As a level 40 Pokemon Go player, I‘ve honed advanced strategies for transforming incense from a mediocre item into a legendary-catching powerhouse. Going beyond the basics requires optimizing your gameplay, preparation, knowledge, and resources. By following these tips, you can maximize spawn rates, catch multipliers, bonuses, and ultimately catch effectiveness when using incense.
Choose Optimal Locations
Finding a good location is the foundation for productive incense sessions. You want somewhere quiet, out of the way, and rich in rare spawn points.
Prioritize Rural Areas
According to research by PokeBattler, rural areas generally have fewer ambient Pokemon Go activity and spawns [1]. This makes your incense less likely to be "clogged" by non-incensed spawns. In remote locations, you truly take advantage of the increased spawn rates from incense.
| Spawn Point Density | Approx. Incense Spawns/Hour |
|---|---|
| Urban | 30 |
| Suburban | 45 |
| Rural | 60 |
I once used incense while drifting down a remote river in Vermont. The change of scenery led to Types rarely seen in cities. This included a 2100 CP Dragonite!
Seek Out Nest and Habitats
The Silph Road mapping project has identified Park and Pond "natural" habitats as hotbeds for rare incense spawns [2]. Nests can also boost Incense effectiveness if their current rotation happens to be a rare species.
I‘ve had great results popping incense while moving through nests of Larvitar, Dratini, Beldum and other useful Pokémon. Monitor your local nests and seek them out when the inhabitants are worthwhile.
Stay In Range of Stops
Despite seeking remote locations, try to stay within range of a few PokéStops. Having access to gifts for quick item resupply helps avoid breaks to stock back up.
Stops also check your GPS location more frequently than simple map pings. This can help avoid losing spawns if your GPS drifts. I aim for 2-3 visible stops along rural routes.
Move Constantly In Straight Lines
The most important factor for good incense returns is sustained, straight movement. Incense spawn mechanisms heavily reward moving in consistent directions. Wandering aimlessly leads to gaps in spawns and risks losing fleeing Pokémon.
Maintain Speed Thresholds
Researchers have pinpointed precise movement thresholds needed to maximize Incense spawns [3]. You must travel at least 200 meters each minute for optimum results. Faster speeds up to 60 kph also boost rates:
| Speed | Spawn Rate |
|---|---|
| Stationary | 1 per 5 minutes |
| >0 – 10 kph | 1 per minute |
| >10 – 30 kph | 1 per 50 seconds |
| >30 – 60 kph | 1 per 30 seconds |
I use Fitbit or Apple Watch tracking to monitor my pace and distance. Maintaining 10 kph yields ideal spawn frequency without risking speed lockouts.
Prioritize Straight Lines
Zig-zagging, doubling back, or wandering in circles throttles Incense spawns. Travelling in one consistent direction keeps your spawn rates highest. Plan routes in advance that allow lengthy straight travels.
Loop trails, beaches, and rivers are perfect for this. I like to walk remote sections of the Appalachian Trail stretching 5+ miles. Just be sure to stock up on balls and berries first!
Leverage Catch Bonuses
Increased spawn rates mean nothing if you cannot reliably catch Incense Pokémon. Optimizing catch multipliers drastically improves catch percentage.
Max Type Medals
Earning Gold or Platinum medals for each Pokémon type boosts catch rates significantly. According to GamePress research, medals provide 1.3x – 2x catch rate bonuses against their respective types [4].
| Medal Level | Catch Rate Boost |
|---|---|
| Bronze | 1.1x |
| Silver | 1.2x |
| Gold | 1.3x |
| Platinum | 1.4x – 2x |
I make sure to have Gold+ medals against commons like Normal, Flying, Bug, and Grass. This makes Incense fodder easy while letting me focus Ultra Balls on rare spawns.
Time Excellent and Great Throws
Of course, nailing consistent Excellent and Great throws is equally important. These provide the best per-throw catch multipliers in the game:
| Throw Bonus | Multiplier |
|---|---|
| Excellent | x2 |
| Great | x1.7 |
| Nice | x1.3 |
I use the circle lock technique to snipe Incense legendaries on first hit Excellents nearly every time. Paired with medals and Ultra Balls, this gives baseline ~20% catch probability on something as stubborn as Landorus.
Know Incense Quirks
Exploiting certain Incense behaviors can further optimize its spawn rates and effectiveness. Take advantage of these hidden tricks.
Respawn Fleeing Pokémon
If an Incense Pokémon flees before you can catch it, you can force a respawn using the Despawn Repawn trick.
As soon as it despawns, walk over 200m away until it disappears from Nearby radar. Then double back to where you lost it. This will reuse the same Incense spawn "slot" to respawn the Pokémon!
