Level 40 to 50: Is XL Candy Worth It?
Ten levels cost 250,000 Stardust and 296 XL Candy and raise every stat by 6.3% — decisive in Master League and short-manned raids, invisible almost everywhere else.
What level 50 costs
Taking one Pokemon from level 40 to level 50 costs 250,000 Stardust and 296 XL Candy. That is 20 power-ups, so on average 12,500 Stardust and just under 15 XL Candy per tap (250,000 ÷ 20 and 296 ÷ 20), with the later ones costing more than the early ones. For comparison, the whole climb from level 20 to level 40 costs 225,000 Stardust and 248 regular Candy.
| Pokemon | Stardust, 40 to 50 | XL Candy |
|---|---|---|
| Regular | 250,000 | 296 |
| Lucky (×0.5 Stardust) | 125,000 | 296 |
| Purified (×0.9) | 225,000 | about 270 |
| Lucky and purified (×0.45 Stardust) | 112,500 | about 270 |
| Shadow (×1.2) | 300,000 | about 360 |
A raid team is six Pokemon, so a full level-50 team is 6 × 250,000 = 1,500,000 Stardust and 6 × 296 = 1,776 XL Candy on top of what it cost to reach 40. The Stardust is the smaller problem. XL Candy is per species, cannot be bought, and for a raid-only legendary it arrives a few pieces at a time.
What those ten levels buy
A Pokemon's Attack, Defense and HP are its base stats plus IVs, multiplied by a number that depends only on its level — the CP multiplier. At level 40 it is 0.7903. At level 50 it is 0.8403. The whole gain is the ratio between the two:
0.8403 ÷ 0.7903 = 1.0633 — every stat is 6.3% higher at level 50 than at level 40.
CP looks more impressive because it multiplies the stats together: 1.0633 × 1.0633 = 1.1306, so CP rises about 13%. A 15/15/15 Mewtwo goes from 4,178 CP to 4,724 CP, and 4,724 ÷ 4,178 = 1.13. The 13% is on the screen; the 6.3% is what happens in battle.
In a raid
Damage scales roughly with Attack, so a level-50 attacker deals about 6% more per hit before rounding and breakpoints. It also takes about 6% less from each boss attack and has 6.3% more HP, so it survives roughly 1.063 × 1.063 = 1.13 times as long. If a level-40 team beats a boss in 280 seconds, the same team at level 50 needs about 280 ÷ 1.063 = 263 seconds. Seventeen seconds is the difference between winning and timing out only when you were already at the edge.
The price per percent
The level-20 multiplier is 0.5974, so going from 20 to 40 raises stats by 0.7903 ÷ 0.5974 = 1.323, or 32.3%, for 225,000 Stardust. That is about 7,000 Stardust per 1% of stats (225,000 ÷ 32.3). From 40 to 50 you pay 250,000 for 6.3%: about 39,700 per 1%. Each percent costs roughly 5.7 times more above level 40 than below it, before counting the XL Candy.
The reusable comparison: 250,000 Stardust makes one attacker 6.3% stronger, or takes a new Pokemon from level 20 to 40 with 25,000 left over — a whole sixth of a raid team.
When level 50 pays for itself
Master League
Master League has no CP cap, so both sides bring the highest level they have and a level-40 Pokemon gives up 6.3% in every stat to a level-50 one in a mirror match. That decides who reaches a charged move first and who survives on a sliver of HP. If you play Master League seriously, level 50 with IVs as close to 15/15/15 as you can get is the entry fee, not a luxury.
Raids you are short-manning
If you duo or trio legendary raids, the margin is often a few seconds, and 6% more damage across six attackers is exactly that. In a lobby of eight it changes nothing you will notice. The raid group size guide shows how to work out which case you are in.
Species that need XL levels to reach a league cap
Some Pokemon are too weak to hit 1,500 or 2,500 CP by level 40. Medicham is the standard example: with 15/15/15 IVs it is 1,431 CP at level 40 — under the Great League cap — and 1,618 CP at level 50, so reaching the cap takes XL levels whatever its IVs are. For these species XL Candy is not a 6% bonus, it is what makes them playable at all. Every Pokedex page on this site has a CP-by-level table; if the level-40 figure is below the cap of the league you want, you are looking at an XL project. The PvP IVs guide covers how to pick the spread.
When it does not pay
- Your team of six for that type is not yet all at level 40. Finish that first.
- The Pokemon lacks the move that makes it good. A legacy move comes before XL Candy — see the Elite TM guide.
- You raid in big groups and do not play Master League. Nowhere in your game would the 6% show.
- It is a Great or Ultra League Pokemon that already reaches the cap below level 40. Extra levels would push it over.
Where XL Candy comes from, most reliable first
You earn XL Candy from trainer level 31. Niantic does not publish drop rates, so the list is ordered by how dependable each source is, not by a number.
- Trades across 100 km. When the two Pokemon were caught 100 km or more apart, the trade is guaranteed to give XL Candy. With 100 trades a day this is the one source with no luck involved. The trading guide covers the rest of the mechanics.
- Catching, especially high-level spawns. Every catch can drop XL Candy, and the chance is better the higher the level of the Pokemon caught. Weather-boosted wild spawns go up to level 35 instead of 30, so a species boosted by the current weather is the better farm.
