Pokemon Go: Tips and Tricks for Players in Lucena City
The augmented reality game Pokemon Go has taken the world by storm after its release in mid-July of this year, and Filipinos, Lucenahins included, have been quick to whip up their phones after the game finally became available in the country.
Because members of the Lucenahin team are among those who caught the Pokemon bug, we thought it would be fun to go on a hunting spree around Lucena City to document the experience and share it with everyone.
Since there are already tons of tutorials about how to download and play the game on the internet, though, we will be directing you to helpful articles about general gameplay through the lists below first so we can focus on city-specific information later.
Pokemon Go Starter Guide
- Where to Download Pokemon Go for iPhone Users
- Where to Download Pokemon Go for Android Users
- Where to Download Pokemon Go for Those with Incompatible Devices
- How to Play Pokemon Go
- Pokemon Go Glossary: What do all those Pokemon terms mean?
- Pokemon Go: Common Issues and Basic Troubleshooting
- Pokemon Go: Battery Saving Tips
- No GPS Signal: Quick Troubleshooting Guide
- How to Play Pokemon Go for Free (Globe users)
- How to Play Pokemon Go for Free (Smart users)
- How to Buy Pokecoins Using Your Prepaid Load
Now that you already have a basic understanding of how the game works, let’s move on to two of the most important elements of the game: Pokestops and Poke Gyms. Pokestops and gyms are attached to important landmarks around a particular area, so the more landmarks there are in an area, the more stops and gyms there would be.
In Lucena, we singled out six areas where the majority of Pokestops and Poke Gyms are. A brief rundown can be found below.
Pokestops
City Proper
- Concreting of Merchan Street (near Artz and Prints)
- Lucena City Hall
- Maryhill College Wall Paint
- Diversion Concrete Marker (across McDonald’s Quezon Avenue, corner of Maryhill College)
- St. Ferdinand Fountain
- St. Ferdinand Cathedral
- Bishop Alfredo Ma. Obviar Statue
- Quezon CAP Statue
- Cube Water Tank
- Samuelito’s
- Adopt a Barangay Marker
- Giant Post Holder
- Buddy’s Sunflower
- Wall Glyphs
- Christ the Living Stone Fellowship
- United Evangelical Church of Lucena
- Ad Perpetuam Rei Memoriam (plaque in Front of the MSEUF Law Department Building)
- Ant Monster Graffiti
- Garbage Monster Graffiti
- JM Cuisine Geisha Statue
Iyam
- Quezon National High School
- Our Lady of Lourdes Parish (Near Quezon National High School)
- Victory Fellowship (3rd Floor, Pacific Mall, Lucena)
Provincial Capitol
- Pantoc Gardiner Marker
- Church of God World Missions Lucena
- Magill Memorial School Lucena
- Poso ng Perez Park
- Library Statue
- Pile of Rock Markers
- Large Fountain
- Quezon Convention Center
- Facade Statues (Near Quezon Convention Center)
- Old Rescue Boat (Near Quezon Convention Center)
- Bulwagang Kalilayan
- Kiddie Slide
- Philippine Tong Ho Institute
Gulang-gulang
- Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses
- Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon Church)
- Quezon Memorial Center Statue
- Giuseppe Bar y Restaurante
- Rotary Wall Drawings
- Living Word Christian Community Church
- Lucban-Lucena Terminal
- San Lorenzo Ruiz Chapel
- World of Hope Baptist Church
- Iglesia ni Cristo
- St. Anne College Lucena, Inc. Entrance
- Central Park Cafe
- Old Train Decor (Inside Central Park Cafe Compound)
- Grand Terminal Water Station (near LTO Building)
- Giant Bowl Tower (Near the main entrance of Lucena Grand Terminal)
Site
- International School for Better Beginnings
- Bethel Bible Community Entrance Sign
- Nelson Gymnasium
- Old Church of Christ
- University Map
- MSEUF Gymnasium
- MSEUF Centennial Statue
- MSEUF Seal
- MSEUF Fountain
- CAFA Ladder Art
- Bronze Fountain (near Cleade Heights Subdivision)
