You’ll catch more Pokémon than you can count in Pokémon Go, but only a few will make the cut for your “to be powered-up” list. Just like how your trainer has a level, your Pokémon does too. Leveling up a Pokémon will increase their combat power (CP), and Pokémon also share a level cap, same as the one for your trainer.
Powering up Pokémon requires resources like Stardust, Candy, and Candy XL, all highly-valued items. You’ll only be able to obtain these three resources by catching more Pokémon, meaning your resources will depend on how much you play the game. You’ll be able to level up your Pokémon to 10 levels higher than your trainer level, capping at 49.5. Thanks to this, you won’t need to level up your trainer to level 50 to upgrade your favorite Pokémon to the maximum level since you’ll be able to do that when you’re 40.
Considering how crowded a Pokédex can get, it may be challenging to identify how you can go on about upgrading your Pokémon. Here’s everything you need to know about powering up your Pokémon in Pokémon Go.
How can you power up a Pokémon in Pokémon Go?
Finding the Pokémon you’d like to power up through your Pokédex is the first step you’ll need to take.
- Click on the main menu button, the Poké Ball icon, while you’re in map view.
- Tap on the Pokémon button.
Choose a Pokémon, and you should see the “Power Up” button on their stat page. If you have enough resources, you’ll be able to click the button and receive a prompt asking whether you’re sure.
If you’re just at the beginning of your journey as a trainer, it’s usually advised to avoid powering up your Pokémon. The main reason behind this is that you’ll encounter more powerful Pokémon in the wild as you level up. Leveling up a Pokémon to level 15 when you’re level 5 can look cool at first, but you’ll be surrounded by better alternatives when you reach level 15 yourself.
Materials needed to power up a Pokémon are often more difficult to come by than other consumables in the game, turning saving them into a valid strategy. Most experienced players usually recommend waiting until you’re at least 10 levels off the level cap before starting to upgrade your Pokémon.
Following the metagame will also be essential to pick which Pokémon you’ll be powering up since you’ll want to get the most out of your resources. If your level is high enough, you should only power up Pokémon that you absolutely need to. An upcoming event can have a determining effect on who you should power up, alongside raids and Gym battles.
If you’re low on resources to upgrade your Pokémon, you’ll need to focus on gathering them during your Pokémon Go sessions.
How to get Candy in Pokémon Go
Candy is one of the prime resources you’ll need to power up a Pokémon. There isn’t a single type of Candy in the game, however. Each Pokémon type has its own Candy type. Every time you catch a Pokémon, you’ll be awarded three Candies of that Pokémon type, meaning you’ll need to catch more of them to power up. Like capturing a Pokémon, hatching them out of eggs will also award you with Candy.
Most of the Pokémon you catch won’t make the cut to be powered up, but you can still harness some Candy from them while also freeing up your inventory slots. Sending Pokémon back to the professor via the Transfer feature will net you one Candy for that Pokémon. This is an excellent way of earning extra Candy since the Pokémon you send back would collect dust in your collection otherwise.
If you’re in need of some desperate Candy for a Pokémon, you can also move them to your buddy slot and start walking with them. You’ll earn Candy for them as you walk more. How long you’ll need to walk for a Candy will depend on your Pokémon of choice, though.
How to get Stardust in Pokémon Go
Compared to Candies, you may have more Stardust at your disposal. Stardust is easier to come by since it can be earned from multiple sources and it’s used in evolving as well.
If it’s your first time catching a specific Pokémon, you’ll be awarded 500 Stardust. In cases where you capture Pokémon that are already registered in your Pokédex, then you’ll be given 100 Stardust instead. This also applies to hatching Pokémon from eggs. Hatching a Pokémon you’ve never seen before will net you 500 Stardust while getting one that you already have will give you 100 Stardust.
