokeCoins. You can place pokemon in gym slots that are empty. This lets your Pokemon work to defend gym pokemon go. You can add a Pokemon if your team controls the gym and there is an empty gym slot. You can also add one if you just beat a rival team’s gym, making it empty so you are claiming a gym.
Finding Gyms on the Map
First, you need to find a gym. Gyms look like tall towers on your map in the game. They are often at important places like parks, statues, libraries, or post offices.
Look at your map. Walk around. You will see PokeStops (small blue squares that turn into circles) and gyms (taller towers).
Gyms have different colors.
* Blue means your team controls the gym (Valor, Mystic, or Instinct).
* Red, Yellow, or Blue (a different color than yours) means another team controls it.
* Grey means no team controls it. It’s empty.
Adding Your Pokemon to a Gym
Putting your Pokemon in a gym is how you help your team. It’s also how you get money in the game.
Seeing How Many Spots Are Open
Before you add a Pokemon, you need to see the gym. Tap on the gym on your map. This opens the gym screen.
Look at the top of the screen. You will see spots for Pokemon. These are the gym slots available.
* A gym can hold up to six Pokemon.
* If you see six Pokemon pictures there, the gym is full. You cannot add your Pokemon right now.
* If you see less than six Pokemon, there are empty gym slots. You can add your Pokemon if your team is in charge.
Adding to a Gym Your Team Controls
If the gym is blue (your team’s color) and has an empty gym slot, you can add a Pokemon.
1. Tap the gym on the map.
2. Look for a spot with a plus (+) sign. This shows an empty gym slot.
3. Tap the spot with the plus sign.
4. The game will show you your Pokemon list.
5. Choose the Pokemon you want to place pokemon in gym. The game will suggest some, but you can scroll through your list.
6. The Pokemon you choose will then appear in one of the empty spots in the gym. You are now adding defender to gym.
7. That Pokemon is now defending the gym for your team.
You can only have one Pokemon in any single gym at a time. But you can have Pokemon in many different gyms.
Adding to an Empty Gym
Sometimes you will see a grey gym. This means no team controls it. It’s an empty gym slot waiting for someone to claim a gym.
If you see a grey gym:
1. Tap the grey gym on the map.
2. The gym screen opens. It will be empty inside.
3. There will be a button or a large empty spot with a plus (+) sign.
4. Tap the plus sign.
5. Choose a Pokemon from your list.
6. That Pokemon will be put into the gym. You are now claiming a gym for your team and adding defender to gym. The gym will turn your team’s color.
You are the first defender. This is an easy way to get your Pokemon into a gym.
Adding to a Gym Another Team Controls
If the gym is red, yellow, or blue (but not your team’s blue), you cannot just add a Pokemon. You must take over a gym first.
To take over a gym:
1. Tap the gym controlled by the other team.
2. You will see the Pokemon defending it.
3. Tap the battle button (it looks like boxing gloves).
4. You will choose up to six of your Pokemon to fight the defenders.
5. Beat all the defending Pokemon. You might need to fight them more than once. Each time you beat a Pokemon, its motivation goes down. When motivation is gone, the Pokemon leaves the gym.
6. Once all six defender Pokemon are gone, the gym turns grey. It becomes an empty gym slot.
7. Now it’s like finding a grey gym. Tap the grey gym.
8. Tap the plus (+) sign.
9. Choose your Pokemon.
10. You are now claiming a gym for your team by adding defender to gym. The gym will turn your team’s color.
This way is harder because you have to battle first. But it’s how you get gyms in areas controlled by rivals.
Why Add a Pokemon to a Gym?
Putting your Pokemon in a gym is important in Pokemon Go. It gives you good rewards. This is part of the pokemon go gym guide.
Getting PokeCoins
This is the main reason many players add Pokemon to gyms.
* When your Pokemon defends a gym, you earn PokeCoins.
* You earn 1 PokeCoin for every 10 minutes your Pokemon is in the gym.
* The coins are given to you only when your Pokemon is defeated and returns to you.
* There is a limit. You can only get a maximum of 50 PokeCoins per day, no matter how many Pokemon are in gyms or how long they stay.
* If your Pokemon stays in a gym for many days, it still only gives you coins up to the 50-coin daily limit when it comes back. If it was there for 24 hours or more, it will give you the full 50 coins if you haven’t already earned 50 coins from other Pokemon that day.
