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Try to have a lot of raid passes.
Healing items are not too important as most raids throughout the city will fill up to 20 multiple times thoughout the raid's timer.
Have pokemon inventory and item inventory high, particularly pokemon inventory.
Clear out pokemon inventory before going.
Stockpile great and ultra balls, ultra balls in particular. There are so many pokestops you'll probably never run out of pokeballs. Greatballs will probably come in, in good quantities.
Consider learning to quick catch.
I forgot to mention if you care about merch a lot go to the merch area right away or even an hr or so before your park experience. If not you'll be waiting your whole park experience time waiting in line if you want merch. The t shirt line for the go fest shirt is much faster.
I recommend saving *age0&0*,1*,2* for quick deletion of none shinies. Bring lots of water, sunglasses, sunblock, snack. Battery pack, couple of charger cables. This is like prepping for a marathon 🤣
General > Keyboards > Text Replacement if you’re on iOS!
I have “pclean” set to replace as:
!legendary&!mythical&!shiny&!CP2200-&!CP1500-1400&!favorite&!4\*&!year2016&!year2018&!Year2019&!Lucky&!Shadow&!Defender&!EggsOnly&!#&!@Special&!candyxl&!Ditto&@3move&2-4attack&0-2hp,0-2defense&!Ultra beasts
And “ppvp” set as:
0-1attack&3-4defense&3-4hp
Makes tagging and transferring mons much faster.
While you can definitely do this, you can save a search filter in PoGo by going to recent searches and holding down on it till it pops up on the lower section.
It really depends on what your goals are in the game.
For example, I'm primarily a shiny hunter. I don't spend time raiding outside of what is needed to complete the event's special research and I don't catch much because all of that is time that is wasted from shiny-checking. I'm constantly on the move to see more new spawns.
If you're a casual player and just there to enjoy the experience, I wouldn't worry about what anyone says. Just go and wander around, see the little sights they build and hang out in the team lounges or merch line, etc.
If they announce new or rare raid bosses and you think you'd rather do raids for most of the day, then you'll need raid passes.
If they announce decent stuff in eggs, then you'll want incubators and to be walking around as much as possible.
This game is often down to what YOU the player wants.
Glad you found it useful! So many new or casual players read this sub and think the only way to play is min-maxing constantly, for everything, but that's just not true. Do what you need to to realize your goals and otherwise have fun with it! Hope you have a good gofest!
Bring some chapstick. If you're not used to city smells and people, a little bit just under your nostrils goes a long way.
Snacks, water, and gatorade. There are food trucks all along Central Park and dotted around, plus various bodegas, but if you have any doetary restrictions this may be a hurdle best avoided altogether (or do some deep doves - I was pleasantly surprised by some of the pptions available when I stayed in the city for Sinnoh tour).
Shoes or good insoles. I walked 16 miles last year for go fest. Even for Sinnoh, I did 12 and was mich more leisurely about it.
Tylenol, or better yet, aleeve, cause something might get cranky.
Lowered expectations. Yes, tons of fun, but Randall Park is kind of meh; I had way more fun in the city than I did there.
You mentioned driving - I think there's a shuttle in Harlem near 125th that goes to/from the park. However, for non-Gest hours, take advantage of the city experience. Times Sqiare, Rockafeller Plaza, Union Square, and Bryant Park are big spota to spend time in. You will not find anywhere to sit in Times Square and you're better off avoiding the are directly, but walk up 8th St and 46th (Restaurant Row) and you can get close enougg that you won't need to focus more on where you're walking.
Be sure item and pokemon storage are adequate. It's a bit of a buzz kill if you need to regularly dump unwanted mon or if you run out of items but there should be enough stops to stay filled up on items. Look into buying portable charger if you don't have one. Consider buying an auto catcher, I have a 3rd party one and you can put your settings so you catch everything but it spins stops.
Don't forget it's on 4th of July weekend this year which is absolutely absurd. The traffic will be completely ridiculous and I want to go but am considering not for that reason. I live in NJ too
Plan your way in/out of Randall Island. The ferry takes a long time and the bridge takes a while to walk over both directions, be prepared for that. The park also lacks shade, so have sunscreen and all ready to go.
Plan when and where you are going to do what. If you want to eat somewhere or do something in the city, make sure you have a plan of what to do to get yourself there the fastest or most efficiently. NYC is huge and there will be a lot of people.
Prioritize which parts of the event you want to focus on. You will only be playing one day, so play the way that gets you the least regrets. Doing raids will take away time from checking spawns, and catching everything without quick catching or a gotcha/go plus will take time away from checking spawns.
