Pokémon Go XL Candy, how to get XL Candy and how XL Candy works

Publish date: 2022-12-04

XL Candy is a resource which allows you to level your Pokémon even further than before in Pokémon Go.

Introduced alongside the level cap increase alongside the Go Beyond update and the Season of Celebration, it allows players to increase the CP of a Pokémon past the original Level 40 cap, all the way to Level 50.

Sourcing XL Candy is similar to regular Candy in Pokémon Go, but with a number of small differences - including the ability to convert regular Candy into XL Candy. Though, as we'll discuss, it's not the most efficient method.

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Update: As of Wednesday, 1st June 2022 at 10am (local time) you only need to be Trainer level 31 to start earning XL Candy in Pokémon Go.

Pokémon Go - Go Beyond Update and Gen 6 teaser

What is XL Candy in Pokémon Go and how does XL Candy work?

Candy is a resource available when you reach Trainer Level 31, allowing you to level your Pokémon to an even higher CP level, which is very useful when competing in the Master League.

The Trainer Level requirement used to be 40, but as of the start of Season of GO in June 2022, it was reduced to Trainer Level 31.

As with Levels 1 to 40, this new CP level scales with the Trainer level cap increase - going all the way to Level 50. We haven't been able to confirm this yet, but according to user Disgruntled__Goat on the Silph Road subreddit, it looks like you can only level up a Pokémon ten levels past your current Trainer level. We'll update this page with new information when we can test this ourselves.

As with Candy and Mega Energy, each XL Candy is tied to that evolution chain of Pokémon. So if you want to level up a Charizard past its Level 40 CP cap, then you need to get your hands on Charmander XL Candy.

Due to it being a late-game resource, and the ability to make already powerful Pokémon even stronger, it's harder to get your hands on than existing Candy. That said, many of the methods are the same - it just involves a spot of luck.

How to get XL Candy in Pokémon Go

There are several ways to get XL Candy in Pokémon Go:

Remember, you can only start receiving XL Candy once you are Trainer Level 31.

There is also Rare XL Candy, which works the same as regular Rare Candy, allowing you to 'convert' this resource into XL Candy for your chosen Pokémon. However, you should not rely on using Rare XL Candy, as the only two ways of getting it are by levelling up past Level 40 to the level cap increase (where only one or two will drop per level and special challenge completion), or from uncommon raid rewards.

What is the fastest way to get XL Candy in Pokémon Go?

Taking all the above methods into consideration, the fastest way to get XL Candy in Pokémon Go is to catch Pokémon, especially if they are evolved, Legendary or Mythical, where XL Candy is guaranteed.

For unevolved Pokémon, there's still a decent chance; going by early user experiences in the Australian test ahead of a worldwide launch, this is around a 15% to 25% that each catch will give you one to three XL Candy for that Pokémon. Those odds, along with the fact catching is the fastest and easiest method on the above list, makes this by far the best way to get XL Candy.

With the introduction of guaranteed XL Candy for evolved, Legendary or Mythical, it's worth trying to make the use of Raid Hours and other events to help you power up creatures past level 41. Also, it makes opening the Meltan Mystery Box all the more attractive.

For unevolved creatures, there are also occasionally promotions which will give more Candy XL when catching than normal. For example during Season of Legends, certain encounters as part of Go Battle League rewards will give more XL Candy.

Regardless, it seems that converting Candy into XL Candy is a very expensive way to level up a Pokémon past Level 40, requiring some 29,600 Candy in total in total. Instead, it's better to use that Candy to evolve another Pokémon to Level 40.

But if you're able to catch a lot of a select Pokémon you want to evolve with XL Candy - such as during Community Day, seasonal events, or in the case of Meltan, using a Mystery Box - then the XL Candy grind in some instances can be eased significantly.

The Season of Go has arrived! The Pokémon TCG Crossover event is here, which includes the release of Wimpod and Golisopod. While Go Fest 2022 may be behind us, there are still three special research quests you might be working on - Pokémon Go Fest 2022, Rhi's Arrival and A Radiant World. Meanwhile, the Great League and Great League and Great League Remix are currently running in the Go Battle League Season 11. This season has also seen the lowering of the level requirement for Candy XL and introduced the first Ultra Beast, Nihilego.

How much XL Candy do you need to fully level a Pokémon in Pokémon Go?

To level a Pokémon from Level 40 to Level 50, you need a total of 296 XL Candy and 250,000 Stardust.

At each level, the amount of XL Candy required to level a Pokémon after level 40 is as follows (thanks to lewymd on the Silph Road subreddit for the following):

The amount of XL Candy you need is the same for every Pokémon, with the exception of Shadow Pokémon (which is increased to 360 XL Candy) and Purified Pokémon (which is reduced to 272 XL Candy). Thanks to 2kilotango on the Silph Road subreddit for confirming these.

As mentioned above, choosing to convert Candy into XL Candy is a very expensive prospect, costing 29,600 Candy in total. As such, it's best to earn as many XL Candy as possible through catching, or trading then transferring.

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