Ingress Fitness: Tips for a Hopeful Guardian

Last week, I talked about a couple of Ingress badges: the Trekker and the Guardian. Of the two, the Guardian is hardest to get at its highest level. I think I managed to get to Silver once, and Gold twice before losing the portals that earned me those levels. To get to Black is incredibly hard.





















The only tips I can think of for those of you looking to take a portal to 150 days are these:

1. It's best to choose a portal a long way away from civilisation. Even small towns can be home to Ingress agents. Also be aware of holiday destinations. If they are popular, they may not be the best place to situate a hopeful guardian.
2. It's best if the portal is in a space that has restricted hours. Many National Parks in Australia, for example, close between 5 p.m. and 9 a.m. No nightwalkers (players who like to do their ingressing at night, away from the heat) are likely to take down the portal between those hours.
3. It's best if the portal is located early on a walking trail where people don't expect there to be any portals, or very late into a walk when people are just wanting to get back to their campsite or car, and are less likely to stop to take down something well defended.
4. It's best if the portal is well defended. That means getting it to more than level 5, which means teamwork and cooperating. Maybe take along a few friends and get them to help you by adding level 7 or 8 resonators, and turrets, force amps or strong shields. If it's a long walk with lots of other portals, you can do the same for them. If you come across a portal belonging to your team, you can boost its strength, as some players did for me, recently. Without their help, I'm not sure I would have kept the portal for the full 150 days. Ingress can be played on your own, and in your own time, but it is still a team game in this respect.
5. Don't link or field from this portal, as that's bound to draw attention to it. Face it, what ingress agent worth their salt can resist taking down a field or link put up by the opposing team?
6. Don't brag about your portal until the days are done. Don't talk about it. Don't drop hints about it. It is the portal you have when you don't have a portal.
7. Make sure your Agent Profile (under Device in your scanner) is set to "Make agent stats private." This makes it hard for agents of the opposing team to see if you have an active Guardian portal, since the days don't show, and can't be checked to see if they are increasing. There *are* players who seek out Guardian portals and take them down. This is especially important if you are an active agent, who makes a pain of themselves to the opposing team, and who has gained a dedicated following of opponents who make it a point to take back what you have captured.
8. It helps if the portal you are hoping to be a Guardian for, is in an area of dodgy phone reception. This limits the number of other players who can get their scanners to work in the area, and thus limits the number of attacks that can be made on the portal.
9. Remember to recharge the portal regularly. Check in on it, in the morning and in the evening, and sometimes during the day, but don't let its health rule your life. If a capture is going to happen, there will be very little you can do about it. Just make sure the portal is fully charged, at all times, and hope for the best.
10. Also, remember that  no portal can ever be yours. You might be trying to get your badge, but the game goes on. Trying for Guardian does not give you the right to claim a portal as solely yours, not even for 150 days. If it is captured, it's nothing personal, it's just the game. Find another portal, and try again. Many players look after multiple portals they hope will one day earn them the Guardian badge, and this is in case one is captured before the badge comes through. You would be advised to do the same.

IMPORTANT: NONE of these tips guarantee you will be able to guard a portal for the requisite 150 days you need in order to gain you Black Guardian, but they will help improve your chances of doing so.

Finally, good luck. You're going to need lots of it.

And, now, it's time to move.