Another way of making sure that you never run out of Stardust will be through making sure that you always have Gyms captured in your name. When you have Pokémon in Gyms, you’ll be able to receive 10 Poké Coins and 500 Stardust for each of your Pokémon. The more Pokémon you have in Gyms, the higher your Stardust gain rate will be.
How to get Candy XL in Pokémon Go
The trainer level cap increased to 50 with the Beyond update, and Niantic introduced Candy XL as a new material that trainers will need to collect to level up their Pokémon above 40.
Candy XL unlocks after you reach trainer level 40, and they’ll only be visible in a Pokémon’s summary page if you have them. You don’t have to do anything different to earn Candy XL since it seems to be dropping from the same sources as regular Candy.
Transferring, catching, and hatching Pokémon can net you Candy XL, but it’ll be less consistent than your regular Candy income. There’s a bit of luck involved when it comes to earning Candy XL, but you should still collect enough of them to do important power ups as you continue playing regularly.
Power-up costs in Pokémon Go
You can navigate to your Pokémon summary page to see how many resources you’ll need to evolve them, but it may take a while if you have a long list. You can do the math for your next power-up session without even launching Pokémon Go, but you’ll need to know the levels of your Pokémon.
| Level | Stardust | Candy | Total Stardust you’ll need to to reach the respective level | Total Candy you’ll need to to reach the respective level |
| 1 | 200 | 1 | 200 | 1 |
| 1.5 | 200 | 1 | 400 | 2 |
| 2 | 200 | 1 | 600 | 3 |
| 2.5 | 200 | 1 | 800 | 4 |
| 3 | 400 | 1 | 1,200 | 5 |
| 3.5 | 400 | 1 | 1,600 | 6 |
| 4 | 400 | 1 | 2,000 | 7 |
| 4.5 | 400 | 1 | 2,400 | 8 |
| 5 | 600 | 1 | 3,000 | 9 |
| 5.5 | 600 | 1 | 3,600 | 10 |
| 6 | 600 | 1 | 4,200 | 11 |
| 6.5 | 600 | 1 | 4,800 | 12 |
| 7 | 800 | 1 | 5,600 | 13 |
| 7.5 | 800 | 1 | 6,400 | 14 |
| 8 | 800 | 1 | 7,200 | 15 |
| 8.5 | 800 | 1 | 8,000 | 16 |
| 9 | 1,000 | 1 | 9,000 | 17 |
| 9.5 | 1,000 | 1 | 10,000 | 18 |
| 10 | 1,000 | 1 | 11,000 | 19 |
| 10.5 | 1,000 | 1 | 12,000 | 20 |
| 11 | 1,300 | 2 | 13,300 | 22 |
| 11.5 | 1,300 | 2 | 14,600 | 24 |
| 12 | 1,300 | 2 | 15,900 | 26 |
| 12.5 | 1,300 | 2 | 17,200 | 28 |
| 13 | 1,600 | 2 | 18,800 | 30 |
| 13.5 | 1,600 | 2 | 20,400 | 32 |
| 14 | 1,600 | 2 | 22,000 | 34 |
| 14.5 | 1,600 | 2 | 23,600 | 36 |
| 15 | 1,900 | 2 | 25,500 | 38 |
| 15.5 | 1,900 | 2 | 27,400 | 40 |