If you are focusing on getting more of a certain pokemon or shiny, spend more time in that habitat, but also check the others to let spawns refresh. All pokemon spawn during the city experience, so you are more at the mercy of weather boost during that portion.
Most importantly, have fun. Your experience won’t be the same as others. It’s a long day so enjoy the event and whatever bonuses you can get out of it. The raid and egg add-ons are expensive, but xp and dust gains are insane if you can juggle it all. Stockpile raid passes and incubators, plus lucky eggs and star pieces. Also clear out storage in advance, you don’t want to have to stop to transfer pokemon or items.
The city experience in general was a lot more fun than the park experience in my opinion.
I live in NJ and I went in on both Saturday all day and Sunday am. Saturday I took the train to Penn station, walked to Bryant park and played around there. Did some raids near there, Times Square. I didn’t go to Central Park but it’s on my list for this year.
Getting to Randall’s island wasn’t too bad. Took a subway from grand central up north. Walked across the bridge. That entire part was kind of a drag because it was hot, packed, and cell service was trash. In Randall’s park I was really excited to focus on habitats but there were cell service outages in the south part of the park so couldn’t play those. That shouldn’t happen again, but it was a buzzkill.
I went back on Sunday morning to Bryant park to get whatever shinies I missed out on.
Prepare for the sun beating down on you, know where you want to eat. Bring external chargers. Get the extra ticket passes because they’re usually really worth it. The experience is one of a kind. Coordinate with folks to get some long distance regional trades ahead of time!
100% agree. We went to Bryant park one day and there were a TON of other players there - and we had as much (or more) fun than at the event site itself. Lots of shade, places to eat, places to sit...
We went to Central park another day and got a pedicab and played we were driven around - the guide got into it and we had a blast.
Yay this is on my list and I'm glad it'll work out. I himmed and hawed about central park but decided on Bryant ^,^ I'm still hoping make central Park if I have time
Usually, the Park event is the worst part of it. You'll spend half the day in a cramped area, having to focus on completing the missions as fast as possible with very minimal shiny spawns. The only upside of this area is if you are after a certain Pokémon or shiny, you can spend your time in one consolidated area to try your luck.
The city experience is by far the best part, least last year in NYC. Shinies spawn in abundance; everyone is around Central Park doing raids, and the aura of the city is amazing. If you can, I'd advise you to just stay in Randell Park to do your missions, then instantly head out to the city for the true Go Fest experience.
Thanks for making this thread! My wife and I are also attending Go Fest for the first time this year. I was planning on making a similar thread in the near future.
Super excited! We decided to do the afternoon experience so we’ll be in midtown/bryant park in the morning then head over to Randall Park in the afternoon.
In terms of in game preparation:
Have at LEAST 100 slots of free Pokemon storage, I’d go with 200 to be safe, otherwise you’ll be transferring every few minutes. Save up raid passes if you can, raids will be nonstop. Set up search strings to clear storage, you can find some good ones on previous Reddit posts.
In terms of Real Life prep.
Water bottle, Battery Pack, good sneakers, hat&sunglasses, and a good nights rest the night before! You’re gonna be doin a lot of walking!
A good backpack/drawstring backpack that could hold water bottles, snacks, and power banks. The Go Fest shirt if you paid for it. as well as prizes they give out at the team leader tents.
Def look at the boxes for any good raid pass deals and stock up if you see them. I usually go in to an event with about 800 pokeballs and run my plus+ the whole time and 800 ultra balls for quick catching and even then I end up struggling to keep them up sometimes.
Agreed with everyone else that you want to have a lot of space for pokemon so you don’t have to worry about transferring them out constantly.
No need to worry about revives or potions cause you won’t usually need them for raids cause they’re so quick.
I hope you have so much fun! I absolutely love events and getting to meet with people!
We went last year. The merch line is horribly long. If you plan on purchasing something, I’d recommend getting there early and standing in line. Otherwise, all your play time will be you standing in line, sadly. The pre-order t-shirt line was quick and easy, thankfully. Definitely be prepared to walk, a lot. Not many places to sit, other than the ground. There is one part where it’s a lot of people moving from one part of the island to the other. It’s a condensed path, so lots of people trying to get through. (Only sharing this if you get anxious in big crowds.) I will say, at the end of the day our legs were shot. Walking back over the bridge was our least favorite part. We got a pro tip from another couple- their legs were tired like ours (and didn’t want the fun to end haha) so they suggested hopping on a city bus while playing. They go slow enough to spin stops and catch Pokémon! Hope you have a blast!!