This gym defender bonus is the only way to get PokeCoins for free in the game, other than special events.
Getting Stardust and XP
Every time you feed a berry to a Pokemon defending a gym (your own or a teammate’s), you get rewards.
* You get 20 Stardust for each berry fed.
* You get 10 XP for each berry fed.
* You also have a small chance of getting a Candy for the Pokemon you fed.
Feeding berries helps the Pokemon stay in the gym longer by restoring its motivation. It also gives you useful items.
Building Gym Badges
Every gym gives you a gym badge the first time you interact with it.
* Doing things at a gym (battling, defending, feeding berries) earns you points for that specific gym’s badge.
* As you earn points, the badge levels up: Bronze, Silver, Gold.
* Higher-level gym badges give you better item bonuses when you spin the PokeStop part of that gym. This is another type of gym defender bonus, though it applies even if you just battle or feed. Defending (time in gym) is a good way to get points.
Helping Your Team
Holding gyms for your team is important. It shows your team’s strength in an area. It also provides places for teammates to add their Pokemon for coins. Working together to defend gym pokemon go makes your team stronger in your local area.
Choosing the Right Pokemon to Defend
Picking the right Pokemon to place pokemon in gym makes a difference in how long they stay. You want Pokemon that can last a while and be hard for attackers to beat.
It’s not just about having the highest CP. When a Pokemon is in a gym, its motivation goes down over time and when it loses battles. Lower motivation means lower CP, making it weaker. Some high-CP Pokemon lose motivation faster. This is gym motivation decay.
Look for Pokemon that are good defenders.
* High HP (Hit Points): Pokemon with a lot of health last longer in battles before fainting.
* High Defense: Pokemon with high defense stats take less damage from attacks.
* Good Typing: Pick a Pokemon whose type is not easily beaten by common attackers. For example, Blissey and Chansey are Normal-type, only weak to Fighting-type moves. Dragonite is strong but weak to Ice, Rock, Dragon, and Fairy, making it easier to counter.
* Good Moves: Some Pokemon have defensive moves or charge moves that are hard to dodge or hit hard.
Here are some examples of Pokemon often used for defending gyms because they are bulky or annoying to fight:
* Blissey
* Chansey
* Snorlax
* Togekiss
* Metagross
* Milotic
* Gyarados
* Slaking (watch out for its slow move)
* Good bulky water types like Vaporeon, Lapras
Avoid Pokemon that are easy to beat or have low defense/HP, even if their attack is high. Attack-focused Pokemon are better for battling gyms, not defending them.
Also, think about team makeup. If a gym already has a Blissey and a Snorlax, maybe add something different like a Togekiss (Fairy/Flying) to make the gym harder to beat with just one type of attacker. Variety makes defend gym pokemon go stronger.
Grasping How Motivation Works
When your Pokemon is in a gym, it has a heart meter. This is its motivation.
* Motivation goes down over time. This is gym motivation decay. It loses about 1% of its motivation per minute, or 10% every 10 minutes. That means after about 8 hours, its motivation is very low, and its CP is much lower.
* Motivation also goes down when the Pokemon loses a battle against an attacker.
* When motivation goes down, the Pokemon’s effective CP in battle goes down. A Pokemon with low motivation is much easier to defeat than one with full motivation.
* When a Pokemon’s motivation reaches zero, it is knocked out of the gym the next time it is battled and defeated.
Feeding Berries to Boost Motivation
You can help your Pokemon and your teammates’ Pokemon stay in the gym longer by feeding them berries.
1. Tap on the gym on the map.
2. Tap on the Pokemon you want to feed.
3. Tap on the berry icon at the bottom right.
4. Choose a berry from your bag. Pinap, Razz, Nanab, and Golden Razz berries all restore motivation.
5. Golden Razz berries restore motivation fully. Other berries restore a smaller amount.
6. Tap the berry to feed it.
7. You can feed up to 10 berries to a single Pokemon in a 30-minute window.
8. You can feed a total of 10 different Pokemon in gyms within a 30-minute window.
Feeding berries is important for defend gym pokemon go. It keeps the Pokemon strong and makes the gym harder for others to take over a gym. Remember you also get Stardust and XP for feeding!
Making Your Pokemon Last Longer
Adding a Pokemon is the first step. Keeping it there is the next part. Here are tips for adding defender to gym effectively and helping them last.