- Young Learner’s Wall Painting
Ibabang Dupay
- Calmar Homes Entrance
- Calayan Educational Foundation Institute (CEFI)
- Popeye and Friend (near Southern Luzon State University Lucena)
- Birds Park (inside Village of St. Jude East at the back of SM City Lucena)
- Sariaya Station (van terminal, SM City Lucena compound)
- Buddy’s SM City Lucena (2nd Floor)
- Carousel (2nd Floor, SM City Lucena)
- Jollibee SM City Lucena (Ground Floor)
- Pan de Manila SM City Lucena (Ground Floor)
- The White Christ (Jesus Christ statue near St. Ferdinand Memorial Park)
- Mary (Virgin Mary statue near St. Ferdinand Memorial Park)
- Cemetery Water Tank (water tank near St. Ferdinand Memorial Park)
- Easter (water tank near St. Ferdinand Memorial Park)
- Blue Pyramid (pyramid-shaped building near St. Ferdinand Memorial Park)
- Cemetery Gate (St. Ferdinand Memorial Park)
- Dome of Saints (St. Ferdinand Memorial Park)
- St. Isidore Statue (in front of St. Isidore Parish)
- Old Church of Christ
- Lucena Baptist Church (Near Dumacaa Bridge)
- Peter Chapels (Near Dumacaa Bridge)
Lucenahin team choosing a Pokemon for battle
Gyms
- Ibabang Dupay Marker
- QMWD Wall Drawings
- St. Ferdinand Memorial Park
- Papa Juan Pablo II Statue
- St. Isidore Parish
- MSEUF Library Complex
- MSEUF Library Complex Marker
- Three Cross (near St. Veronica Chapel, University Site)
- Chariots of Fire Living Word Church
- Grand Central Mary Statue
- Station Statue
- San Miguel Water Tank
- Giant Ball
- Iglesia Filipina Independiente Local (near Andoks Bayan)
- The Glorious Memory of Manuel Luis Quezon
- Calayan Cube Water Tower
Tips and Tricks
GPS Signal
One of the most common issues encountered by players that, unfortunately, cannot be avoided altogether, is inconsistent GPS signal. GPS signal is important because it is used by the game to track your location (and by extension, your movement) so you can neither catch Pokemon nor hatch Pokemon eggs if you don’t have one.
The strength of GPS signals can vary depending on the mobile device, particular location, and telco provider. Our team of three players tried each of the three local providers (Sun, Smart, and Globe), and while there are spots where one user has one signal while the others have not and vice versa, in the end, we came to the conclusion that, generally speaking, Globe has comparatively strong signal than the other two.
Location wise, we found the stretch of road along Quezon Avenue to have the strongest GPS signal as we rarely got disconnected during our two-hour walk along the area. The signal at SM City Lucena tends to be a bit weak; however, the availability of Wi-fi access makes up for it, while the stretches of road along Red V and Barangay Gulang-gulang tend to be fairly inconsistent, with us being constantly disconnected and reconnected to the game.
Wi-fi Access
If you are like us and would prefer to use Wi-fi over mobile data as much as possible, SM City Lucena offers three public Wi-fi hotspots that don’t require any passwords. Do note that you will be competing with dozens or hundreds of people trying to connect at the same time, especially if there is a lure party, so the connection may become very unstable during certain times.
Pokemon Sightings
The company that developed the game purposely scattered Pokemon around cities to encourage people to explore, but that being said, there are locations that have more reported sightings of Pokemon as well as areas where less common appear more frequently compared to other locations.
For example, during our eight-hour hunt, we had the highest success catching Pokemon other than pidgeys, rattatas, weedles, and catterpies near the Pokestops inside the St. Ferdinand Cathedral compound and near the water tank at Grand Terminal.
Below are short lists of less common pokemon we caught or almost caught at the said locations as well as a few from other places.
