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I live out in the country, and cannot travel easily. Is there any way I can achieve things like selecting a team?

Other questions cover finding Pokemon and suggest driving to town to find gyms and stops. I can find Pokemon out here using incense; I can afford a few coins to replenish pokeballs, incense, and lucky eggs. I don't want to drive to town. I want to select a team without leaving my home property.

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    Possible duplicate of Will Pokemon Go work with my rural location?
    – rivermont
    Commented Sep 27, 2016 at 11:49
  • I'm up to level seven and have not been offered a chance to join a team. Neither can I click on the team indicator (which says "No Team") to join a team. I have collected, used incense and lucky eggs, and bought enough coins to keep my supplies up. I've evolved a few of my mons - best is a Pigeotto at CP 213 and 45 HP. I have found a permanent incubator, but haven't found any hatchable eggs. But I still can't see how to join a team without a gym. I have checked "Will Pokemon Go work with my rural location". It does not cover joining a team without a gym.
    – Pete
    Commented Sep 27, 2016 at 11:56
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    Possible duplicate of How do I pick a team?
    – Vemonus
    Commented Sep 27, 2016 at 13:16
  • A gym has appeared about 850 meters straight-line from my house (550 meters from the end of my long driveway) in a park. It's about 1300 meters without going cross-country (trespassing). If I go to the end of my driveway I can click on it and join a team (I chose Instinct), but then I get a message that the gym is too far away to?enter? (I forget). At least I got to choose a team (and now can get appraisals).
    – Pete
    Commented Sep 29, 2016 at 21:16
  • After edits & clarification, I don't think this question is a duplicate of either of those existing questions. This question is now about joining a team when not near a Gym. The first dupe covers whether a player in the country will be able to catch Pokemon, and the latter is how to actually pick a team, which OP now knows. Voting to leave open
    – Robotnik ♦
    Commented Oct 3, 2016 at 4:37

2 Answers 2

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Based on this and this, you actually do need to go to a Pokemon Gym in order to join a team.

As for gyms, they only allow you to get Pokécoins without paying for them. Theoretically, you could play without encountering gyms (or Pokéstops) but you will most likely end up having to pay for pokéballs to catch things and lucky eggs if you want to level up as fast as possible. Unfortunately, Pokémon Go was developed with urbanites and city dwellers in mind. Playing out in the country just won't be as good of an experience as it stands currently.

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    I've expanded my question with a comment. I still can't seem to join a team without a gym.
    – Pete
    Commented Sep 27, 2016 at 11:57
  • @Pete you were right. I hadn't realized you needed to go to a gym to pick a team. I updated my answer and added sources.
    – Vemonus
    Commented Sep 27, 2016 at 13:12
  • The other question is, what picking a team would bring when you can't participate in gym battles anyway. The app-intern validation of a Pokémon (CV calculation) is done by the team's leader. Is this function maybe not available when you haven't picked a team yet? And thus my first sentence would be wrong?
    – h0ch5tr4355
    Commented Sep 27, 2016 at 13:45
  • @h0ch5tr4355 that function is definitely not available without picking a team. I'm not really sure there'd be any other benefits for someone who can't battle, though.
    – Vemonus
    Commented Sep 27, 2016 at 13:46
  • Ok so since the time of that update there is a disadvantage without joining a team as it seems.
    – h0ch5tr4355
    Commented Sep 27, 2016 at 13:47
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There is no other way of selecting a team than clicking on a gym first. You don't need to be right next to the gym to do this, you can just click on it from a few blocks away as well. Once you have clicked on the gym, Professor Willow will present the 3 teams to choose from and you can make your choice.

So, in your case I suggest that next time you go to a city, get your cellphone out and click an a gym.

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  • Thanks. Unfortunately, this reduces the utility of the game considerably for me. I don't get into town much, and when I must, I am generally concentrating on whatever I need to do and getting out fast. I hate going to town, and gaming is very low on my "need-to" list. I may end up a very high-level unaffiliated player.
    – Pete
    Commented Sep 27, 2016 at 12:13
  • Well, you don't really need gyms to progress in the game actually. A nice benefit it provides though, once you have selected a team, is that you can Appraise your Pokemon to see which are the best. Also not only cities have gyms, but some small local villages might also have some and even most national parks have some. It literally only takes 1 minute or so to select a team.
    – Mr. Meeseeks
    Commented Sep 27, 2016 at 12:22
  • @Pete if you're not going to visit any gyms, then the teams aren't going to affect you or your gameplay in any way whatsoever. Gyms are the only place where it matters which (if any) team you have.
    – Peteris
    Commented Sep 27, 2016 at 19:45

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