Throwing consistent Curve Balls — spinning a ball before you throw it — is one of the most important skills you can master in Pokémon Go. Just throwing a standard Poké Ball with a curve gives you a 1.7 multiplier, more than the 1.5 of a Great Ball, and almost as much as the 1.7 of an Ultra Ball. And those bonuses multiply, so add a Razz Berry here, a Gold Medal there, and a Catch Bonus, and you can be looking at serious multipliers.
You also get an XP reward for nailing Curve Balls. Here's everything you need to know!
Catch bonuses in a nutshell
Catch bonuses in a nutshell
When you try to catch a Pokémon on your iPhone or Android phone, the goal is to toss your ball inside the shrinking ring around them. But there are special catch bonuses that can help improve your chances of keeping that Pokémon locked inside that Poké Ball rather than breaking free.
There are four catch bonuses: Nice, Great, Excellent, and Curve.
Nice is when the ball lands at the moment the radar circle is at its widest, and gives you 10XP.
Great is when the ball lands in the middle of the radar circle when it's half-size, and gives you 50XP.
Excellent is when the ball lands in the smallest radar circle and gives you 100XP.
Curve is when your ball curves, and gives you 10XP — and a better chance of catching the Pokémon.
Whatever bonus you're going for, remember to tap and hold on the Poké Ball to start the ring cycle so that you can wait to toss your ball until the ring is at the correct point.
Why Curve Balls are awesome
Before I figured out Curve Balls, I lost many a Poké Ball on bad throws, watching the ball fly off the screen after thinking I was throwing straight. I've cursed the Curve Ball's name, but the throw can actually be really powerful if you do it correctly.
Why? Because when thrown correctly, Curve Balls are more likely to land in the center of the radar ring and nab you the Great and Excellent bonus — which also increases the likelihood that your caught Pokémon will remain in its Poké Ball. The Curve Ball bonus itself, though a paltry 10XP, also gives you a higher chance of catching Pokémon.
How to throw a perfect Curve Ball
There are two ways to throw a perfect Curve Ball: The super spin, or the arc. Some people are more comfortable with one or the other, so you should try them both to see which feels most comfortable for you!
The "Super Spin" Curve Ball
For the super spin, you'll want to spin the Poké Ball in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction with your finger until it starts vibrating and sparkling. Which direction you spin largely depends on which hand you're using — I find spinning counter-clockwise easier with my left index finger, and clockwise easier with my right index finger. (I don't recommend using a thumb, because you won't have enough power for the actual throw.)
Once your Poké Ball is vibrating, you're going to want to flick your finger up the left (clockwise) or right (counter-clockwise) side of your screen; how far up and the speed at which you flick depends on the Pokémon's distance. If you want to picture it, you're basically tracing a J (counter-clockwise) or L (clockwise) on the screen.
This move takes a bit of practice, but once you master it, you'll find you rarely waste Poké Balls in throwing.
Personally, I find the Curve Ball more useful for long-distance Pokémon; for closer Pokémon, I use the method below: the arc.
The "Arc" Curve Ball
This is a slightly harder Curve Ball to master, but you're far more likely to get the 10XP "Curve Ball" bonus and a higher likelihood of Pokémon capture.
To achieve the arc, you're going to use the side of your index finger or thumb, rather than a straight-on throw. When you flick, you're going to flick your finger at an angle toward the left or right edge of the screen, but at the last second, twist your arc toward the Pokémon.
Cheat your way to a perfect Curve Ball
There's one other way to throw Curve Balls if you're on an iPhone or iPad: The cheater's way. If you use Apple's Accessibility features, you can "record" a Curve Ball and throw gesture to play back at any time — including, yes, while catching a Pokémon. (Hat tip to a Reddit commenter on The Silph Road subreddit for this trick.)
- Visit the Settings app and tap General > Accessibility.
- Under the Interaction header, tap AssistiveTouch.
- Turn AssistiveTouch On. You'll see a small glowing circle appear in the corner of your screen.
- Tap Create New Gesture.
- Inside the New Gesture box, perform the Curve Ball (either Arc or Super Spin gesture) with the same speed you would inside the game, then give it a name.
- Return to the Pokémon Go app.
- When you encounter a Pokémon, tap the AssistiveTouch glowing circle.
- Tap the Custom star.
- Choose the custom gesture.
- Move the targeting circle to properly start on your Poké Ball. When you release, the gesture will execute.
Note: You may have to try recording a couple of different variations on the gesture to execute it perfectly.
Catch 'em all with style!
Landing the perfect curveball can be tricky, but you'll increase your chances of being able to catch a Pokémon if you do it. You might need to get a lot of practice in before you get the hang of it. As always, if you need more balls to practice with, head to your nearby Poké Stop and spin to acquire more.