| 16 | 1,900 | 2 | 29,300 | 42 |
| 16.5 | 1,900 | 2 | 31,200 | 44 |
| 17 | 2,200 | 2 | 33,400 | 46 |
| 17.5 | 2,200 | 2 | 35,600 | 48 |
| 18 | 2,200 | 2 | 37,800 | 50 |
| 18.5 | 2,200 | 2 | 40,000 | 52 |
| 19 | 2,500 | 2 | 42,500 | 54 |
| 19.5 | 2,500 | 2 | 45,000 | 56 |
| 20 | 2,500 | 2 | 47,500 | 58 |
| 20.5 | 2,500 | 2 | 50,000 | 60 |
| 21 | 3,000 | 3 | 53,000 | 63 |
| 21.5 | 3,000 | 3 | 56,000 | 66 |
| 22 | 3,000 | 3 | 59,000 | 69 |
| 22.5 | 3,000 | 3 | 62,000 | 72 |
| 23 | 3,500 | 3 | 65,500 | 75 |
| 23.5 | 3,500 | 3 | 69,000 | 78 |
| 24 | 3,500 | 3 | 72,500 | 81 |
| 24.5 | 3,500 | 3 | 76,000 | 84 |
| 25 | 4,000 | 3 | 80,000 | 87 |
| 25.5 | 4,000 | 3 | 84,000 | 90 |
| 26 | 4,000 | 4 | 88,000 | 94 |
| 26.5 | 4,000 | 4 | 92,000 | 98 |
| 27 | 4,500 | 4 | 96,500 | 102 |
| 27.5 | 4,500 | 4 | 101,000 | 106 |
| 28 | 4,500 | 4 | 105,500 | 110 |
| 28.5 | 4,500 | 4 | 110,000 | 114 |
| 29 | 5,000 | 4 | 115,000 | 118 |
| 29.5 | 5,000 | 4 | 120,000 | 122 |
| 30 | 5,000 | 4 | 125,000 | 126 |
| 30.5 | 5,000 | 4 | 130,000 | 130 |
| 31 | 6,000 | 6 | 136,000 | 136 |
| 31.5 | 6,000 | 6 | 142,000 | 142 |
| 32 | 6,000 | 6 | 148,000 | 148 |
| 32.5 | 6,000 | 6 | 154,000 | 154 |
| 33 | 7,000 | 8 | 161,000 | 162 |
| 33.5 | 7,000 | 8 | 168,000 | 170 |
| 34 | 7,000 | 8 | 175,000 | 178 |
| 34.5 | 7,000 | 8 | 182,000 | 186 |
| 35 | 8,000 | 10 | 190,000 | 196 |
| 35.5 | 8,000 | 10 | 198,000 | 206 |
| 36 | 8,000 | 10 | 206,000 | 216 |
| 36.5 | 8,000 | 10 | 214,000 | 226 |
| 37 | 9,000 | 12 | 223,000 | 238 |
| 37.5 | 9,000 | 12 | 232,000 | 250 |
| 38 | 9,000 | 12 | 241,000 | 262 |
| 38.5 | 9,000 | 12 | 250,000 | 274 |
| 39 | 10,000 | 15 | 260,000 | 289 |
| 39.5 | 10,000 | 15 | 270,000 | 304 |
| 40 | 10,000 | 10 | 280,000 | 10 |
| 40.5 | 10,000 | 10 | 290,000 | 20 |
| 41 | 11,000 | 10 | 301,000 | 30 |
| 41.5 | 11,000 | 10 | 312,000 | 40 |
| 42 | 11,000 | 12 | 323,000 | 52 |
| 42.5 | 11,000 | 12 | 334,000 | 64 |
| 43 | 12,000 | 12 | 346,000 | 76 |
| 43.5 | 12,000 | 12 | 358,000 | 88 |
| 44 | 12,000 | 15 | 370,000 | 103 |
| 44.5 | 12,000 | 15 | 382,000 | 118 |
| 45 | 13,000 | 15 | 395,000 | 133 |
| 45.5 | 13,000 | 15 | 408,000 | 148 |
| 46 | 13,000 | 17 | 421,000 | 165 |
| 46.5 | 13,000 | 17 | 434,000 | 182 |
| 47 | 14,000 | 17 | 448,000 | 199 |
| 47.5 | 14,000 | 17 | 462,000 | 216 |
| 48 | 14,000 | 20 | 476,000 | 236 |
| 48.5 | 14,000 | 20 | 490,000 | 256 |
| 49 | 15,000 | 20 | 505,000 | 276 |
| 49.5 | 15,000 | 20 | 520,000 | 296 |
Published: Feb 11, 2021 05:21 pm