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How to power up and evolve Pokemon in Pokemon Go

Are you just starting and wondering what to do with your Pokemon? No worries, we have you covered! Here is how to power up and evolve Pokemon in Pokemon Go!
By
October 3, 2016
One of the core mechanics in Pokemon Go is powering up and evolving your Pokemon. It requires time and patience along with a whole ton of Poke Balls. You’ll also need a little bit of luck! Here is how you power up and evolve your Pokemon in Pokemon Go!


how to power up and evolve pokemon in pokemon go

What you’ll need

Let’s start with the basic items you will need to power up your Pokemon and how you can get them:

How to get Pokemon Candy:

  • You will need candy specific to that species. For instance, to evolve a Weedle into a Kakuna, you’ll need Weedle Candy. Likewise, to evolve a Kakuna into a Beedrill, you will need more Weedle Candy.
  • Candy can be obtained by catching Pokemon. Each one that you catch will provide you with three Candy for that species. If you catch an Eevee, you’ll receive three Eevee Candy.
  • You can also get one Candy by sending a Pokemon back to the professor using the Transfer function on the Pokemon’s stat page (using the forward action button). This is a great way to make use out of your low power Pokemon that you can’t otherwise use in Pokemon Go and save some space in the process.
  • In a more recent update, Niantic has also included a new buddy system. You can assign a Pokemon as your buddy and you’ll earn candy as you walk. Check this list to see how many kilometers you’ll need to walk to earn a candy for each species!
  • You can also earn candy by hatching eggs. Whatever pops out of the egg will also be accompanied by some candy to evolve or upgrade it!

How to get Stardust in Pokemon Go:

  • Stardust is a fairly common resource in Pokemon Go. The most common way to get it is from catching Pokemon. Each Pokemon you catch will earn you 100 stardust. If it’s a Pokemon you had not previously caught, you’ll be awarded with 500 stardust.
  • When you hatch an egg, you’ll be given a new Pokemon, XP, some candy, and some stardust.
  • Once per day, you’ll be able to “cash out” from the Shop if you have Pokemon on a Gym which awards you with 10 Poke Coins and 500 stardust per Pokemon. Thus, if you have a Pokemon on three Gyms, a cash out will award you 30 Poke Coins and 1500 stardust. You can learn more about Gyms in our tutorial on how to take and defend Gyms in Pokemon Go! This is the most efficient way to get large amounts of stardust at once.

how to level up and evolve pokemon in pokemon go

How to power up Pokemon in Pokemon Go

Every Pokemon comes with a CP rating in Pokemon Go. CP simply stands for “combat power” and it’s a cumulative number that shows a quick measurement of your Pokemon’s strength. powering up Pokemon increases that number which, in turn, makes it more powerful. Here’s how you power up Pokemon in Pokemon Go:

  • On any Pokemon’s stat page, you’ll see the “Power Up” button. Press that and then confirm your selection and your Pokemon will power up. It’s really quite easy.
  • Powering up always requires a certain amount of stardust and at least one Candy from that species. Pokemon with lower CP can be powered up for as little as 200 stardust and one Candy. Evolved Pokemon with a higher CP will require far more stardust and, potentially, more than one Candy to power up.
  • It is a wise decision to hold off on powering up Pokemon until you have reached a higher level. You will inevitably catch and evolve Pokemon that are stronger than the ones you have right now and you’ll want to save your Candy and stardust for those Pokemon. This is especially true for rarer types where you don’t get much Candy to level it up.
  • Above every Pokemon’s picture on the stat page is a white meter. This meter is a visual representation of that Pokemon’s potential growth. In the Bellsprout image above, you can see that the meter is almost at the end. That means the Bellsprout can only be powered up a few more times before it is maxed out. This carries over to the evolved form as well.
  • A Pokemon can only become a certain power based on your character’s level. When you level up, you’ll be able to continue leveling up your Pokemon as well. It should be noted they do not power up on their own, you still have to do it.

how to power up and evolve pokemon in pokemon go

How to evolve Pokemon in Pokemon Go

Evolving Pokemon in Pokemon Go is just as easy as powering up them up. Here’s how you do it:

  • On the Pokemon stat page, you’ll see the “Evolve” button underneath the “Power Up” button. When you have enough Candy, press that button, confirm your selection, and watch the animation.
  • Most Pokemon will require between 12 and 100 Candy in order to evolve. There are exceptions, including Magikarp, which requires 400 Magikarp Candy to evolve into a Gyrados.
  • In general, Pokemon with three stages of evolution (Pidgey -> Pidgeotto -> Pidgeot) will require less Candy per evolution than a two stage evolution (Zubat -> Golbat). However, three-stage evolution Pokemon will usually cost more candy to get to the final evolution than a two-stage will.
  • You get 1000XP for evolving any Pokemon.
  • Most Pokemon have a fairly simple and standard evolution process. Eevee is the only exception as it can evolve into three different Pokemon. Click here to see our tutorial specifically on evolving Eevee!

Wrap up

There you have it. A quick little guide on evolving and powering up Pokemon. You’ll be doing both of these things frequently and the materials for doing so are fairly common. If you have any additional tips, tricks, or stories about evolving or powering up Pokemon, feel free to leave them in the comment section!