Grinding stardust

We're creatures of habit, sometimes poor habits.

Most of us collect pokemon on the run while following routes we're used to. Often used to from before the game came around.

From a spawn density point of view it can often be a good idea to test out different routes. They don't have to be vastly different; the street a block away could be a much better walking stretch when you're catching mons on the go.

By taking a marginally longer route you should be able to increase the yield substantially.


Lures

Are fun, especially when you're in company with friends at your preferred hangout. They are also pretty awful compared to walking around.

• Low pokestop density (you're sitting by the same stops)
• Low spawn rate (compared to walking a high spawn density route)

So you end up catching fewer pokemon while slowly emptying your bag.

That said. They're for fun, and having fun is an important part of the game.

Slow moving public transport

In Gothenburg we have trams, and city buses. Works wonders for refilling bags, but they're also a perfectly decent source of pokemon.

The thing here is to pick your pokemon, and to dare running from a catch. If you know you're heading for a pokestop cluster, or a known spawn cluster, drop that cp 430 pidgey you're currently throwing pokeballs at.

Sometimes it's worth tapping a pokemon just to check cp, and then immediately drop out if it's too high. We're grinding stardust, not hunting for yet another 50% IV slowpoke at 750 cp.

Moving to a gym raid

Catch anything in sight and stock up on potions and revives. Even the crap you're usually throwing away will be used when you're finally slugging it out at that gym. You'll collect another one thousand stardust and get maybe a dozen crap potions and revives.

The plastic toy

If you're using slow moving public transport a lot, the Pokemon GO Plus will come in handy. While not needed it'll add quite some extra stardust.

Just make sure to make a habit of throwing blue balls whenever you're catching pokemon manually. The plus apparently eats red pokeballs at a depressing rate.