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How to take a gym and level it up in Pokemon Go!
June 10, 2025
What is a Gym in Pokemon Go?
Gyms are strategically located places around the world that various teams can capture and control. They are generally points of interest in your community. Popular Gym locations include churches, landmarks, monuments, schools, and similar places of note. There doesn’t seem to be much of a rhyme or reason to the choices that Niantic made when it comes to placement because we’ve seen churches with two gyms and schools with none. However, the defining characteristic is that they are all places that are available to the general public during most hours of the day and the vast majority of them are accessible without being required to enter any buildings.
How does a gym work?
When a team owns a Gym, they can place Pokemon onto that Gym. Here are some quick facts about Pokemon Go gyms:
Now that we have a baseline for how Gyms work, let’s talk more about leveling them up and taking them down!
How to fight an opposing Gym in Pokemon Go
Okay, you’ve got a team of Pokemon and there is a Gym in your sights. Here is how you take down a Gym and make it yours:
You have beaten all of the Pokemon on the Gym! You are a master of Pokemon Go and the world is your oyster, right? Not so fast!
How to actually take down a Gym in Pokemon Go
Like we mentioned earlier, every Gym has a certain amount of Prestige. When you defeat a Gym, you don’t actually overtake it. Instead, you’ll remove a portion of the Gym’s Prestige. Thus, to take down the Gym, you’ll have to fight it repeatedly to remove all of its Prestige. On lower level Gyms, this requires only a couple of battles. On maxed out Gyms, this could take all day. Make sure you’re prepared with plenty of time, recovery items, and bring friends along to help. Your friends can attack Gyms at the same time as you! Here are some quick tips on taking down Gyms in Pokemon Go:
How to level up a Gym in Pokemon Go
Leveling up a Gym is essential in its defense. At its core, all you’re really doing is attacking your own Gym. The difference is when you win, you’ll be adding Prestige to your Gym instead of removing it. Here is a short step-by-step guide on how to level up a Gym in Pokemon Go:
A few additional fun facts about Pokemon Go Gyms
There are a few other things you should probably know before heading out to take down your nearest Gym:
Pokemon Go Gyms are, by far, the most complex mechanics in the game. The Prestige, the battles, the nuance, etc has lent itself to tons of strategies, tips, tricks, and more. You’ll likely learn most of this while you battle gyms and learn plenty along your path to taking all the Gyms in your area. If you have any good tips, tricks, or stories about Gyms in Pokemon Go, tell us about it in the comments!
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