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what do you do with xl candy in pokemon go

You spend XL Candy in Pokémon Go to power up a specific species past level 40 so it can reach higher CP and overall stats than with normal candy alone.

What XL Candy Does

  • XL Candy lets you power up Pokémon beyond the old cap, from level 40 up to around level 50.
  • It works like regular candy, but only kicks in for high-level power-ups once you’re at Trainer Level 40.
  • Each XL Candy is tied to an evolution line (for example, all Charmander/Charmeleon/Charizard share the same XL Candy).

So in practice, you hoard XL Candy for meta‑relevant Pokémon (like legendaries or strong raid/ PvP picks) and then dump it into 1–2 excellent IV specimens to max them out.

How To Use It (In The App)

  1. Open the Pokémon you want to power up.
  2. Tap Power Up and keep tapping the plus button to raise the level.
  3. At lower levels, the game spends regular candy; once you push into higher levels, it will start asking for XL Candy instead, plus more Stardust.

Rare Candy XL is used from your Items bag and then converted into that species’ XL Candy, just like normal Rare Candy.

When Is XL Candy Worth Using?

  • Best on top raid attackers or PvP staples you know you’ll use a lot (e.g., strong legendaries, shadows, key Master League picks).
  • Less worth it on casual or “just for the Pokédex” mons, since XL Candy is slow and expensive to get.
  • Many players wait until they have a near-perfect IV Pokémon before investing.

Quick rule of thumb:
If you wouldn’t max it to 40 with regular candy and Stardust, you probably shouldn’t spend XL Candy on it either.

How You Get XL Candy (Short Version)

  • Catching Pokémon of that species (higher‑stage and legendary/Mythical give more).
  • Walking a Pokémon as your buddy (chance to get XL for that species).
  • Trading and transferring can each sometimes give XL Candy.
  • Converting 100 regular candy into 1 XL Candy if you’re desperate and have huge surplus.

TL;DR

You use XL Candy to push a Pokémon’s level and CP past 40, up to its real max, by feeding it during high-level power-ups, mainly for your strongest, long‑term raid and PvP investments.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.