PokéStop Power-Up Guide: Levels, Bonuses, Requirements

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Powering-up PokéStops is a new Pokémon GO system that allows Trainers to increase PokéStop rewards by using their smart device to scan real-world PokéStop locations.

Powered-Up PokéStops will look different on the map, and any Trainer who spins one will earn extra rewards.

As more Trainers level 20 and above perform AR scans of a PokéStop, the rewards for spinning it will increase, and the PokéStop will be powered up for a longer period of time.

Powered-Up PokéStops

PokéStop power-up

You and other Trainers can temporarily power up PokéStops or Gyms by uploading AR Scans of the location.

  • Players can scan PokéStops in order to power them up.

Scanning is creating a 3D model of the PokéStop with your phone. The interaction radius required to scan is 40 meters, not 80 meters. These tasks are known as AR mapping tasks.

  • Powered-up PokéStops last for a while, giving bonuses to everyone interacting with the Stop during that time
  • Each time you scan a PokéStop, you fill the PokéStop’s power-up bar by 10 Points (you need 50 / 100 / 250 points to reach each power-up level)

Here’s how different levels of PokéStop power-ups look like (the height of the PokéStop changes ever so slightly):

At present, it seems that only 1 PokéStop or Gym per S2 Level 14 cell can be powered-up. Read our comprehensive Guide to S2 Cells and Pokémon GO for more information on the cells.

PokéStop power-up Bonuses

PokéStop power-up

You can power-up PokéStops and Gyms three times, up to Level 3. Each level comes with different rewards for everyone interacting with the PokéStop, and each power-up level lasts differently:

Power Up Level Scans Required Duration Bonuses
1 5 48h Bonus Items on Spin
2 10 12h
  • Bonus Items on Spin
  • Buddy Bonus Heart
3 25 12h
  • Bonus Items on Spin
  • Buddy Bonus Heart
  • Bonus Spawns (Stops only)
  • 3 Bonus Premier Balls in Raids (Gyms only)

Players have agreed that powering-up PokéStops beyond Level 1 doesn’t make much sense outside of events. Scanning 25 times takes a long time and the bonuses are not worth the hassle.

How to scan a PokéStop

✨ More reading: Pokéstop Scanning: A Step by Step Guide

To scan a PokéStop, go to the PokéStop or Gym’s details page and tap the three dots in the upper right. You must be level 20 or above to complete AR Mapping tasks.

  1. Tap SCAN POKÉSTOP
  2. Opt in to the feature via the on-screen prompts if it’s your first time performing a scan.
  3. Tap the record button to start scanning. Keep the subject within the frame, and slowly walk around the subject if possible.
  4. Tap Upload Later or Upload Now to upload your scan.

Niantic’s comments on the PokéStop power-up feature

In an interview with Eurogamer, Niantic’s Michael Sterenka shared a bit of the backstory about PokéStop power-up feature:

  • Features like the PokéStop power-up will enable Pokémon Go to continue to stay top of mind and the gold standard for AR games.
  • Niantic thinks that the augmented reality possibilities that can be unlocked in the future, by leveraging a 3D map of the world is something all Pokémon GO players are actually going to love.
  • AR features are always designed with an “optional approach” in mind – don’t force the player to use them if they don’t want to.

Notes

Powering-up PokéStops initially launched in test mode in New Zealand, just as Niantic mentioned in a blog post about “minor gameplay changes” being tested around the globe.

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Zeroghan
Zeroghanhttps://pokemongohub.net/
Zeroghan started the Hub in July 2016 and hasn't had much sleep since. A lover of all things Pokémon, web development, and writing.

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