Getting XP fast in Pokémon Go is useful for speeding through Pokémon Go level requirements — something that players must do if they want to unlock the use of Candy XL and raise their Pokémon level cap from 40 to 50!

But even before then, a higher Trainer level in Pokémon Go will help in other ways, such as increasing your chances of meeting higher CP Pokémon out in the wild, and allow you to improve their effectiveness in battle.

Later Trainer level rewards get better over time, becoming more lucrative the higher your level, with more powerful Great Balls and Ultra Balls, additional Incubators, new curatives and other items becoming available.

Finally, the higher level you are, the sooner you’ll likely access new features. We've seen this twice in the past, with Raids and Friends rolling out first to a select higher level few, and though these were soon opened up to the broader player base, it's an extra incentive to get as much XP as you can. Most recently, Route creation was first rolled out to trainers over Level 48 — a feat that required a lifetime total of 121 million XP.

This page provides a list of XP sources in Pokémon Go, along with how to make the most of the fast XP methods in Pokémon Go.

Pokémon Go XP chart and sources listHow to get XP fast in Pokémon GoXP etiquette in Pokémon GoTo see this content please enable targeting cookies.Manage cookie settings Watch as battle Guzzlord - one of the Ultra Beasts in Pokémon GoWatch on YouTube

Pokémon Go XP chart and sources list

Almost every action in the game will give you XP of some kind, and it pays to know the most efficient methods.

Here’s a run-down to help you plan your activities, accurate as of August 2023.

There are a couple of things that really stand out as big-XP tasks: Excellent Throws (1000 XP), Legendary Raids (10,000 XP), a seven-day catch streak bonus (20,000 XP) and becoming Best Friends with another Trainer (100,000 XP).

Anything on the following list that can stack, will stack — for example, evolving a new Pokémon will give you 1000 XP for the new Pokédex entry, as well as the 1000 XP for the evolution itself.

It’s also worth remembering that bonuses stack in Pokémon Go. This means that if you use a Lucky Egg, your XP rewards will double for the next 30 minutes. If it's a Community Day that gives triple catch XP, that will also stack, offering a whopping 6x multiplier.

Double XP events come and go on a semi-regular basis in Pokémon Go. There’s not only the weekly rotating Spotlight Hour bonus, but monthly Community Days and the occasional Community Day Classics, though these tend to come with fewer bonuses. Beyond that, there's Go Fest, Go Tour and the occasional special events celebrating anything from the seasons to the holidays, and even the release of a new Pokémon in Pokémon Go!

In short, there's no shortage of ways to gain XP, and gain XP quickly — the trick is knowing how and when to make the most of these bonuses.

