Pokemon Go trainers will know the importance of XP but some of you may not fully understand how it works. XP is required to go up levels in the mobile game which, among other things, allows to control higher level Pokemon.
Each level you go through on Pokemon Go, the XP requirement increases to reach the next one. This means it is exponentially harder to increase your rank as you get closer to the final level of 40.
For example, to go from Level 1 to 2 it takes 1,000 XP, 10 to 11 you’ll need 10,000 XP and 30 to 31 will require a massive 500,000 XP. To put this in perspective when you reach Level 35 you’re not even one third of the way through reaching Level 40.
Naturally, this system allows new Pokemon Go players to ascend the levels relatively quickly while providing experienced players a challenge to reach the summit of level 40. This is why, despite days of playtime, many trainers linger around the Level 30 mark.
How much XP is needed for each level?
The table below shows exactly how much XP is needed to increase in level.
| Level | XP to reach next level | Total XP |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| 3 | 2,000 | 3,000 |
| 4 | 3,000 | 6,000 |
| 5 | 4,000 | 10,000 |
| 6 | 5,000 | 15,000 |
| 7 | 6,000 | 21,000 |
| 8 | 7,000 | 28,000 |
| 9 | 8,000 | 36,000 |
| 10 | 9,000 | 45,000 |
| 11 | 10,000 | 55,000 |
| 12 | 10,000 | 65,000 |
| 13 | 10,000 | 75,000 |
| 14 | 10,000 | 85,000 |
| 15 | 15,000 | 100,000 |
| 16 | 20,000 | 120,000 |
| 17 | 20,000 | 140,000 |
| 18 | 20,000 | 160,000 |
| 19 | 25,000 | 185,000 |
| 20 | 25,000 | 210,000 |
| 21 | 50,000 | 260,000 |
| 22 | 75,000 | 335,000 |
| 23 | 100,000 | 435,000 |
| 24 | 125,000 | 560,000 |
| 25 | 150,000 | 710,000 |
| 26 | 190,000 | 900,000 |
| 27 | 200,000 | 1,100,000 |
| 28 | 250,000 | 1,350,000 |
| 29 | 300,000 | 1,650,000 |
| 30 | 350,000 | 2,000,000 |
| 31 | 500,000 | 2,500,000 |
| 32 | 500,000 | 3,000,000 |
| 33 | 750,000 | 3,750,000 |
| 34 | 1,000,000 | 4,750,000 |
| 35 | 1,250,000 | 6,000,000 |
| 36 | 1,500,000 | 7,500,000 |
| 37 | 2,000,000 | 9,500,000 |
| 38 | 2,500,000 | 12,000,000 |
| 39 | 3,000,000 | 15,000,000 |
| 40 | 5,000,000 | 20,000,000 |
How much XP does each activity earn?
Some trainers will be happy to progress through the Pokemon Go ranks naturally but others may be determined to reach the Level 40 pinnacle as soon as possible. If you’re part of the latter camp then you’ll need to know the quickest way to gain XP.
Listed below are all the activities in Pokemon Go that result in obtaining XP.
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Encounters
| Curveball bonus | 10 |
| Nice throw bonus | 10 |
| Pokemon ran away | 25 |
| One throw bonus | 50 |
| Great throw bonus | 50 |
| Catch 100th Pokemon of same species | 100 |
| Catch Pokemon | 100 |
| Excellent throw bonus | 100 |
| Catch new Pokemon | 500 |
Interactions
| Spin enemy gym (badgeless) | 25 |
| Spin friendly gym (badgeless) | 31 |
| Spin Pokestop | 50 |
| Spin enemy gym (bronze) | 50 |
| Spin friendly gym (bronze) | 63 |
| Spin enemy gym (silver) | 75 |
| Spin friendly gym (silver) | 94 |
| Spin enemy gym (gold) | 100 |
| 10 Unique Pokestops bonus | 100 |
| Spin friendly gym (gold) | 125 |
| First spin of new Pokestop | 250 |
Egg hatching and evolving
| Hatch egg (2km) | 200 |
| Hatch egg (5km) | 500 |
| Evolve a Pokemon | 500 |
| Hatch egg (10km) | 1000 |
Daily bonuses
| First Pokestop of the day | 500 |
| First Pokemon catch of the day | 500 |
| Seven consecutive daily Pokestop spins bonus | 2500 |
| Seven consecutive daily catches bonus | 2500 |
Raid battles
| Complete tier 1 raid | 3000 |
| Complete tier 2 raid | 3500 |
| Complete tier 3 raid | 4000 |
| Complete tier 4 raid | 5000 |
| Complete tier 5 raid | 10000 |
Gym battles
| Defeat all enemy Pokemon at gym | 50 |
| Defeat enemy Pokemon at gym | 100 |
How to get XP fast?
Nothing stands out as a way to gain XP at a particularly fast rate but to go through the levels quickly, regularly hatching eggs, spinning PokeStops and winning raid battles offers generous XP. Of course, you are limited as to how much of these activities you can do in a day, though.
It is also important to note that lucky eggs double all XP while they are active. For example, if you hatch 10km egg with a lucky egg activated you will get 2,000 XP instead of 1,000.
One way to get a lot of XP is through friends. Sharing friend codes and becoming ultra friends is an excellent way to gain levels quickly.
The following XP is earned for each friend stage:
- Good Friend: 3,000 XP
- Great Friend: 10,000 XP
- Ultra Friend: 50,000 XP
- Best Friend: 100,000 XP
Getting to these stages takes time, literally, as it is based on days but if you’re disciplined with the process it seems to be the consensus quickest way to reach the Everest that is Level 40. Lucky eggs also apply to this bonus – so, if you can remember, make sure you’ve used a lucky egg when reaching a new friend stage!