How To Use Lure Modules In "Pokemon Go"

Unless you've been living in a patch of tall grass, you know what "Pokemon Go" is, and you've probably even figured out a thing or two about how to use Lure Modules to increase your gaming success. Actually, if you're in a patch of tall grass, you're probably already a huge fan of "Pokemon Go," because that's where you're most likely to spot your next catch on Niantic, Inc.'s new augmented reality game. On the game's interface, you'll see a swirl of leaves (the "tall grass," even if you live in a city like me, and you see more tall buildings than tall grass), which indicates a nearby Pokemon. But there are two strategies when it comes to catching Pokemon: looking for tall grass, and making them come to you using Lure Modules. And if you are going to try a Lure Module, there are a few things you should know first.

"Pokemon Go" provides two items that you can use to attract Pokemon during your quest to be the very best: Incense and Lure Modules. You can buy both of them in shops, but you also receive them during certain level-ups. The difference? Incense works for you alone, and you can use it anywhere. Lure Modules apply to every Pokemon Trainer in the vicinity, and can only be used at Pokestops.

This is what it looks like when a Lure Module is in use somewhere near you:

See that cloud of pink and white in the top center of my screen? That indicates a Pokestop where someone has used a Lure Module.

Here are a few benefits to using a Lure Module:

1. You don't have to walk around

Normally, the best way to locate wild Pokemon is to walk around until you encounter them. With a Lure Module, though, the Pokemon will come to you. Yesterday, I sat at an outdoor cafe and used Lure Modules to attract Pokemon to me (and my vanilla latte). I could keep writing about "Pokemon Go" while catching Pokemon at the same time. Nifty, right?

2. You meet new people

A bar in my neighborhood is a Pokestop, and on Saturday night, people were using Lure Modules out the wazoo. I parked my butt on a bench outside the bar to catch the Goldeen and Eevee that had just popped up on my screen, and as I sat there, I met five other people who had also followed the Module's call. It was a great way to meet some new people with similar interests!

3. You find uncommon Pokemon

I haven't been able to substantiate this outside of personal experience, and I don't know what the actual mechanics are with regards to the rarity of Pokemon who swarm to Lure Modules, but I've definitely noticed an assortment of more uncommon species when I'm using a Module. When I'm just strolling around Richmond, where I live, I find Pidgey, Rattata, and Weedle (or their evolutions) about 50 percent of the time. But with a Lure Module, I've been able to locate a much broader array of Pokemon.

I still have my Lure Module from reaching Level 8 — I haven't figured out where I want to use it yet, but I'm thinking my lunch break is the perfect opportunity. So all the Pokemon Trainers who decide to go to the same sandwich shop as me? They're gonna get lucky.

Images: Elizabeth Ballou