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How to train in Pokemon Go: Everything you need to know

Learn how to train your Pokemon and player character in Pokemon Go with this handy guide!
By
December 4, 2023
Pokemon Go Character Screen
Joe Hindy / Android Authority

Training is a fairly ambiguous term in Pokemon Go. Fans of the franchise equate training to battling and gaining experience to make Pokemon stronger. However, in Pokemon Go, only player characters gain experience, and Pokemon are powered up using Stardust. Since the term is so ambiguous, we’ll briefly cover how to train in Pokemon Go and how to train Pokemon in this tutorial.

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To train your Pokemon, use Stardust to level up your Pokemon and Candy to evolve them. To train your character, perform virtually any action in the game to earn EXP. If you are under level ten, you can access Battle Training in the Nearby tab where you can practice fight trainers to improve your battle skills.


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How to train your character in Pokemon Go

Pokemon Go Pokemon caught 1
Joe Hindy / Android Authority
Previously, a big part of the game was training in gyms spread throughout the world. You needed to help your team take control of a Gym, then battle to increase its Prestige level. Training a Gym and increasing its Prestige level made it more difficult for other teams to take, and gained you some valuable experience.

This system of training in Pokemon Go has long since been removed, but there are a number of other ways to gain experience and level up your player character. As you gain levels, you’ll be able to train your Pokemon to be even stronger! Here’s how to gain experience in Pokemon Go:

  • Battle against other players or AI trainer opponents.
  • Send gifts to other players. When you reach certain friendship milestones, you will receive a huge exp boost.
  • Catch Pokemon. Your first catch of the day and 7-day streaks gain you extra EXP, but every catch gives you a little bit.
  • Use finesse when catching Pokemon. Curveballs, catching on the first throw, and well-placed throws will earn bonus exp.
  • Participate in Raids. Defeating a raid boss gives a massive amount of exp.
  • Spin Pokestops and Gyms. Spinning Pokestops and Gyms gives a small amount of exp, with bonuses for streaks.
  • Hatch eggs. Hatching eggs gives small amounts of experience depending on the distance required to hatch them.
  • Use Lucky Eggs wisely. If you know you are about to hit a friendship milestone or complete a Raid, use a Lucky Egg first. It will double the amount of exp you earn for 30 minutes.

These are all great ways to earn yourself some experience. Ultimately though, you’ll need to do a fair amount of playing in order to reach the level cap of 40. Get out there and start catching more Pokemon!


How to train Pokemon in Pokemon Go

Pokemon Go level up
Joe Hindy / Android Authority
Training Pokemon isn’t nearly as fun as it is in the canon Pokemon games. They don’t gain experience by battling so forget about that. Instead, you have to use Stardust and Pokemon Candies.

Whenever you catch Pokemon, you’ll receive some Stardust. Typically this is around 100 Stardust per capture. You’ll also get a big bonus for your first catch of the day and when you hit a 7-day streak. Stardust is also rewarded for level-ups and from Pokestops, Gyms, and gifts from friends.

Pokemon Candies are gained by catching Pokemon or any of its evolutions. For example, you get Charmander candy from catching a Charmander, Charmeleon, or Charizard. Once caught you can set them as your buddy and gain candies by walking around outside. The distance required depends on the type of Pokemon, with legendary Pokemon needing a whopping 20 kilometers for a single candy.

Here’s how to train Pokemon in Pokemon Go:

  1. Find the Pokemon you want to level up in your inventory.
  2. Click the Power Up button.
  3. The game will ask you how many levels you want your Pokemon to gain. Hit the plus button until it’s as high as you want or you run out of resources. Confirm to level up your Pokemon.
  4. To evolve your Pokemon, hit the Evolve button once you have the required number of Pokemon Candies. Follow the steps and that’s it.

It’s extraordinarily simple and we wish that Niantic had included some other ways to level up your Pokemon. Nevertheless, this is the only method to train your Pokemon in Pokemon Go for now.


How to use Battle Training in Pokemon Go

Pokemon Go Battle Training
Battle Training is a feature for beginners. Until level ten, the Battle tab appears in the Nearby menu next to the Pokemon and Raid tabs. You can choose to fight any of the three trainers present. Players get rewards once per day, but otherwise, this is strictly for practice.

It’s also worth noting that your Pokemon won’t take damage during the training, so you don’t need to burn through potions and revives.


FAQ

Training has two purposes. Higher-level Pokemon battle better and longer against higher-level opponents. Leveling up your character can unlock various perks in the game.

You get some rewards for doing it once per day until you hit level ten and it disappears. However, it doesn’t level up your Pokemon. The point of training is to practice your combat skills for when you start fighting at gyms or raids.