How to use all the berries in Pokemon Go
Do you know how to use all of the berries in Pokemon Go to their full advantage? Here are some tips.
The three types of Pokemon berries in Pokemon Go.
Insanely popular mobile timesuck Pokemon Go goes beyond just throwing a ball at pocket monsters. Using the three different types of berries strategically can help you make a better, faster catch, or achieve certain bonuses. Here's the basics and tactics for using each one.
How do you use a berry?
When the fight screen opens, there's a berry icon on the lower left of the screen. Tap on it and your berry choices will be displayed. Their quantities will also be listed in this pop-up. Just tap on the berry you want to use, then tap on it again to feed it to the Pokemon.
Tap on the berry icon pick one for your fight.
Can you stack berries?
Sorry! You can only use one berry for each throw. If you do try to stack, a red warning bubble pops up saying you already used a candy. So you need to make a choice. Do you need double the candy or do you need to keep the Pokemon from running? After all, you won't get any candy at all if the critter gets away. More on that in a second.
What if I forget which berry I used?
Yeah, I'm forgetful, too. Luckily, the berry that's active will appear right beside the CP of the Pokemon you're trying to catch.
The berry you used is shown below the Pokemon's CP.
What if I literally drop the ball?
Butterfingers! Don't worry, it happens to the best of us. If you drop your Pokeball and it doesn't hit the Pokemon, the candy is still active and you get another try. If you hit the monster and it doesn't go into your ball, you'll lose the candy.
Berry strategy
As I mentioned before, every time you battle, you need to come up with a strategy on which berry to use. Here are some things to consider.
Razz berries
Razz berries are the game's OG. They were there since the release, so you've probably got a handle on how they work. Just in case you're a little cloudy, here's a refresher.
These berries -- that look like raspberries, by the way, so why is it spelled razz? -- are used to prevent those wily pocket monsters from breaking out of your ball once they are caught. I've noticed that many times, if your last Pokemon was easy to catch, your next one with be a breakout king. So, I preemptively use razz berries so I don't waste my balls.
Nanab berries
Nanab is one of the newer berries. This banana-looking berry is used to slow a Pokemon's movements. The game says it "calms it down, making it less erratic."
I find that it is best for dodgers. Slowing down the Pokemon will make it easier for your ball to land and capture before the Pokemon has a chance to dodge your throw.
Another good time to use the nanab berry is when you're up against a Pokemon known for running away, like Abra, which has a 99 percent flee rate. The berry can make a catch possible before the critter takes off.
Pinap Berries
The Pinap is another new berry. It gives you double the candy when you land a successful catch.
Double the candy? Heck ya! Use this berry every time, right? Well, you'll basically have to, since the pineapple look-alike berry only gives you double the candy if the throw right after the feeding captures the Pokemon. So, either you use this candy every time you throw or you just cross your fingers and hope the next throw is a catch.
Don't waste your berries on common catches, though. The best time to use pinap berries is when you need just a few more candies for an evolution or if you have a rare Pokemon that you want to level. Save your berries for these instances. That way if the Pokemon is being stubborn, you can feed them a pinap every toss.
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Editors' note: This article went live February 17, 2017, and has been updated as new strategies are found.