- A Mega of the same type. At High Mega Level (7 Mega Evolutions of that species) catches sharing the Mega's type get a better XL chance, and at Max (30) a better one still; community documentation puts the bonuses at +10% and +25%. It also adds extra regular Candy per catch.
- Raids. Catching the boss can drop XL Candy for it, and Rare Candy XL converts into any species. For raid-only legendaries this is the main route, which is why they take months.
- Walking a buddy. Slow — buddy distance is 1, 3, 5 or 20 km per Candy depending on the species — but passive, and it works for species you cannot catch.
- Converting Candy. 100 Candy becomes 1 XL. All 296 XL this way would take 29,600 Candy, so treat conversion as the way to finish the last few, never as the plan.
A Community Day XL routine
Community Day runs from 14:00 to 17:00 local time and floods the map with one species, which makes it the cheapest place to pay for a level-50 project. Check the event calendar for the next one and its bonuses.
- Before 14:00, Mega Evolve something that shares a type with the featured Pokemon. A Mega lasts 8 hours, which covers the whole event. The XL bonus needs High or Max Mega Level, so this is a reason to have levelled one Mega per common type in advance.
- Catch for volume. Each catch is another XL roll. If the weather boosts the featured type, spawns run up to level 35 and the rolls are better.
- Do not transfer during the event. Tag the good IVs, keep everything else for step 5.
- Evolve the keeper before 21:00. In 2026 the exclusive move has been available for four hours after the event ends. Put XL Candy only into the one that has the move.
- Swap leftovers of the featured species with someone who caught theirs 100 km or more away. Each of those trades is guaranteed XL Candy, and Community Days in 2026 have typically halved the Stardust cost of trading.
- Convert only to close the gap. If you end the day 12 XL short, that is 12 × 100 = 1,200 Candy — reasonable on a Community Day. If you are 100 short it is 10,000 Candy; wait for the next source instead.
Who goes to level 50 first
A rule rather than a list of names, because names change with every rebalance and the best attackers and Master League rankings already track them. Put a candidate through these in order:
- Is your team of six for its role already at level 40? If not, stop. Level 40 across the team beats level 50 on one member. Where to spend Stardust has the full order.
- Does it have its best moveset, legacy move included? XL Candy on the wrong moveset is wasted.
- Will 6% decide anything where you use it? Master League, raids with two or three trainers, or a species that needs XL levels to reach its league cap. If none apply, stop.
- Is it Lucky? Lucky Pokemon pay 125,000 instead of 250,000. Between two similar candidates, the Lucky one goes first.
- Can you farm its XL Candy? A Community Day species is a weekend of work. A raid-only legendary competes for your Rare Candy XL with every other legendary, so choose one and finish it rather than spreading 296 XL across four.
- Are the IVs worth it? For raids the difference between 13 and 15 Attack is small next to ten levels. For Master League it is not. Hyper Training with Bottle Caps, added in 2025, can raise IVs on anything except a Shadow, so a near-miss is less of a dead end than it used to be.
Shadows
A Shadow pays 20% more: 300,000 Stardust and about 360 XL Candy. Whether that is worth it follows from one comparison. The Shadow bonus multiplies Attack by 1.2; level 50 multiplies it by 1.063. A level-40 Shadow therefore already hits harder than the level-50 regular form of the same Pokemon (1.2 against 1.063), so if you own both, the Shadow gets the XL Candy — after the step-1 test above. Shadow, purified or normal goes through the trade-offs.
Level 51
Best Buddy status adds one more level, which is how a level-50 Pokemon reaches 51. It only matters in the same places level 50 does, so plan it for a finished Master League Pokemon, not as a reason to start one.
FAQ
How much does it cost to power up from level 40 to 50?
250,000 Stardust and 296 XL Candy. A Lucky Pokemon pays 125,000 Stardust and the same XL Candy. A Shadow pays 20% more (300,000 Stardust, about 360 XL) and a purified Pokemon 10% less (225,000 Stardust, about 270 XL).
How much stronger is a level 50 Pokemon than a level 40 one?
6.3% in every stat. The CP multiplier is 0.7903 at level 40 and 0.8403 at level 50, and 0.8403 ÷ 0.7903 = 1.0633. CP rises about 13% because it multiplies the stats together, which makes the gain look bigger than it is in battle.
At what trainer level do you get XL Candy?
Trainer level 31. That did not change when the trainer level cap went to 80 in October 2025. In practice a Pokemon can be powered up to ten levels above your trainer level, capped at 50, so reaching level 50 needs trainer level 40.
What is the fastest way to get XL Candy?
For common species, a Community Day: catch in volume with a same-type Mega at High or Max Mega Level active, then trade the leftovers with someone who caught theirs 100 km or more away, which guarantees XL Candy per trade. Converting Candy at 100 to 1 is only for closing a small gap. For raid-only legendaries there is no fast way: raid catches, Rare Candy XL and buddy walking.
Should I power up a Shadow Pokemon to level 50?
If you own both forms, the Shadow goes first: its 1.2× Attack bonus is larger than the 1.063× that level 50 gives, so a level-40 Shadow already hits harder than the level-50 regular form. It costs 20% more, so make sure the rest of that team is at level 40 before you start.