St. Ferdinand Cathedral compound
- Beedril
- Vulpix
- Ponyta
- Venemoth
- Golbat
- Raticate
- Eevee
Samuelito’s
- Pikachu
- Eevee
- Golbat
Lucena Grand Terminal
- Scyther
- Pinsir
- Rapidash
- Meowth
- Abra
- Fearow
- Goldeen
- Staryu
- Horsea
- Paras
- Ivysaur
- Nidorino
- Oddish
- Eevee
SM City Lucena
- Fearow
- Ekans
- Eevee
- Jigglypuff
- Exeggcute
- Koffing
- Staryu
- Paras
- Oddish
- Bellsprout
Village of St. Jude East (Back of SM City Lucena)
- Staryu
- Goldeen
- Bellsprout
- Weepinbell
- Doduo
- Dodrio
- Eevee
- Vulpix
- Fearow
- Psyduck
- Ekans
- Oddish
Quezon Medical Center
- Wartortle
- Nidoran
- Krabby
- Eevee
- Bulbasaur
- Polliwag
- Tangela
- Abra
- Meowth
- Ekans
- Oddish
- Staryu
Green Meadows Subdivision
- Snorlax
- Nidorino
- Golduck
- Psyduck
- Magikarp
- Squirtle
- Kakuna
- Ekans
- Arbok
- Kabuto
- Scyther
- Slowbro
- Gloom
Provincial Capitol
- Tentacool
- Fearow
- Pidgeotto
- Raticate
Safety Precautions
An uncle we spotted teaching his nephew and niece the best way to catch elusive Pokemon near Grand Central Terminal
Pokemon Go is a very fun and addicting to play, not to mention a good way to lose some pounds (all that walking’s bound to burn off some calories); however, make sure you always exercise proper caution while playing to make the most of the game. Here are a couple of reminders that you would want to keep in mind.
- Look where you’re walking
Some people have gotten into trouble because they were too focused on keeping an eye on pokemon spawns that they failed to see where they were heading, which doesn’t have to be the case if you’ll turn on the “vibrate” function of the game to alert you if a pokemon popped up near you. Admittedly, there are occasional pokemon that would spawn without alerting the gamer, but they are definitely not worth risking your safety for (especially since they’re usually common pokemon that you’ll encounter practically everywhere).
- Do not trespass
There are pokemon that appear in private areas, mostly because they are near real-world locations which are known to be natural habitats of certain types of pokemon. While we do understand other people’s desire to try their luck there, we strongly discourage people from trespassing private properties. If you really, absolutely, want to hunt at places where there are private properties, make sure you seek the permission of the owners of the properties or you stay well within areas open to the public such as common roads.
- Stay away from dangerous places
Areas where there are dangers of being hit by falling objects, falling into pits or excavations, exposed to live electrical wiring and industrial hazards, and areas that see heavy vehicular traffic are no place to hunt pokemon as so are places where stray bullets can come flying by such as firing ranges or areas where there are military detachments. The danger they pose is very real as have been seen in some recent cases so you’d do well to stay clear of them.
- Do not obstruct busy places
There is nothing wrong with hunting at public places, the game was designed to encourage people to do just that, but do make sure that you don’t keep other members of the public from doing their business, especially in situations that can mean the difference between life and death.
Areas where there are hospitals, police stations, fire stations, military barracks, and disaster response centers should be free from obstructions at all times so they can send aid efficiently so watch out if you find yourself playing in an area near them.
- Beware of snatchers / robbers
Distracted gamers with their smartphones out are prime targets for snatchers or robbers, so as much as possible, avoid playing in areas that would make you vulnerable to snatching or robbing such as roadsides or near vehicle windows. Also, avoid chasing pokemon late at night. Robbers have been known to use lures at Pokestops to lure potential victims, so it pays to be cautious. If you must hunt at night or high-traffic spots, try to hunt in groups so at least one of you can stay on the lookout while the others try to catch the randomly spawning pokemon. Not only is it safer to hunt that way, it’s also a good way to bond together.
There you go, fellas!
Do you know of any Pokestops or gyms that we missed? How about known spawn grounds for certain types of Pokemon? Let us know in the comments section below so we can add them to the list and share them with other Pokemon players.
Happy hunting, fellow trainer!
Philippine Peso