XP sourceNormal XP2x XP4x XPCapture any Pokémon100 XP200 XP400 XPNew Pokédex entry1000 XP2000 XP4000 XPCatch a Pokémon with a Curve Ball20 XP40 XP80 XPCatch a Pokémon with a Nice throw20 XP40 XP80 XPCatch a Pokémon with a Great throw100 XP200 XP200 XPCatch a Pokémon with an Excellent Throw1000 XP2000 XP4000 XPCatch a Pokémon on the first attempt (First Throw)50 XP100 XP200 XPCatch a Pokémon in AR mode (Expert Handler)300 XP600 XP1200 XPCatch a Pokémon for the 100th time (Collector Bonus)100 XP200 XP400 XPCatch a Pokémon with the same time as an active Mega Evolved Pokémon25 XP50 XP100 XPPokémon runs away25 XP40 XP100 XPEvolving a Pokémon1000 XP2000 XP4000 XPHatching a 2km Egg500 XP1000 XP2000 XPHatching a 5km Egg1000 XP2000 XP4000 XPHatching a 7km Egg1500 XP3000 XP6000 XPHatching a 10km Egg1000 XP2000 XP4000 XPHatching a 12km Egg4000 XP8000 XP16000 XPSpinning a Photo Disc at a PokéStop100 XP200 XP400 XPSpinning a Photo Disc at an enemy/neutral Gym (No badge)25 XP50 XP100 XPSpinning a Photo Disc at a friendly Gym (No badge)31 XP32 XP64 XPSpinning a Photo Disc at an enemy/neutral Gym (Bronze)50 XP100 XP200 XPSpinning a Photo Disc at a friendly Gym (Bronze)63 XP126 XP252 XPSpinning a Photo Disc at an enemy/neutral Gym (Silver)75 XP150 XP300 XPSpinning a Photo Disc at a friendly Gym (Silver)94 XP188 XP376 XPSpinning a Photo Disc at an enemy/neutral Gym (Gold)100 XP200 XP400 XPSpinning a Photo Disc at a friendly Gym (Gold)125 XP250 XP500 XPBonus for spinning 10 unique PokéStops in 30 minutes100 XP200 XP400 XPBonus for spinning a new PokéStop300 XP600 XP1200 XPCompleting a Research Breakthrough3000 XP6000 XP12,000 XPFirst catch of the day1500 XP3000 XP6000 XPDaily Bonus for spinning a PokéStop on days one to six500 XP1000 XP2000 XPDaily Bonus for PokéStop on day seven2000 XP4000 XP8000 XPDaily Bonus for catching Pokémon500 XP1000 XP2000 XPDaily Bonus for catching Pokémon on day seven20,000 XP40,000 XP80,000 XPFeeding berry to Pokémon in a Gym50 XP100 XP200 XPWin Gym battle300 XP600 XP1200 XPDefeat every Pokémon in an enemy Gym in a single attempt150 XP300 XP600 XPDefeat an enemy Gym1000 XP2000 XP4000 XPCompleting a Tier 1 Raid3500 XP7000 XP14,000 XPCompleting a Tier 3 or Tier 4 Raid5000 XP10,000 XP20,000 XPCompleting a Tier 5 (Legendary) Raid10,000 XP20,000 XP40,000 XPCompleting an Elite Raid12,000 XP24,000 XP48,000 XPCompleting a Mega Legendary Raid13,000 XP26,000 XP52,000 XPSending a Gift200 XP400800Unlocking Great Friend status10,000 XP20,000 XP40,000 XPUnlocking Ultra Friend status50,000 XP100,000 XP200,000 XPUnlocking Best Friend status100,000 XP200,000 XP400,000 XP

The Season of Adventures Abound is here! The Halloween event has returned, bringing with it Greavard and Houndstone.Party Play - Pokémon Go's multiplayer feature - is here, along with the Welcome Party quest.You can also work on the Timed Investigation: Master Ball quest and compete in the Go Battle League.Be sure to compete in Shadow Raids, complete Routes, use Daily Adventure Incense for the chance of encountering Galarian Articuno, Galarian Zapdos and Galarian Moltres. This incense may also give you encounters with other rare Pokémon in Pokémon Go.

How to get XP fast in Pokémon Go

Though technically not the 'fastest' method, as it requires several months’ work, the best method is by levelling a Friend to Best Friend status, netting you a whopping 100,000 XP.

The reason this is widely viewed the fastest method is that you can reach Best Friend status with multiple Trainers in a single half-hour window using a Lucky Egg, you can quickly rack up millions of XP, at 200,000 XP per trainer.

As mentioned, this takes some time – 90 days in total – but since all it takes is a single interaction per day (Raid, trade or have either Trainer open a gift), it’s by far and away the most lucrative XP source in the game.

Beyond that, the fastest repeatable method in a short period of time is completing a Tier 5 raid, which will earn you 10,000 XP. With Raid Hours, you can chain multiple Tier 5 Raids in a single session, earning many times that, especially with a Lucky Egg.

The problem with this method is you need other players to help you out. If you can, it's worth joining a local Pokémon Go group – one which regularly schedules Raid attendance around Raid Hours and other events – so you have other Trainers to help you complete Raids easily.

Sadly, with the spring 2023 nerf to the Remote Raid system, playing online with friends is far more difficult than it used to (or needs to) be, so if you can find a good group of friendly local players, make the most of it!.

Otherwise, a very effective means of gaining XP is evolving Pokémon one after another while a Lucky Egg multiplier is active and during a matching Spotlight Hour. That’s 4000 XP per 30-second evolution. Do that over the course of an hour (using two lucky eggs) and you can rack up 480,000 XP.

