Pokemon’s competitive scene started in 2000 with a regional championship held in various cities near London. The rules set for that championship were simple: trainers were only allowed to usePokemonfromBlueandRedversions. But, of course, players had to ensure their Pokemon were at the maxed level andhad the best moves possible.
From that point forward, the competitive scene hasextended to the TCG and mobile gameslikePokemon UniteandPokemon GO. But, leveling up Pokemon inPokemon GOis quite different from traditional Pokemon games since it’s directly tied to a player’s “Trainer Level.” Sometimes earning XP inPokemon GOisn’t as straightforward as it should be, especially without proper guidance.
No matter the XP earning method a player chooses to use, they should always use aLucky Egg. A Lucky Egg doubles XP gain from any source for 30 Minutes. Some Events extend the duration of Lucky Egg’s, so players should always keep an eye for upcoming Monthly Events.
Earning XP by Catching Pokemon
Catching Pokemon is an effective way to earn XP, but it highly depends on the number of Pokemon that spawn in an area. Players that live in rural regions may find it challenging to earn a decent amount of XP by catching Pokemon. In addition to from earning XP,players will also earn Stardust, which is needed to level up Pokemon.
Players can make this method easier by using aPokemon GOAuto-Catcher. These devices catch Pokemon without the player needing to be online, but they can only use Poke Balls, not Great/Ultra Balls. The major downside of using an Auto-catcher is that it uses many Poke Balls, so players will need to stock up beforehand.
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20 XP
25 XP
50 XP
100 XP
100th Catch of the Same Pokemon
300 XP
500 XP
1,000 XP
1,500 XP
6,000 XP
Earning XP by Hatching Pokemon Eggs
The Pokemon Egg hatching mechanic was first introduced inPokemon Gold,Silver, andCrystal,when the players received a mysterious egg that would hatch after taking a certain number of steps in the game.Pokemon GOincluded the same feature, but players must walk real-life steps instead of in-game steps.
Players receive XP every time an Egg hatches. And the more Incubators a player has, the more Pokemon Eggs they can hatch. To take full advantage of Egg hatching XP,players should enable Adventure Sync, since it counts the steps players take even if the game isn’t currently running on their mobile device.
2,000 XP
4,000 XP
Earning XP by Spinning PokeStops or Gyms
Spinning PokeStops or Gyms is one of the best ways players can obtain Poke Balls (including Great/Ultra Balls), Berries, andEvolution Items like Metal Coat or Up-Grade. But spinning PokeStops or Gyms also gives a decent amount of Trainer XP, so players should spin as many of them while playingPokemon GO.
Players can spin a PokeStop or Gym every 5 minutes (the PokeStop/Gym turns purple while in cooldown). There’s a limit of 1,200 spins per day (7,000 spins per week), but rarely will a player spin that amount unless they’re using an Auto-Spinner.
31 XP
63 XP
75 XP
94 XP
Spin 10 PokeStops in a Row
125 XP
250 XP
Spin 10 New PokeStops or Gyms in a Row
First to Sixth Day Streak Spinning a PokeStop or Gym
Seventh Day Streak of Spinning a PokeStop or Gym
Earning XP by Raiding or Battling Rival Gyms
Players who want to complete thePokedex available inPokemon GOwill need to participate in Raids, since they’re one of the few ways players can catch unique or Legendary Pokemon. Raids also give a substantial amount of XP (especially Legendary Mega Raids), so Raiding is an essential step in leveling for a player.
Raiding isn’t always easy alone, so players need to team up with their friends or otherPokemon GOfans to take down a Raid Pokemon. As for Battling Rival Gyms, players should use their best Pokemon to defeat the Rival Team. Players can also team up with players from their same team to take down Rival Gyms more quickly.
Feed a Berry to a Pokemon in a Gym
150 XP
3,500 XP
5,000 XP
Defeat a Legendary, EX, or Mega Raid
10,000 XP
13,000 XP
Earning XP with Friends
Undoubtedly, one of the most effective methods of earning thousands upon thousands of XP is increasing the Friendship level amongPokemon GOFriends. For example, upon reaching Best Friend status with a Poke Friend, players will receive 100,000 XP.
But, of course, reaching Best Friend or any other status takes time. To reach Ultra Friend status, players must interact (send gifts, battle together, or trade) with that person for 30 Days (it doesn’t have to be continuous). As for Best Friend status, players will need to interact with another player for 90 days.
Send a Gift to a Friend
200 XP
3,000 XP
50,000 XP
100,000 XP
Other Methods of Earning XP
Mass-evolving is a popular method of earning XP inPokemon GO, which has players evolve hundreds of Pokemon while using a Lucky Egg. Players should focus on catching Pokemon that require 25 Candies to evolve to make the most out of it. Once players have at least 100 or more Pokemon to evolve, they can use a Lucky Egg and evolve all of them.
Players can also earn a decent amount of XP by completing Special Research tasks like “Let’s GO, Meltan” or “A Thousand-Year Slumber.” But these only offer a one-time XP reward, so players shouldn’t expect to gain too much from completing the Special or Timed-Research tasks apart from earning item or Pokemon encounter rewards. And Research Breakthrough is only obtained by completing seven Research Tasks for seven days (it doesn’t have to be continuous).
Pokemon GOis available now for iOS and Android.