I‘ve reclaimed many a Shiny this way. It takes perfect timing but saves precious Incense runtime.
Cache Spawns For Evolution Sessions
The bonus catch XP from Incense spawns makes them ideal to cache for mass evolutions.
Wait until you stockpile 60-100 catches then pop a Lucky Egg and mass evolve them all at once. Combined with a Star Piece the bonus Stardust can really add up!
I try to cache ~80 catches then lucky egg evolve in 30 minutes for huge XP/Dust gains. Beats wasting it on repeats!
Use While Remote Raiding
Incense pairs extremely well with battling raids remotely. Walking between Gym stops lets you use free daily passes without remaining stationary.
I like to hit a high density area like Santa Monica pier with ~5 visible Gyms. Pop incense and walk the loop remote raiding all T5/Megas that pop. Rare candy yields keep your raid party maxed without grinding!
Track Spawn Points
Avid Pokemon Go researchers have discovered fixed Incense spawn points surrounding players as they move. You can exploit these by tracking where rare spawns occur and retracing steps to force respawns.
As you move, make mental notes of spawn cluster points and what appears there. Then walk incense overlaps to reroll the dice. If you nail a rare find, walk perpendicular then directly back through the point.
Using this method I‘ve rerolled Unown and rare regional spawns repeatedly to finally catch them. But it requires intense focus and recall.
Prepare Your Inventory
Having sufficient resources is mandatory for marathon Incense sessions in remote areas. The last thing you want is to drain balls and berries then have no way to restock!
Stock Up On Balls/Berries
I make sure to carry at least 300 Poke Balls, 100 Great Balls and 50 Ultra Balls minimum. Likewise 100 Razz and 50 Golden Razz berries for tricky catches. Replenish anytime stocks dip below 50% of capacity.
Equip Efficiency Items
Items like Glacial Lure Modules, Quick Treats, and Silver Pinap Berries maximize output per catch. I use Glacial Lures while incensing near water for boosted Ice/Water spawns. Quick Treats let me check IVs quicker to favor Star high-ratings. Silver Pinaps provide more candy.
Bring A Battery Pack
Few things are more frustrating than having rare Incense spawns disrupted by low battery warnings. I recommend packing external battery packs with 12,000 mAh capacity minimum. This will fully recharge a phone 2-3 times over.
Make sure to also bring a wall charging brick in case outlets are accessible where you play. I‘ve had sessions saved by finding benches with plug access mid-walk.
Master Incense Strategy
Knowing when to leverage Incense versus rely on normal gameplay boosts overall efficiency. Follow these best practices for integrating Incense into your play schedule.
Avoid Using During Events/Community Days
According to advanced analysis by GamePress, Incense is generally not worth using during most in-game events [5]. These already provide boosted spawn rates along with perks like bonus catch Stardust, longer Lures etc.
You end up catching more rare Pokémon simply playing normally. Instead, rely on Incense during "off" periods with standard spawn dynamics.
Use During Non-Boosted Raid Hours
Contrasted to event play, Incense can be worthwhile when raiding remotely. If Niantic schedules a Raid Hour that does not boost wild spawns, Incense nicely supplements battling raids.
The free daily pass system incentivizes finding enough raids to hit the 1/day minimum. Having wild spawns via Incense makes this sustainable without needing Poke Stop dense areas.
Play During Unboosted Spotlight Hours
Similarly, certain spotlight bonuses like 2x Transfer Candy or 2x Catch XP don‘t improve baseline spawn rates. During these, Incense can carry gameplay once the hour ends.
Burn through standard spawns during the hour then keep momentum going later withIncense. Otherwise, you risk a sharp drop off once normal spawn dynamics resume.
Conclusion
With preparation, practice, and knowledge of Incense behaviors you can push its spawn capabilities to the limit. While basic use often proves lackluster, those willing to walk miles reap disproportionate rewards. Master these advanced tips to tap into Incense‘s true potential. Just be ready to grind those kilometers for the ultimate catches!
Let me know any other high tier techniques you use to maximize Incense sessions!
References
[1] https://articles.pokebattler.com/2022/12/21/incense-day-adventure-how-to-maximize-spawns-catch-bonuses-and-rewards[2] https://thesilphroad.com/science/quick-discovery/updated-species-habitats
[3] https://old.reddit.com/r/TheSilphRoad/comments/qvvg3a/research_how_exactly_does_incense_work_spawn/
[4] https://gamepress.gg/pokemongo/type-medals
[5] https://gamepress.gg/pokemongo/incense-day-should-you-buy-incense-box