This bonus is only available once per month, so make sure you wait for it if you want to make the most of it! This method requires some preparation, such as tagging the cheapest evolutions – Pidgeys, Weedles, Caterpies, Wurmples and Whismurs – so you’re ready to go. Keep an eye on our Spotlight Hour guides, as we will let you know when and what you should evolve to make the most of this brief window of opportunity!

Low-Candy Pokémon, such as Weedle, Caterpie and Wurmple, are your ticket to fast XP.

To get the most out of this method, capture as many first-evolution creatures as possible, with each capture giving you Candy and a potential creature to evolve. Remember you can get bonus Candy by transferring them back to the Professor, but make sure you have enough to actually evolve.

Another tip to make things easier and save time, is to search for 'Evolve' in your Pokémon list – this will filter every Pokémon you can evolve based on your current Candy. This is incredibly helpful during the Spotlight Hour grind.

Once you get into the habit of going after common creatures and saving them up for such evolution sprees, you'll be flying through trainer levels sooner than you think.

Finally, timing hatching eggs and getting a Pokémon Go Daily Bonus with a Lucky Egg will give you an extra dose of XP – and while along aren’t enough to spend a Lucky Egg on, are worth timing with the above methods if you can manage it.

Opening Eggs and becoming Best Friends with another player while a Lucky Egg is active really brings in the XP. | Image credit: Niantic

XP etiquette in Pokémon Go

One thing that you need to know is that the Best Friend system is held in very high regard among players, and those that don't follow XP etiquette in Pokémon Go can quickly be labelled as 'snipers' and ousted by some communities.

The issue is that if you level up to Best Friend, the 100,000 XP bonus triggers for both Trainers at the same time. Or to put it another way, if you spend three months working with someone get a huge XP boost, and they trigger it before you have a chance to use a Lucky Egg, you're not going to thank them for the additional 100,000 XP bonus that you missed out on.

So, in the interest of harmony, there are ways to get around this so everyone gets the biggest possible bonus!

Coordinate IRL (when you know the Trainer)

Keep an eye on the number of days (interactions) you have left with a Trainer. If you know the Trainer in real life, send them a message and warn them when you get close to levelling up, and ask them if they want to coordinate. If both Trainers want to use a Lucky Egg and get the bonus, pick a date and time.

Generally speaking, the start of a Community Day is the best time to do this, as it allows a very simple time point to work towards, which everyone in the world is aware of. If you're working across time zones, set the time to whoever has Community Day first — the Trainer with the later start time simply has to use a Lucky Egg as soon as they open the game (literally before anything else), and they will get the XP bonus, as it takes the game a few seconds for the bonus to push through.

Image credit: Niantic

Coordinate IRL (when you don't know the Trainer)

Keep an eye on the number of days (interactions) you have left with a Trainer. If you don't know the Trainer in real life, message them on Campfire or simply rename your buddy Pokémon to the time you want to level up your friendship. 'LvUp CD Start', for example, will get the message across – anyone who could level up with you will see your Buddy name on the screen before opening a gift.

Again, the start of a Community Day is the best time to do this, as it allows a very simple time point to work towards, which everyone in the world is aware of. If you're working across time zones, set the time to whoever has Community Day first — the Trainer with the later start time simply has to use a Lucky Egg as soon as they open the game (literally before anything else), and they will get the XP bonus, as it takes the game a few seconds for the bonus to push through.

Image credit: Niantic

Warn others if you mess up

We're all human, we all make mistakes. Sometimes you will open a gift, realise your mistake and panic as you hope your fellow Trainer won't be upset by your misclick. Worry not — all is not lost.

While you may have missed out on the bonus XP, you can often message your friend and warn them of what happened (ideally with a brief apology). This advanced warning will allow them to use a Lucky Egg and catch the XP when they open the game. It's not ideal, but it's a good safety net.

That's all we can say about levelling up for now! Good luck and may Arceus bless you with Excellent Curve Balls on your way to Level 50.

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