You're stuck. Level 37 feels like a brick wall, and Level 40 is a distant dream, let alone the nightmare climb to 50. We’ve all been there, staring at a massive XP bar that barely moves after a three-hour walk. Honestly, the biggest mistake most people make when wondering about Pokemon Go how to level up quickly is thinking that catching every Pidgey they see is the answer. It’s not. While catching is the soul of the game, it’s a drop in the bucket compared to the massive XP engines hidden in friendship mechanics and specific event bonuses.
If you want to stop crawling and start sprinting, you have to stop playing "normally." You need to play strategically.
The Friendship Meta is Broken (In a Good Way)
Let’s be real: Friendship is the undisputed king of XP. Nothing else even comes close. When you hit "Best Friends" with someone, you get 100,000 XP. Pop a Lucky Egg right before that interaction, and it doubles to 200,000. That is more XP than you’d get from catching literally thousands of Pokemon.
The strategy here is simple but requires a bit of social management. You don’t need to know these people in real life. Head over to the r/PokemonGoFriends subreddit or use apps like PokeGenie. Fill your friend list to the 400-person cap. Every day, send and open your maximum allowance of gifts.
The real "pro" move? Coordination. You’ll notice your friends getting close to "Ultra" (50,000 XP) or "Best" (100,000 XP) status. If you see that only one day is left, wait. Don't open that gift. Wait until you have three or four friends all one day away, then message them or wait for a Community Day when people are likely to be online. Pop one Lucky Egg, open all those gifts, and watch two million XP hit your account in thirty seconds. It feels like cheating, but it’s just using the mechanics Niantic gave us.
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Raiding and the Host Advantage
Raiding is the flashy way to level up. A Tier 5 (Legendary) raid gives you 10,000 XP. During certain events, this can be boosted significantly. But if you’re buying Remote Raid Passes for every single bird or beast that pops up, you’re going to go broke before you hit Level 50.
Instead, focus on hosting. If you have a local gym, use PokeGenie to host a raid. You get the 10,000 XP for the win, plus you get the friendship XP for the five strangers you just added to help you. It’s a double dip.
Why Excellent Throws are Non-Negotiable
If you’re still just throwing "Nice" or "Great" curves, you’re leaving millions of XP on the table. An "Excellent" throw gives you 1,000 XP. With a Lucky Egg, that’s 2,000 XP per catch. During a 3x Catch XP event? That’s 6,000 XP for a single caterpie.
It’s hard. I get it. Some Pokemon like Zubat or Yanma are a nightmare to hit. But practice on the "big" circles—Slowpoke, Ponyta, or Wailmer. Once you lock in that muscle memory, your baseline XP gain per day will triple without you doing anything else differently. It’s the difference between a 30-minute walk being "okay" and being a massive level-up session.
Pokemon Go How to Level Up Quickly During Spotlight Hours
Every Tuesday at 6:00 PM local time, there’s a Spotlight Hour. Most people check if the Pokemon can be shiny and then ignore it if it’s something boring like Diglett. Big mistake. You need to look at the bonus.
Once a month, the bonus is "2x Evolve XP." This is your golden hour.
Stop transferring those cheap 12-candy and 25-candy evolutions like Pidgey, Wurmple, and Whismur. Hoard them. Tag them "Evolve." When that 2x Evolve XP hour hits, crack two Lucky Eggs (one for each 30-minute block) and just sit there evolving. Don’t even look at the screen. Just tap. You can clear over 600,000 XP in that hour just by recycling "trash" Pokemon. It’s boring, sure, but it’s efficient.
The Power of the "First" Streak
Consistency is boring to talk about, but the 7-day streaks are massive. Your first catch and first PokeStop spin of the day give you a small boost, but the 7th day in a row gives you a huge chunk.
- 7-Day Catch Streak: ~3,000 XP
- 7-Day Spin Streak: ~3,000 XP
If you time your 7th-day streak to land on a day when you’re already using a Lucky Egg for friendship or raiding, you’re maximizing every single action. Niantic rewards the habit. Don’t break the chain.
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Understanding the Level 40+ Requirements
Once you hit Level 40, XP isn't your only hurdle. Niantic introduced "Level Challenges." You could have 500 million XP, but if you haven’t caught 200 Pokemon in a single day or won 30 raids, you aren't moving to Level 41.
The tasks get weird. Level 43 requires you to earn 100,000 Stardust. Level 45 requires you to defeat 100 Team GO Rocket Grunts. Level 48 is particularly annoying, requiring you to walk 25km eight times in a week.
Because of this, you should never just focus on XP. You need to be working on your medals. Specifically, you need Platinum medals. To reach Level 49, you need 35 Platinum medals. If you haven’t been catching different types or battling in the GBL (Go Battle League), you’re going to be stuck at 48 for months even if you have the XP. Start working on those "easy" Platinums now—things like the "Kanto" medal or the "Wayfarer" medal if you’re into reviewing PokeStops.
Use the Daily Adventure Incense
Seriously. It’s free. It lasts 15 minutes. It attracts rare spawns (including those elusive Galarian Birds). But more importantly for the grind, it guarantees spawns even if you aren't in a high-density area. If you’re rural, this is your lifeline. Walk in a straight line—the game tracks distance better that way—and fast-catch everything that pops up.
The "Fast Catch" Glitch (The Ultimate Time Saver)
If you aren't fast-catching, you aren't grinding efficiently. It’s a well-known "feature" the community uses.
- Hold the berry icon with your left thumb and slide it slightly to the right (don't let go).
- Throw the ball with your right hand.
- As soon as the ball hits the Pokemon, let go of the berry icon and tap the screen to exit the encounter.
The Pokemon is caught (or flees) instantly, skipping the three-shake animation. This allows you to catch three times as many Pokemon in the same amount of time. During a Community Day, this is how people rack up 2-3 million XP in a few hours.
Practical Steps to Explode Your XP Today
Forget trying to do everything at once. If you want to see that bar move, follow this priority list:
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- Max out your Friends: Go to a friend-code sharing site right now. Add 50 people. Send gifts. Don't worry about the long term; just get those Good and Great friend bonuses rolling.
- Master the Curveball Excellent: Go find a Wailmer or a Slowpoke nest. Don't leave until you can hit 5 Excellents in a row. It’s a skill you keep forever.
- The "Tag" System: Create a tag called "XP Evolve." Every time you catch a weedle or caterpie, tag it. Save them for the next 2x Evolve XP Spotlight Hour.
- Check the Calendar: Open the "Today" view in your game. Look for upcoming events with "2x Catch XP" or "3x Catch XP." Mark your actual, real-life calendar. Those 3-hour windows are worth more than a month of casual play.
The grind from 1 to 40 is a marathon. The grind from 40 to 50 is a series of mountain climbs. Stop looking at the total number and start looking at your daily efficiency. Leveling up quickly isn't about playing more hours; it's about making the hours you do play count for ten times as much.