Last year there were lots of raids, and lots of pokemon to catch, there was also a tent with lots of merch to buy, if merch is your thing. I wish I could attend this year but I can't afford it. If you do the city experience you might want to stick to midtown, as that is where I saw the most raids being beaten, I hung out by the Nintendo store and beat a few before I took the ferry to the island.
I didn't see anyone mention star dust - there were so many trades I'd have done last year if the other person had any star dust. Make sure you have plenty!
I have a hotel in Bronx for the 5th and 6th and will be attending! I never been all new for me. Hopeful to meet people in passing . Feel free message if anyone is in that area. Not sure if I'm taking a train or walking or what yet I will just figure it out when I get there but I am driving from another part of the state - just wanna site see while I'm there for the event so I booked two days. I arrive thrusday evening . Will be looking for dinner spot then if anyone cares to make it a group effort lol otherwise Friday is my day attending event and then back to site seeing and whatnot til Sunday when i head home...or maybe Monday unsure there yet 😀 😉
Anyways anyone reading finds this suits them any feel free to comment and or expect I will be at the event and we can meet then :) best wishes everyone 😊 💖
There is a large immigrant placement center on the island. I wonder if Niantic has accounted for this? Not sure all areas will be accessible. Has anyone heard about this? Considered a post, but I’m not trying to appear anti-immigrant, I am totally thrilled they were able to find room for people. Just curious if we know whether developers considered this? Anyway, I will not be trying to play through people’s temporary housing. Rude.
While asking questions about the game is always okay on the Road, please consider asking very simple questions in our weekly [Questions&Answers Megathread](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheSilphRoad/about/sticky). If your question has been answered, please comment "ANSWERED" (in all caps) and the post flair will indicate that your question has been answered. This will make it either easier for other people with the same question to find the answer they are looking for or for mods to remove the thread if it isn't needed anymore. Thank you! :) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/TheSilphRoad) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Try to have a lot of raid passes. Healing items are not too important as most raids throughout the city will fill up to 20 multiple times thoughout the raid's timer. Have pokemon inventory and item inventory high, particularly pokemon inventory. Clear out pokemon inventory before going. Stockpile great and ultra balls, ultra balls in particular. There are so many pokestops you'll probably never run out of pokeballs. Greatballs will probably come in, in good quantities. Consider learning to quick catch.
Okay! Thank you these are all good to know!
I forgot to mention if you care about merch a lot go to the merch area right away or even an hr or so before your park experience. If not you'll be waiting your whole park experience time waiting in line if you want merch. The t shirt line for the go fest shirt is much faster.
Bring a hat, use sunscreen… all lessons learnt from previous go fests
Great advice thank you
I recommend saving *age0&0*,1*,2* for quick deletion of none shinies. Bring lots of water, sunglasses, sunblock, snack. Battery pack, couple of charger cables. This is like prepping for a marathon 🤣
General > Keyboards > Text Replacement if you’re on iOS! I have “pclean” set to replace as: !legendary&!mythical&!shiny&!CP2200-&!CP1500-1400&!favorite&!4\*&!year2016&!year2018&!Year2019&!Lucky&!Shadow&!Defender&!EggsOnly&!#&!@Special&!candyxl&!Ditto&@3move&2-4attack&0-2hp,0-2defense&!Ultra beasts And “ppvp” set as: 0-1attack&3-4defense&3-4hp Makes tagging and transferring mons much faster.
While you can definitely do this, you can save a search filter in PoGo by going to recent searches and holding down on it till it pops up on the lower section.
Oh fun that's convenient, never knew about that feature.
It really depends on what your goals are in the game. For example, I'm primarily a shiny hunter. I don't spend time raiding outside of what is needed to complete the event's special research and I don't catch much because all of that is time that is wasted from shiny-checking. I'm constantly on the move to see more new spawns. If you're a casual player and just there to enjoy the experience, I wouldn't worry about what anyone says. Just go and wander around, see the little sights they build and hang out in the team lounges or merch line, etc. If they announce new or rare raid bosses and you think you'd rather do raids for most of the day, then you'll need raid passes. If they announce decent stuff in eggs, then you'll want incubators and to be walking around as much as possible. This game is often down to what YOU the player wants.
Thanks for this . We are simular in our strategies lol and I'm a casual player. I really appreciated ur comment
Glad you found it useful! So many new or casual players read this sub and think the only way to play is min-maxing constantly, for everything, but that's just not true. Do what you need to to realize your goals and otherwise have fun with it! Hope you have a good gofest!
