How does XL Candy work in Pokémon Go?

As part of the Go Beyond series of updates Niantic is pushing out for Pokémon Go, players can now obtain a new kind of Candy called XL Candy. 

XL Candy is similar to the normal Candy you collect when catching Pokémon and completing Research Tasks, but the new type has several uses beyond simply improving your Pokémon slightly. 

Within the updates to Pokémon Go, Niantic has removed the level 40 cap for Pokémon, moving it to level 50. The XL Candy can be used to break that previous level limit, increasing a Pokémon’s CP to its absolute peak, though there are some limitations. 

One of the biggest limitations you’ll run into is the massive cost that powering up a Pokémon even a single level requires. It will take you roughly 250,000 Stardust and around 300 XL Candy to get a Pokémon from level 40 to 50. 

You can obtain XL Candy through catching Pokémon or a Raid Boss, trading, hatching, or transferring Pokémon, or exchanging regular Pokémon Candy at a transfer rate of one XL Candy per 100 regular Candy. 

Players won’t be able to get XL Candy until they hit level 40 and level 50 Pokémon aren’t usable in the Battle League right now if a player does manage to max them out.