It is a truth universally acknowledged that a Pokemon Trainer in possession of a sense of ambition must be in want of some Pokeballs; after all, you can’t very well be a Pokemon Trainer if you haven’t caught any Pokemon, can you? But when it comes to how to get free Pokeballs in “Pokemon Go,” I have some good news and some bad news for you. The bad news is that you probably already know what I’m about to tell you, because there aren’t any secret, hidden ways to get Pokeballs that aren’t clearly laid out in the game. The good news, though, is that most of the ways you get Pokeballs in general are free. So hoorah for that, right?
Worth noting is the fact that there’s more than one type of Pokeball. The one that you’ll probably use the most in your travels is your standard issue, red and white Pokeball; while your personal supply of them isn’t infinite, they’re readily available and quite easy to stock up on. But sometimes, you’ll encounter a Pokemon that just won’t stay in the dang ball — in which case, you’ll want to pull out the proverbial big guns: Great and Ultra Balls. Traditionally, Great Balls, which are blue and white with red accents, have a 50 percent higher chance of catching a Pokemon than a regular Pokeball; meanwhile, Ultra Balls, which are black, white, and yellow, have a 33 percent higher chance of catching a Pokemon than a Great Ball and a whopping 100 percent higher chance of catching one than a regular Pokeball. It hasn't yet been confirmed if Master Balls exist in "Pokemon Go," but if they do, they never, ever fail. Ever.
So how, exactly, does one acquire Pokeballs in “Pokemon Go” without spending any actual money to get them? Here are five known ways to do so. You can also always head over to the “Pokemon Go” Shop if you don’t care about getting them for free. You do you and all.
1. Start A New Game
After you create your Trainer character, you’re given a handful of Pokeballs to get you started. You’ll likely use these Pokeballs to catch your very first Pokemon, which will spawn wherever you happen to be — even if you’re in your apartment, and said apartment otherwise happens to be a Pokemon dead zone. (Not that that, um, happened to me or anything…)
2. Level Up Your Trainer
When your Trainer acquires enough XP to gain a new level, you’re given a whole bunch of goodies as a bonus. This cornucopia of fun typically includes a fresh supply of Pokeballs.
3. Visit A Pokestop
Pokestops let you stock up on all sorts of useful gear, including Pokeballs. Since I’m still a pretty low level Trainer, I typically walk away from every Pokestop trip with three or four additional Pokeballs; however, if you’re willing to wait around a little for the Pokestop to refresh, you can keep hitting up the same one for gear every couple of minutes. Also, the higher level you are, the better the gear you can get — and when you’re a high enough level, you’ll also start being able to grab Great and Ultra Balls from Pokestops.
4. Defend A Gym
OK, this one is actually a little roundabout, so bear with me: Successfully defending a gym gives you a Defender Bonus, which you can collect from the “Pokemon Go” Shop every 20 hours. This Defender Bonus consists of 500 Stardust and 10 Pokecoins for every Pokemon you have stationed at and defending a gym. That’s right — you get free Pokecoins for defending a gym, which you can then use in the “Pokemon Go” Shop to get Pokeballs… all without spending a dime. (You can also use the Defender Bonus Pokecoins for other gear from the shop, of course, too.)
5. Try One Of These Tricks
Particularly the Google Opinion Rewards one — if you’re an Android user, signing up for it and completing surveys gives you Google Play store credits, which you can then use to purchase Pokecoins within “Pokemon Go.” Once you’ve traded in your Google Play store credits for Pokecoins, you can use those Pokecoins to buy Pokeballs.
Image: Giphy
