Two very important items that don’t take up any space in your Trainer bag are Pokemon Candies and Stardust. These two groups of items have a variety of uses: to Power-Up Pokemon, unlock a second charged attack, evolve Pokemon, and trade Pokemon with friends. Stardust and candies can only be seen when viewing a Pokemon’s summary page.
Pokemon Candies
Pokemon Candies are special items used to power up and evolve Pokemon. They are obtained numerous ways, but the most common way is from capturing Pokemon. These candies do not take up any space in your bag, and can only be seen when looking at a Pokemon’s summary page. Pokemon Candies are named after the base species of the Pokemon. For example, Bulbasaur candy is used to evolve Bulbasaur to Ivysaur and Ivysaur to Venusaur. Bulbasaur candy is also used to power up all three evolutionary stages: Bulbasaur, Ivysaur, and Venusaur. If a pre-evolution was added in a later generation, the original stage is used as the Pokemon candy’s name. For example, Pikachu candy are used to evolve Pichu to Pikachu and Pikachu to Raichu, but Pichu was added in the second generation.
The table below lists possible ways to obtain Pokemon candies.
| Method | Candies |
|---|---|
| Capture a Pokemon | 3 Candies |
| Capture Pokemon that has evolved | 5 Candies |
| Capture a Pokemon that has evolved twice | 5 Candies |
| Use a Pinap Berry before capturing a Pokemon | 2x Candies |
| Transfer a Pokemon | 1 Candy |
| Hatch an Egg | 16 Candies |
| Walk with your Pokemon Buddy | 1 Candy per 1-10km |
One of the primary uses for Pokemon Candies is to power up a Pokemon. Used alongside Stardust, Pokemon Candies will increase a Pokemon’s CP a small amount—usually between 20-45cp.
As a Pokemon’s CP raises, so too does the amount of Pokemon Candies and Stardust needed to power up the Pokemon. Eventually a Pokemon will max out on normal candies, and the only way to power up the Pokemon is to use Candy XL. It takes 100 regular Pokemon Candies to become 1 Candy XL, but sometimes 1 Candy XL will be given after transferring a Pokemon. Click the mini menu on a Pokemon’s summary to turn Candies into Candy XL, located above the tag and favorite buttons in the mini menu. This option will not become available until you reach Trainer Level 40.
In addition to powering up a Pokemon, Pokemon Candies are used to evolve Pokemon into their stronger forms. Not all Pokemon can evolve, however, and some newer Pokemon require special items or particular methods alongside Pokemon candies to evolve. See the page on Pokemon evolution for more information.
Another use for Pokemon Candies is to teach a Pokemon a new charged attack. After obtaining a set amount of Candies and Stardust, click the “New Attack” button near the bottom of a Pokemon’s summary. A random attack from the Pokemon’s moveset will be added.
Stardust
Stardust is an important item in Pokemon GO that is used alongside Pokemon Candies. Using a Star Piece will increase the amount of Stardust you earn by 50% for 30 minutes. Possible ways to obtain Stardust include:
- Exchange gifts with friends
- Battle a Friend
- Win a Raid Battle
- Win a Gym Battle
- Complete Field and Special Research
- Capture Pokemon
- Feed berries to Pokemon in your Team’s Gym
- Get a Daily Catch Streak (up to 7 Days)
- Get a Daily PokeStop Streak (up to 7 Days)
As outlined before: Pokemon Candies are used alongside Stardust to power up a Pokemon and teach them new Charged Attacks.
Stardust is also spent when trading Pokemon with friends. The stronger or rarer the Pokemon, the more Stardust is needed to trade. Shiny Pokemon and Legendary Pokemon require 40,000 stardust to trade!