Choose Your Gym Spot Wisely
Not all gyms are fought over equally.
* Gyms in busy city centers or popular parks change hands often. Your Pokemon might not stay there long.
* Gyms in quieter areas, like in residential neighborhoods or small local spots, might be easier to hold for longer periods. Look for these spots if your main goal is getting the 50 PokeCoins each day.
Coordinate with Teammates
Talk to other players on your team in your area.
* You can work together to fill up a gym quickly after someone claims it. Filling all six gym slots available makes the gym much stronger.
* Try to add different types of Pokemon to the gym so it doesn’t have a single weakness.
* You can remind each other to feed berries to keep the Pokemon’s motivation up. This is part of a team pokemon go gym guide.
Timing Your Placement
When you add a Pokemon can matter.
* Adding a Pokemon right after someone else from your team has added one fills the gym faster.
* Adding a Pokemon to a newly grey gym after taking over a gym makes sure your team claims it before another team can.
* Adding Pokemon late at night in quiet areas can sometimes mean they stay in the gym undisturbed overnight.
Use Less Common Defenders
While Blissey and Snorlax are great, using less common but still bulky Pokemon can sometimes surprise attackers. Examples might include certain forms of Giratina, Cresselia, or specific regional Pokemon if they are available and have good defense/HP. This adds variety and might make attackers switch their battle plan. This helps defend gym pokemon go in unexpected ways.
Rewards for Defending
Let’s look closer at the rewards you get. This is your gym defender bonus.
PokeCoins
| Time in Gym (Approx) | Coins Earned (When Returned) | Daily Limit |
|---|---|---|
| 10 minutes | 1 | 50 |
| 1 hour | 6 | 50 |
| 8 hours 20 minutes | 50 | 50 |
| 24 hours | 50 | 50 |
| Multiple Days | 50 (Max per day returned) | 50 |
Remember, you only get the coins when your Pokemon is defeated and comes back to you. If you have multiple Pokemon return on the same day, the total coins from all of them cannot go over 50 for that day. Getting 50 coins per day is the maximum gym defender bonus from coins. To get this, your Pokemon needs to stay in a gym for at least 8 hours and 20 minutes and then be defeated.
Stardust and XP from Feeding
| Action | Reward | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Feed 1 Berry | 20 Stardust | To any defender in a gym |
| Feed 1 Berry | 10 Trainer XP | To any defender in a gym |
| Feed 1 Berry | Small chance | Pokemon Candy (of fed type) |
Feeding berries is a great way to earn extra Stardust, which is very useful for powering up your Pokemon. It also helps with defend gym pokemon go by keeping motivation high.
Gym Badge Points
Activities at a gym give points towards that specific gym’s badge.
* Putting a Pokemon in the gym: 100 points
* Feeding a berry: 10 points
* Winning a battle (per Pokemon defeated): Points based on CP difference
* Time defending: 1 point per minute
Earning gym badge levels gives you more items when you spin the gym’s PokeStop. Bronze gives a small bonus, Silver a better one, and Gold gives the biggest item bonus. This encourages you to interact with local gyms often.
More Details on Gym Management
Why Pokemon Come Back
Your Pokemon stays in the gym until its motivation drops to zero and it loses a battle. Or, another player from a rival team battles and defeats it multiple times until its motivation is gone. Once defeated when motivation is zero, the Pokemon faints and returns to your storage. It needs to be healed with Potions or Revives before you can use it in battle again.
This is important for getting coins. Your Pokemon must be defeated to bring coins back to you. Sometimes, players want their Pokemon to be defeated after enough time has passed to get the full 50 coins. This is part of defend gym pokemon go strategy.
Checking on Your Defenders
You can see which of your Pokemon are in gyms from your Pokemon storage.
* Open your Pokemon list.
* Pokemon in gyms will have a gym icon next to them.
* You can tap on the Pokemon. The screen will show you which gym it is in, its current motivation level, and how long it has been defending.
* From this screen, you can also feed berries remotely (if you are not too far away from the gym) or tap to go to the gym screen on the map.
Using this helps you manage your defenders and keep track of where your Pokemon are. It’s part of being a good adding defender to gym.
Common Issues and Tips
- Gym is full: If you tap on a gym and all six spots are taken by your team’s Pokemon, you cannot add yours. You have to find another gym with gym slots available.