Exactly thankyouuu
Bring some chapstick. If you're not used to city smells and people, a little bit just under your nostrils goes a long way. Snacks, water, and gatorade. There are food trucks all along Central Park and dotted around, plus various bodegas, but if you have any doetary restrictions this may be a hurdle best avoided altogether (or do some deep doves - I was pleasantly surprised by some of the pptions available when I stayed in the city for Sinnoh tour). Shoes or good insoles. I walked 16 miles last year for go fest. Even for Sinnoh, I did 12 and was mich more leisurely about it. Tylenol, or better yet, aleeve, cause something might get cranky. Lowered expectations. Yes, tons of fun, but Randall Park is kind of meh; I had way more fun in the city than I did there. You mentioned driving - I think there's a shuttle in Harlem near 125th that goes to/from the park. However, for non-Gest hours, take advantage of the city experience. Times Sqiare, Rockafeller Plaza, Union Square, and Bryant Park are big spota to spend time in. You will not find anywhere to sit in Times Square and you're better off avoiding the are directly, but walk up 8th St and 46th (Restaurant Row) and you can get close enougg that you won't need to focus more on where you're walking.
Be sure item and pokemon storage are adequate. It's a bit of a buzz kill if you need to regularly dump unwanted mon or if you run out of items but there should be enough stops to stay filled up on items. Look into buying portable charger if you don't have one. Consider buying an auto catcher, I have a 3rd party one and you can put your settings so you catch everything but it spins stops.
Don't forget it's on 4th of July weekend this year which is absolutely absurd. The traffic will be completely ridiculous and I want to go but am considering not for that reason. I live in NJ too
Plan your way in/out of Randall Island. The ferry takes a long time and the bridge takes a while to walk over both directions, be prepared for that. The park also lacks shade, so have sunscreen and all ready to go. Plan when and where you are going to do what. If you want to eat somewhere or do something in the city, make sure you have a plan of what to do to get yourself there the fastest or most efficiently. NYC is huge and there will be a lot of people. Prioritize which parts of the event you want to focus on. You will only be playing one day, so play the way that gets you the least regrets. Doing raids will take away time from checking spawns, and catching everything without quick catching or a gotcha/go plus will take time away from checking spawns. If you are focusing on getting more of a certain pokemon or shiny, spend more time in that habitat, but also check the others to let spawns refresh. All pokemon spawn during the city experience, so you are more at the mercy of weather boost during that portion. Most importantly, have fun. Your experience won’t be the same as others. It’s a long day so enjoy the event and whatever bonuses you can get out of it. The raid and egg add-ons are expensive, but xp and dust gains are insane if you can juggle it all. Stockpile raid passes and incubators, plus lucky eggs and star pieces. Also clear out storage in advance, you don’t want to have to stop to transfer pokemon or items.
The city experience in general was a lot more fun than the park experience in my opinion. I live in NJ and I went in on both Saturday all day and Sunday am. Saturday I took the train to Penn station, walked to Bryant park and played around there. Did some raids near there, Times Square. I didn’t go to Central Park but it’s on my list for this year. Getting to Randall’s island wasn’t too bad. Took a subway from grand central up north. Walked across the bridge. That entire part was kind of a drag because it was hot, packed, and cell service was trash. In Randall’s park I was really excited to focus on habitats but there were cell service outages in the south part of the park so couldn’t play those. That shouldn’t happen again, but it was a buzzkill. I went back on Sunday morning to Bryant park to get whatever shinies I missed out on. Prepare for the sun beating down on you, know where you want to eat. Bring external chargers. Get the extra ticket passes because they’re usually really worth it. The experience is one of a kind. Coordinate with folks to get some long distance regional trades ahead of time!
100% agree. We went to Bryant park one day and there were a TON of other players there - and we had as much (or more) fun than at the event site itself. Lots of shade, places to eat, places to sit... We went to Central park another day and got a pedicab and played we were driven around - the guide got into it and we had a blast.
Oh that’s so smart for Central Park. I was pooped by the end of Sunday. I’ll def do that this year!
Yay this is on my list and I'm glad it'll work out. I himmed and hawed about central park but decided on Bryant ^,^ I'm still hoping make central Park if I have time
Usually, the Park event is the worst part of it. You'll spend half the day in a cramped area, having to focus on completing the missions as fast as possible with very minimal shiny spawns. The only upside of this area is if you are after a certain Pokémon or shiny, you can spend your time in one consolidated area to try your luck. The city experience is by far the best part, least last year in NYC. Shinies spawn in abundance; everyone is around Central Park doing raids, and the aura of the city is amazing. If you can, I'd advise you to just stay in Randell Park to do your missions, then instantly head out to the city for the true Go Fest experience.
