There are tons of different Pokemon in Pokemon Go, and Niantic is adding more all of the time. This leads to gamers wondering what exactly to do with all these new beasts they find themselves catching around town. A lot of players are stuck waiting for PvP to be added to the game, but you shouldn’t sit idle in the meantime. Leveling up your Pokemon in Pokemon Go is something you should always do. The added power of stronger will be very useful once PvP is added to the game. Some players are also doing the work in preparation for PvE raiding and the like to come to the mobile title.
Niantic has put two systems into the game, each one with different means of obtaining them and different effects. The process of powering up involves raising the CP of that Pokemon, which is a representation of how strong that Pokemon is. The higher the CP value, the stronger it will be. Powering up Pokemon in the game can be done by going to your collection menu, and selecting a team member. If you have the required items, simply press Power Up to consume these items and boost the CP of your target Pokemon.
You can also farm for higher CP spawns, but those require either special events or very high player traffic so it’s not always reliable.
Stardust is the most common option for leveling up your Pokemon in Pokemon Go. The resource is rewarded for doing pretty much anything in the game, here’s a list of common Stardust sources, The copious amounts of Stardust awarded for just catching Pokemon depend on the weather and whether the target is evolved.
| Pokémon Type | Base Dust | Weather Boost | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | 100 | 25 | 125 |
| 1st Stage | 300 | 75 | 375 |
| 2nd Stage | 500 | 125 | 625 |
There is no difference in the amount of Stardust required to power up an evolved form, so don’t worry about that. Stardust is also consumed when trading, so you will need a ton of it. Your friendship level with the other trainer can help reduce this cost though.
- First Catch of the Day gives extra 600 Stardust, 3,000 if done seven days in a row.
- Hatching Pokémon – depending on the type of egg.
- Feeding berries to a Pokémon at a gym gives 20 Stardust.
- Field and Special Research tasks.
- Claiming Research Breakthrough gives 2,000 Stardust.
- Opening gifts may give 100, 200, or 300 Stardust.
Candies are the rarer of the two options, only being obtainable through certain means. Niantic will sometimes host events and special promotions that give away the rare Candies, but they’re kind of hard to come by.
Candy in Pokemon Go is acquired in various ways such as capturing Pokémon (3 for first evolution form, 5 for second evolution form, 10 for last evolution form), or hatching eggs by walking around. Higher requirement eggs grant more Candy. There is one way to increase Candy drops though, and that’s by using a Pinap Berry on a Pokemon before capturing it.