- Gym is the wrong color: If the gym is not your team’s color, you must take over a gym by battling first before you can claim a gym and add your Pokemon.
- Not enough motivation: If your Pokemon’s motivation is low, it will be easy to beat. Feed it berries! Remember gym motivation decay is always happening.
- Can’t feed berries: You can only feed a certain number of berries in a short time. Wait a bit and try again. Also, you might be too far from the gym to feed remotely.
- Wanting your Pokemon back: You cannot call your Pokemon back from a gym yourself. It has to be defeated by another player. If your Pokemon has been in a gym for a long time (more than 8 hours) and you want your coins, you might hope a rival player defeats it soon. Sometimes, people on different teams might even quietly arrange to take down gyms for each other so everyone can get their coins (but this is often frowned upon or against rules in some areas).
- Getting the maximum coins: To get the full 50 coins daily, your Pokemon needs to be in a gym for at least 8 hours and 20 minutes total across all gyms where you have Pokemon. It must then be knocked out. If your Pokemon stays for days and days and then is finally knocked out, you still only get 50 coins for the day it returns, not 50 coins for each day it was there. This is a key part of the gym defender bonus.
Mastering how and when to place pokemon in gym and how to keep them motivated is a big part of playing Pokemon Go. It helps you get resources and helps your team control the map. This pokemon go gym guide should help you get started and get the most out of gym defense. Adding defender to gym effectively takes a little practice but is very rewarding.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Pokemon can I put in one gym?
You can put only one Pokemon in a single gym at a time. But you can put Pokemon in many different gyms at the same time, as long as there is an empty gym slot in each one and your team controls it (or you claim a gym after battling).
How many Pokemon can be in a gym total?
A gym can hold a maximum of six Pokemon defenders from the same team. There are six gym slots available.
Why did my Pokemon come back with only a few coins?
You only get coins when your Pokemon is defeated and leaves the gym. You earn 1 coin per 10 minutes it was defending. If it only stayed for a short time (e.g., 1 hour = 6 coins), it will only bring back that many coins. Also, there is a daily limit of 50 coins from all your Pokemon returning on that day. If other Pokemon already returned and gave you 50 coins that day, any others coming back later that day will give 0 coins until the next day starts (midnight local time). This relates to the gym defender bonus.
Why did my Pokemon come back after only a short time?
Likely, a player from a rival team battled it and defeated it. As Pokemon lose battles, their motivation goes down faster. When motivation is low, they are easy to beat. This is how taking over a gym happens.
Can I add a Pokemon to a gym that is full?
No, if a gym already has six Pokemon in it (all gym slots available are taken), you cannot add yours until one of the defending Pokemon is defeated and leaves, creating an empty gym slot.
Does my Pokemon’s CP matter for defense?
Yes, higher CP helps, but motivation is also very important. A high CP Pokemon with low motivation is weaker than a medium CP Pokemon with full motivation. Also, some Pokemon types and stats (like high HP/Defense) are better for lasting longer than just having high attack or CP. Gym motivation decay affects all Pokemon, but some lose motivation faster based on their max CP.
How do I feed berries to a Pokemon in a gym?
Tap on the gym, then tap on the Pokemon you want to feed. There will be a berry icon. Tap that and select a berry from your bag. You get 20 Stardust and 10 XP per berry fed. This helps defend gym pokemon go.
What is gym motivation decay?
Gym motivation decay is when a defending Pokemon’s motivation (the heart meter) slowly goes down over time and faster when it loses battles. As motivation drops, its effective CP in battle decreases, making it easier to defeat. Keeping motivation high by feeding berries helps the Pokemon stay longer.
Can I take my Pokemon out of a gym myself?
No, you cannot remove your Pokemon from a gym yourself. It must be defeated by a player from a rival team to return to your storage.
How do I find an empty gym slot?
Tap on a gym that is controlled by your team. Look at the top of the gym screen where the defender Pokemon are shown. If there is a spot with a plus (+) sign instead of a Pokemon picture, that is an empty gym slot. If the gym is grey, it is fully empty and ready for you to claim a gym.
By following this pokemon go gym guide and learning the basics of adding defender to gym, defend gym pokemon go, and managing gym motivation decay, you can earn valuable rewards and help your team succeed. Getting your gym defender bonus of PokeCoins and Stardust makes playing more fun and helps you grow stronger in the game. Placing pokemon in gym spots is a key part of the game.