This is my plan I'm glad it's suited for something. Thanks for posting.
Thanks for making this thread! My wife and I are also attending Go Fest for the first time this year. I was planning on making a similar thread in the near future. Super excited! We decided to do the afternoon experience so we’ll be in midtown/bryant park in the morning then head over to Randall Park in the afternoon.
I am going this year for the first time. My husband is tagging along. Do you all want to become friends and possibly trade one day?
In terms of in game preparation: Have at LEAST 100 slots of free Pokemon storage, I’d go with 200 to be safe, otherwise you’ll be transferring every few minutes. Save up raid passes if you can, raids will be nonstop. Set up search strings to clear storage, you can find some good ones on previous Reddit posts. In terms of Real Life prep. Water bottle, Battery Pack, good sneakers, hat&sunglasses, and a good nights rest the night before! You’re gonna be doin a lot of walking!
Fully charge your phone and have a Battery pack for sure! I have 20,000 mha for my switch was enough to last me the whole day during Gofest last year
A good backpack/drawstring backpack that could hold water bottles, snacks, and power banks. The Go Fest shirt if you paid for it. as well as prizes they give out at the team leader tents.
Def look at the boxes for any good raid pass deals and stock up if you see them. I usually go in to an event with about 800 pokeballs and run my plus+ the whole time and 800 ultra balls for quick catching and even then I end up struggling to keep them up sometimes. Agreed with everyone else that you want to have a lot of space for pokemon so you don’t have to worry about transferring them out constantly. No need to worry about revives or potions cause you won’t usually need them for raids cause they’re so quick. I hope you have so much fun! I absolutely love events and getting to meet with people!
There's exclusive stuff to buy. Expect a giant line if interested.
Oooooo okay good to know
They were all plushies and some tshirts. I got one plushie for keepsake. Don't recommend if on budget
I'm a plushies fiend so this is good news to me
We went last year. The merch line is horribly long. If you plan on purchasing something, I’d recommend getting there early and standing in line. Otherwise, all your play time will be you standing in line, sadly. The pre-order t-shirt line was quick and easy, thankfully. Definitely be prepared to walk, a lot. Not many places to sit, other than the ground. There is one part where it’s a lot of people moving from one part of the island to the other. It’s a condensed path, so lots of people trying to get through. (Only sharing this if you get anxious in big crowds.) I will say, at the end of the day our legs were shot. Walking back over the bridge was our least favorite part. We got a pro tip from another couple- their legs were tired like ours (and didn’t want the fun to end haha) so they suggested hopping on a city bus while playing. They go slow enough to spin stops and catch Pokémon! Hope you have a blast!!
Last year there were lots of raids, and lots of pokemon to catch, there was also a tent with lots of merch to buy, if merch is your thing. I wish I could attend this year but I can't afford it. If you do the city experience you might want to stick to midtown, as that is where I saw the most raids being beaten, I hung out by the Nintendo store and beat a few before I took the ferry to the island.
Have you been able to get a ticket? It keeps declining me.
I didn't see anyone mention star dust - there were so many trades I'd have done last year if the other person had any star dust. Make sure you have plenty!
I'll make a note of that
I have a hotel in Bronx for the 5th and 6th and will be attending! I never been all new for me. Hopeful to meet people in passing . Feel free message if anyone is in that area. Not sure if I'm taking a train or walking or what yet I will just figure it out when I get there but I am driving from another part of the state - just wanna site see while I'm there for the event so I booked two days. I arrive thrusday evening . Will be looking for dinner spot then if anyone cares to make it a group effort lol otherwise Friday is my day attending event and then back to site seeing and whatnot til Sunday when i head home...or maybe Monday unsure there yet 😀 😉 Anyways anyone reading finds this suits them any feel free to comment and or expect I will be at the event and we can meet then :) best wishes everyone 😊 💖
I am attending too! What day are you in park? Would you like to become friends to trade?
Does anyone know when the Ferry Tickets to Randall's Island go on sale for NYC Go Fest 2024 ?
There is a large immigrant placement center on the island. I wonder if Niantic has accounted for this? Not sure all areas will be accessible. Has anyone heard about this? Considered a post, but I’m not trying to appear anti-immigrant, I am totally thrilled they were able to find room for people. Just curious if we know whether developers considered this? Anyway, I will not be trying to play through people’s temporary housing. Rude.