How to Get XL Candy Fast in Pokémon GO — Every Method Ranked

What Is XL Candy and Why Do You Need It?

XL Candy is a species-specific resource introduced in December 2020 with the GO Beyond update, allowing Trainers to power up Pokémon from Level 40 to Level 50 — the current maximum. Unlike regular Candy, which is used from Level 1 to 39.5, XL Candy only becomes necessary once a Pokémon hits Level 40, and it is required for every single power-up from 40 to 50.

To fully max out one Pokémon from Level 40 to Level 50, you need 296 XL Candy and 250,000 Stardust. Shadow Pokémon demand 360 XL Candy, while Purified Pokémon need only 272 XL Candy thanks to their 10% discount. These numbers are identical for every species — a Pidgey costs the same 296 XL as a Mewtwo. The only difference is how hard that species is to find and catch repeatedly.

You can start earning XL Candy at Trainer Level 31 (reduced from 40 in June 2022), but you cannot spend it until you reach Trainer Level 40. This means mid-level Trainers should begin stockpiling XL for their future targets immediately — especially during Community Days and seasonal events where drop rates multiply.

Every XL Candy Source — Ranked by Speed & Efficiency

Not all XL Candy sources are created equal. Some guarantee drops every time. Others rely on RNG with low odds. This ranking combines drop rate reliability, speed per hour, and resource cost (Stardust, Poké Balls, incubators) to show you exactly where to focus your time.

1. Catching Pokémon — The Undisputed King

Catching is the fastest and most reliable way to farm XL Candy. According to Silph Road research, every catch of a Level 31+ Pokémon has roughly a 15–25% chance to drop 1–3 XL Candy. The higher the Pokémon’s level, the better the odds — which is why weather-boosted spawns (Level 6–35) are your best friends.

Pro tip: Use a Mega-Evolved Pokémon of the same type as your target catch. While Mega Evolution does not directly boost XL Candy drops, it increases regular Candy drops — and that extra Candy can be converted 100:1 if you are desperate. More importantly, Mega Evolution grants bonus catch XP and Candy, making your farming session more productive overall.

2. Hatching Eggs — Guaranteed but Slow

Eggs guarantee XL Candy on every hatch, with amounts scaling by egg distance. The downside is incubator cost and walking time. If you are free-to-play, prioritize 2km and 5km eggs during events. If you buy incubators, 10km and 12km eggs offer the best XL per kilometer walked.

3. Trading — IV Re-Roll + XL Chance

Trading gives both players a chance at XL Candy, with odds increasing based on the distance between where the two Pokémon were originally caught. This is one of the few methods that also improves your Pokémon’s IVs (via re-roll), making it doubly efficient.

4. Buddy Walking — Passive but Steady

Your Buddy Pokémon has a chance to find XL Candy at each Candy distance milestone (1km, 3km, 5km, or 20km depending on species). The chance is low — estimated at roughly 5–10% per milestone — but it requires zero active play. Set your target species as Buddy, enable Adventure Sync, and let your daily steps do the work. During events like the Precious Pals event, Buddy XL Candy rates are boosted significantly.

5. Transferring — The Cleanup Method

Every transfer to Professor Willow has a small random chance to grant 1 XL Candy. Mass-transferring a full storage box after a Community Day can yield 10–20 XL Candy in seconds. Higher-level transferred Pokémon have slightly better odds. This is not a primary farming method, but it adds up when you are already clearing storage.

6. Converting Regular Candy — The Nuclear Option

At a rate of 100 regular Candy → 1 XL Candy, conversion is brutally inefficient. To get the full 296 XL needed for Level 50, you would need 29,600 regular Candy — an absurd amount for most species. Only convert for commons like Pidgey, Weedle, or Rattata where you genuinely have thousands of spare Candy post-Community Day. Never convert Rare Candy unless you have no other option.

7. Rare XL Candy — The VIP Currency

Rare XL Candy works like regular Rare Candy: you can apply it to any species. Sources include leveling up past 40 (1–2 per level), Special Research at levels 43/45/48/50 (31 total across all tasks), and in-person raid rewards (1–3 per raid). Remote raids do not drop Rare XL Candy. Save every single piece for Legendary or Mythical Pokémon that are impossible to catch repeatedly.

8. Feeding Gym Berries — The Lottery

Feeding berries to Pokémon defending gyms has an extremely rare chance to drop 1 XL Candy. The odds are so low — estimated below 1% per berry — that this is not a viable farming strategy. Only do it if you are already feeding for gym badge XP or Stardust.

9. GO Battle League — Event-Only

GBL reward pools occasionally include Rare XL Candy during special seasons or events. This is inconsistent and should not be relied upon as a primary source. Treat it as a bonus when it happens.

10. Evolving — Hidden and Unreliable

Some Trainers report receiving 1 XL Candy when evolving a Pokémon, especially at higher levels. This is not officially confirmed by Niantic and appears to be a rare, undocumented bonus. Do not factor it into your farming plan.

The Fastest XL Candy Farming Strategy — Step by Step

Knowing the sources is not enough. You need a system that combines them for maximum yield per hour. This is the exact framework competitive Trainers use to max out multiple Level 50 Pokémon per season.

XL Candy Drop Rates — What the Data Actually Says

Silph Road researchers have collected tens of thousands of catch data points to estimate XL Candy drop rates. Here is what the numbers show for xl candy grinding go at different encounter levels.

The takeaway is clear: higher-level catches are dramatically more productive. A Level 45 wild spawn has roughly double the XL drop rate of a Level 31 spawn. Since weather-boosted spawns cap at Level 35, and raid bosses are fixed at Level 20 (25 if weather-boosted), the absolute best XL farming happens during events that spawn high-level wild Pokémon — like GO Fest, Community Day, or seasonal biome shifts.

For Legendary and Mythical raids, the guaranteed 3 XL per catch means you need 99 raids to get the full 296 XL for one Pokémon. At roughly 20 minutes per raid including lobby time, that is about 33 hours of raiding — a serious commitment. This is why Rare XL Candy is so precious for Legendary projects.

Event Bonuses & Multipliers — When to Go All-In

Niantic regularly runs events that multiply XL Candy income. Knowing which events to prioritize can cut your farming time in half.

During a 3× Community Day, one catch can yield up to 9 XL Candy (3 base × 3 multiplier). If you catch 150 Pokémon in three hours, that is potentially 450+ XL Candy — enough to max out one and a half Pokémon in a single afternoon. This is why competitive Trainers treat Community Day as the most important date on their calendar.

Common XL Candy Farming Mistakes

XL Candy FAQ