Highlights
- Don't waste PokeCoins on Incense, as it only attracts specific Pokemon and can be obtained for free while exploring.
- Avoid purchasing Team Medallion, as changing teams is not worth the high cost and teams don't offer many benefits.
- Skip buying the Star Piece, as the small boost in Stardust earnings is not worth the price and can be obtained through gameplay.
As players embark on the mobile version of being the very best in Pokemon GO, they will find themselves scarce of items and essentials as they wander around in real life, waiting and watching for Pokemon to pop up on their phone screen to be tapped on and caught. However, there are some items in Pokemon GO that players should not buy.
The reason that players should keep their coins well tucked into their pockets and only use them for the essentials in Pokemon GO is due to the fact that the currency involves in-app purchases. The currency of Pokemon GO is PokeCoins, which can only be bought with real money, meaning players should not buy lackluster items.
7 Incense
Incense is one of the most common items that players can find in Pokemon GO. As players wander around, spinning PokeStops, they will most likely obtain an Incense or two just from exploring. It’s best to avoid purchasing Incense, especially when one considers it costs 40 PokeCoins.
Incense is a fragrance in Pokemon GO that will lure wild Pokemon to the location of the player that has used it. It attracts wild Pokemon for 60 minutes, but depending on the Incense, it can attract different types. This is best used for when desiring specific Pokemon for their shiny variants, and is otherwise, not worth the price.
6 Team Medallion
One of the upgrades available in Pokemon GO is the Team Medallion. This isn’t an entirely useful item, as it costs a whopping 1,000 PokeCoins. If players purchase the Team Medallion in Pokemon GO, they will have a unique coin that will allow them to change teams, but they can only purchase one every 365 days since their first purchase.
Teams in Pokemon GO don’t really mean anything, and the Instinct, Mystic, and Valor teams are mainly just for show, and they do not offer much outside of that. It’s really just not worth changing teams in Pokemon GO, especially for the asking price.
5 Star Piece
Another consumable in Pokemon GO is the Star Piece, which can be purchased for 100 PokeCoins. This small shard comes from a beautiful gem, and although alluring to the eye, it offers not much reward for its price, as all it does is increase the earnings of Stardust for 30 minutes by 50%.
Stardust is another currency in Pokemon GO that impacts Pokemon that are used by Trainers. Stardust can enhance the strength of the chosen Pokemon and the trade price, but considering players can obtain these goodies just by playing for a long time, the added bonus is not worth it.
4 Lure Modules
There are 5 different types of Lure Modules in Pokemon GO. The first and most common is the Lure Module, which costs 100 PokeCoins. This will attract any Pokemon to a PokeStop for 30 minutes, and it will have an effect on everyone within the vicinity.
The other modules cost 180 PokeCoins, and they are Glacial, Mossy, Magnetic, and Rainy. These Lure Modules will attract Pokemon more in line with the type used; so a Glacial Module will attract more frost-type Pokemon. However, considering players can only use these at a Pokestop, where they might pick one up from spinning said PokeStop, it’s safe to say that this can be avoided as a purchase.
3 Stickers
One of the newer additions to Pokemon GO was the use of stickers. Stickers can be purchased for around 35 PokeCoins, which will give them 10 uses of the consumable sticker. Stickers are a rather pointless addition to Pokemon GO, and all they do is allow players to attach them to the daily gifts that they send their friends.
By sending a sticker, players who open their gift may get a sweet surprise, but that’s really all it’s for. This cute gimmick can easily be avoided for players who don’t want to spend their PokeCoins on something that doesn’t grant them a unique reward.
2 Lucky Egg
Players may be familiar with eggs in Pokemon GO. Eggs and their Incubators will allow players to hatch unique Pokemon that are rarely found in the wild. However, a Lucky Egg does not do that. Instead, a Lucky Egg will allow players to earn double XP for 30 minutes for the price of 80 PokeCoins.
Whilst a Lucky Egg isn’t the worst purchase one can make in Pokemon GO, it’s certainly not the best. In buying a Lucky Egg, the XP gains may be a great benefit to players, and it should be used when increasing the friendship bonds with other players to truly excel in XP gains. Outside of that, it really doesn’t offer all that much to increase gains.
1 Max Potions
Anyone who is familiar with a Pokemon game will know the importance of a Max Potion. The Max Potion will completely restore the HP of a Pokemon, and players can purchase 10 Max Potions in the shop for 200 PokeCoins. However, this can be avoided simply by opening gifts and spinning PokeStops, as there’s a good chance they will find a Max Potion inside.
Healing a Pokemon is only really essential before a battle with a Trainer, Team Rocket, Gym, or Raid. Players that just like exploring can ignore this feature. Yet, it’s also not necessary to purchase Max Potions because players can obtain them from gifts and PokeStops anyway.