Pokemon Go has taken the world by storm, quite literally. And with this flurry of activity comes competition, as trainers wish to out-do their rivals. It’s for this reason that many trainers want the best, strongest, and even rarest Pokemon. There are three main ways to achieve this: to gain experience, to incubate an egg, and to actively capture rare Pokemon. None of these three options are particularly quick, but that’s the point. The best and most rare Pokemon in Pokemon Go are only obtained when long, strenuous hours are put in. But there are ways and techniques to evolve Pokemon faster, and it is this topic that we will explore in this guide.
1. The Old Fashioned Way
Pokemon players of old will remember that to evolve Pokemon you must first gain experience and this experience can take many forms. And this is no less true with Pokemon Go, though the rules are slightly different. Put simply, the more Pokemon you catch, the more experience or Stardust, you will gain. Once the Stardust level has reached a critical point, you can then evolve your Pokemon. It really is that simple. Check out the Pokemon data tab when you enter Pokemon Go. This data tab will feature the Pokemon you wish to evolve, and, next to each Pokemon is two gauges: Stardust and Candy. You can ignore Candy for now, though we will come back to this later. The Stardust gauge will feature a number; it could be anything but let’s assume 200, and when you have reached this target (by catching more and more Pokemon) a new option will appear. This option is called ‘Power Up’. The Power Up button will increase the CP and HP of the Pokemon you are powering up. Find out more about how to power up Pokemon in Pokemon Go and whether you should.
2. Finding Candy
Earlier we mentioned that alongside the Stardust gauge is another gauge, the Candy gauge. Using candy is yet another way to evolve Pokemon. But there is a difference between the Candy and Stardust gauges. It’s considerably easier to fill the Stardust gauge as it takes less effort and less time. The same cannot be said of Candy, though, with some effort, you can quickly evolve your favorite common Pokemon. If you want to evolve your Doduo, for example, you must catch a lot of that Pokemon in order to increase your candy stores. You cannot catch another type of Pokemon, say a Pikachu, and use this catch to increase your candy stores for Doduo. But the Candy gauge doesn’t increase just by catching the same Pokemon. You must first use the ‘transfer’ option. In other words, transfer the excess Pokemon (not the one you wish to evolve) to the Professor and he’ll reward you with that Pokemon’s candy. Eventually, your Candy stores for your chosen Pokemon will increase and, once it reaches the critical point, you will be given an option to ‘evolve’ the Pokemon. Don’t forget that rare Pokemon are harder to find and, as a result, finding their Candy can become difficult. Learn how to evolve your Pokemon faster in Pokemon Go.
3. Leveling up
Gaining experience is a fundamental way not only to enhance your Pokemon-catching prospects but also in your ability to acquire new Pokemon. For example, leveling up your character is almost as important as leveling up the Pokemon. In practice, this means attending gyms (and even taking over gyms) as this provides valuable experience (or XP). The same is true for collecting Pokemon. Even if you’re sick and tired of collecting that 150th Pidgey, it still comes with candy and experience. This experience adds up over the long term. Be sure to be consistent at all times. It’ll be worth it as your character levels up. One of the great techniques of gaining more experience is to use Pidgey. Put simply; you need to catch a lot of Pidgey (and we mean a lot!). You’ll also need a lucky egg, an item which doubles your potential experience. The idea is this: evolving a Pidgey takes only 12 candy with each evolution providing a very attractive 1,000 experience points. When you’re prepared and with enough Pidgeys to hand, you should crack the lucky egg and get on with the evolution of the Pidgeys. Depending on how many evolutions you have saved up, you could potentially gain multiple levels while using your lucky egg. This method is a simple, effective technique to gain a ton of experience. This experience can, in turn, improve your character level and assist in the evolution of both common Pokemon and the acquisition of rarer Pokemon, a win-win situation. See more about why and how to level up quickly in Pokemon Go.
4. Lure
The purpose of Pokemon Go is to catch as many Pokemon as possible, preferably every type of Pokemon. This can become challenging, not least because Pokemon, particularly rare Pokemon, can become quite difficult to catch. In addition, many players simply don’t have the time on their hands to go out and about and actually find these Pokemon. Thankfully, the developers of Pokemon Go found a solution to this problem: lures. A lure module is an item in Pokemon Go that allows you to attract more Pokemon to your surroundings. This makes Pokemon come to you, as opposed to the other way around. The other great thing about lure modules is that they have a group effect. If you’re by a Pokestop with friends, the activated incense also has an effect on the group, meaning more and more Pokemon are attracted to them, too. Bear in mind, though, that lures only lasts for thirty minutes. So get out and make the most of its many advantages. It not only helps you find new Pokemon, but it shortens the time needed to find and evolve that Pokemon to the next stage. You can also use incense, but this only affects your experience in Pokemon Go. It will not also help your friends. You can also stack a lure with incense to net a really productive half hour! Read more on how to catch rare Pokemon in Pokemon Go.