‘Pokémon Go’ Tips: How to Get More Candy & Stardust

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In Pokemon Go, candy is used to evolve Pokemon, while Stardust is used to power them up. (Niantic)

Hoping to ensure that your Pokémon are the very best, ready to get out there and fight on behalf of Team Instinct, Team Mystic or Team Valor? Before you do so, you’ll want to make sure they’re powered up and evolved.

How do you do that? Well, to power up your Pokémon, you’ll need stardust or candy, and to evolve your Pokemon, you’ll need candy. Both will automatically be given to you every time you catch a new Pokémon.

But in addition to simply getting out there and catching them all, there are a few other tricks you can use to acquire additional candy and stardust. Here’s what you’ve got to do.


For More Candy, Transfer Pokémon to Professor Willow or Hatch Eggs

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Transferring Pokemon to Professor Willow will give players additional candy. (Niantic)

The primary way to get candy in Pokémon Go is to get out there and catch as many Pokémon as possible. The game incentives you to catch many of the same species, as you can trade in Pokémon to Professor Willow in exchange for candy associated with that creature.

To transfer a Pokémon for candy, follow these steps:

  • Click the Poké Ball in the bottom of the screen.
  • Choose “Pokémon.”
  • Click on the Pokémon you would like to transfer. (If it’s a duplicate, make sure you select the low-leveled one.)
  • Hit the button in the bottom right of the screen with the three lines.
  • Hit “transfer.”
  • Hit “yes.”

After you have successfully transferred the Pokémon, you will automatically gain a certain amount of species-related candy; for example, if you give Professor Willow a Bulbasaur, you will gain Bulbasaur candy. Only Bulbasaur candy can be used to power up your Pokémon.

The other option for getting more candy is to hatch eggs. You can get eggs at Poké Stops, the real-life locations around your area that give out random items. Click here for a guide to finding Poké Stops in your area. Once you have an egg in your possession, follow these steps to hatch it and get candy:

  • Click the Poké Ball in the bottom of the screen.
  • Choose “Pokémon.”
  • Choose the “Eggs” tab.
  • Select an egg.
  • Choose “Start Incubation.”
  • Select an incubator. (Note: The game starts you off with one incubator, but you can acquire more through Poké Stops or by buying them at the shop. One incubator can only be used to hatch three eggs.)
  • Take note of the number of kilometers listed under the egg. This is the real-life distance you need to walk in order to hatch the egg. You must now walk around while the Pokémon Go app is open, and after you reach the set number of kilometers, the egg will hatch and give you candy (plus a new Pokémon!).


For More Stardust, Station Pokémon at Gyms or Hatch Eggs

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Putting Pokemon at ally gyms will give players free Stardust. (Niantic/The Gaming Husband)

The main way to get more stardust is to station one of your Pokémon at one of your team’s gyms, either one that’s already claimed for your team or one you have claimed yourself. To station a Pokémon, follow these steps.

  • Visit a gym and select it.
  • Click the plus button in the bottom left of the screen.
  • Select the Pokémon you want to station at the gym.
  • Click “yes.”
  • Wait 24 hours.
  • Assuming the gym is still in your team’s control, visit the shop by hitting the Poké Ball at the bottom of the screen and selecting shop.
  • Click the shield in the top right corner of the screen, which should now say “Collect now!” You will receive 500 stardust for every gym you have claimed.

You can also gain stardust by hatching eggs. To do that, follow these steps:

  • Click the Poké Ball in the bottom of the screen.
  • Choose “Pokémon.”
  • Choose the “Eggs” tab.
  • Select an egg.
  • Choose “Start Incubation.”
  • Select an incubator. (Note: The game starts you off with one incubator, but you can acquire more through Poké Stops or by buying them at the shop. One incubator can only be used to hatch three eggs.)
  • Take note of the number of kilometers listed under the egg. This is the real-life distance you need to walk in order to hatch the egg. You must now walk around while the Pokémon Go app is open, and after you reach the set number of kilometers, the egg will hatch and give you stardust (plus a new Pokémon!).