You use XL Candy in Pokémon GO to power up your best Pokémon beyond level 40, so the main thing to do with it is invest it carefully into a few key targets instead of spreading it around.

What XL Candy Actually Does

XL Candy lets you level a Pokémon from level 40 up to level 50, boosting its CP and overall stats beyond the normal cap.

You unlock the ability to collect XL Candy from trainer level 31, but you can only use it once you’re at level 40.

How To Use XL Candy (Step‑by‑Step)

  1. Open your Pokémon storage and pick the specific Pokémon (or species line) you want to invest in.
  1. Tap on the Pokémon and hit the Power Up button.
  1. Once it’s above level 40, each additional power‑up will start consuming XL Candy plus Stardust and regular Candy.
  1. Confirm the power‑up and your Pokémon’s CP and level will increase toward level 50.

XL Candy is tied to evolutionary lines: for example, Squirtle XL Candy is used for Squirtle, Wartortle, and Blastoise.

What To Do With XL Candy (Practical Uses)

Here’s how most players use XL Candy effectively:

  • Build level 50 raid attackers
    • Focus on top meta species (e.g., strong legendaries, pseudo‑legendaries, or top DPS raid types) to squeeze out more damage and bulk.
  • Max out PvP specialists
    • Some Great League/Ultra League picks become much stronger when pushed close to level 50 within CP caps, so XL Candy is crucial there.
  • Future‑proof your favorites
    • Investing XL Candy into a handful of long‑term staples (like strong community day Pokémon or frequently boosted legendaries) keeps them relevant for new content.

Because it’s a slow resource to grind, most trainers treat XL Candy as a long‑term investment for a small core of “ace” Pokémon instead of casually using it on everything.

When You Shouldn’t Use XL Candy

There are also situations where the best thing to do with XL Candy is to wait :

  • Don’t rush it on random or low‑IV Pokémon
    • You can’t get XL Candy back, so it’s usually better to wait for a strong IV version of a species you like.
  • Avoid sinking it into weak or niche species
    • If a Pokémon isn’t good in raids or PvP and isn’t a personal favorite, it’s usually not worth the XL investment.
  • Be careful before converting regular Candy
    • You can turn 100 regular Candy into 1 XL Candy, but this is very inefficient and usually only worth it if you have thousands of regular Candy to spare.

Best Ways To Farm More XL Candy

Knowing what to do with XL Candy also means knowing how to get lots of it so you can actually commit to those big projects:

  • Catching Pokémon
    • Catching wild Pokémon has a chance to give XL Candy, with evolved, Legendary, and Mythical Pokémon giving guaranteed or higher amounts.
* Weather‑boosted and high‑level spawns increase XL Candy chances.
  • Hatching eggs
    • Eggs can drop XL Candy, and longer‑distance eggs tend to give more.
  • Walking your buddy
    • Walking with a buddy can periodically reward XL Candy, especially when it’s a high‑level buddy of the species you’re targeting.
  • Trading and transferring
    • Trading Pokémon has a chance to award XL Candy, with better odds the farther apart their catch locations are.
* Transferring Pokémon to the professor can also yield XL Candy.
  • Gym feeding and evolving
    • Feeding berries to Pokémon in gyms, and evolving Pokémon, both have chances to grant XL Candy.

If you’re chasing one specific species, the classic loop is: catch → hatch → walk → trade → transfer that species as much as possible.

Different Playstyles, Different XL Plans

Players tend to fall into a few main strategies for what to do with XL Candy:

  • The Raider
    • Dumps XL into top attackers of several types (e.g., strong dragons, shadows, or legendaries) to clear raids faster and survive longer.
  • The PvP Specialist
    • Saves every XL for key league staples that need high levels under CP caps, building a few perfect or near‑perfect level 50 builds.
  • The Collector/Fan
    • Prioritizes favorite shinies, hundos, or mascots, even if they’re not meta, just to flex fully maxed level 50 partners.

All of these are valid; the “best” choice is the one that matches how you actually enjoy playing.

Example: A Simple XL Candy Plan

Imagine you’ve stockpiled XL Candy for a popular raid attacker:

  • Step 1: Pick your best IV copy of that species (for raids, high attack IV; for PvP, league‑appropriate IVs).
  • Step 2: Power it to level 40 first using regular Candy and Stardust.
  • Step 3: From level 40 to 50, use XL Candy plus Stardust in stages, stopping if you get short on dust or want to pivot later.

This way you don’t burn all your Stardust and XL Candy at once, but still steadily build a maxed anchor for your team.

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