One of the key aspects of the Pokémon GO is evolving your Pokémon, which not only helps you complete your Pokédex but also enhances your Pokémon’s power and abilities. In this article, we will explore the art of evolving Pokémon in Pokémon GO, from the reasons why you should do it to the strategies and tips for optimising your Pokémon evolution experience.
Evolving Pokémon plays a crucial role in completing your Pokédex. The Pokédex is a comprehensive collection of all available Pokémon species, and evolving Pokémon is necessary to obtain different evolutionary stages. By evolving Pokémon, you not only add entries to your Pokédex but also earn valuable rewards, such as experience points and in-game achievements.
Evolution transforms your Pokémon into a more powerful, often larger, and sometimes completely different species. This results in several advantages:
- Increased CP (Combat Power): Evolved Pokémon typically have higher CP, making them more formidable in battles, especially in gyms and raids.
- Enhanced Stats: Evolution improves a Pokémon’s base stats, like Attack, Defense, and Stamina, which can make your Pokémon more effective in battles and raids.
- New Moves: Some evolved Pokémon gain access to stronger or different moves, allowing for more strategic combat choices.
2x Evolution XP
Many players save Pokémon to evolve during events with a 2x evolution XP bonus. You can tag Pokémon that need evolving or that you intend to evolve and transfer purely for the XP to do during these events. Typically, one spotlight hour each month will have this bonus.
Exclusive Moves
Some Pokémon have exclusive moves which are only accessible during special events, such as Communtity Days, or through Elite TMs. Exclusive moves on our database are often denoted with an asterisk (*). Many players will hold off evolving their Pokémon until they have access to learning their exclusive move through evolution during an event.
Evolving Pokémon in Pokémon GO is a straightforward process. Here’s how you can do it:
- Acquire Candy: To evolve a specific Pokémon, you need a certain amount of that Pokémon’s candy. You can obtain candy by catching Pokémon of the same species, transferring them to Professor Willow, or using rare candies (discussed below).
- Visit the Pokémon’s Page: Open your Pokémon storage, select the Pokémon you want to evolve, and click on it to view its details.
- Evolve: If you have enough candy for that Pokémon, you’ll see the ‘Evolve’ option. Simply tap it to evolve your Pokémon. If you have the evolved form in your dex, you’ll see the Pokémon next to the ‘Evolve’ button, if not it’ll be a silhouette.
Candies are essential for evolving and powering up Pokémon. Here are some ways to acquire them:
- Catch Pokémon: Catching Pokémon of a specific species will reward you with that Pokémon’s candy. The number of candies you receive can vary, but it’s usually between 3 and 5 per catch. Using a Pinap berry will reward you with 6 candies per catch.
- Transfer Pokémon: You can transfer unwanted Pokémon to Professor Willow in exchange for candy. This is a useful way to clean up your inventory and gain more candy for your preferred species.
- Buddy Pokémon: Assigning a Pokémon as your buddy and walking a certain distance can earn you candy for that species. The required distance varies for different Pokémon.
- Rare Candies: Rare candies are a universal candy that can be used on any Pokémon. You can obtain them from completing raids and research tasks. Rare candies are difficult to come by, so it’s best to use them on Pokémon that aren’t commonly spawning.
Using search strings in Pokémon GO can help you quickly identify which Pokémon are ready to evolve. Here are some handy search strings:
evolve
- To see all Pokémon that can currently be evolved.
evolvenew
- To see all Pokémon that you can evolve to fill in a new Pokédex entry. Note that this shows Pokémon you can evolve right away in addition to Pokémon you’ll need extra Candy, items, or special conditions to evolve.
evolve&evolvenew
- To see Pokémon you can evolve right away that will be a new Pokédex entry
63-64,66-67,74-75,92-93,524-525,532-533,588,616,708,710- Pokémon that can be evolved for free (once) after being Traded
[hub-title]Special Evolution Cases
Some Pokémon have special requirements for evolution. Here are a few notable examples:
- Evolution Items – Some Pokémon require special evolution items and an amount of candy to evolve. These items can be picked up from spinning Gyms.
- Lure Modules – Some Pokémon evolve when you are in range of a Pokéstop that has an active lure module of a certain type.
- Time – Some Pokémon need to be evolved during the day or the night. Ursaring can only be evolved to Ursaluna on a full moon.
- Buddy tasks – Some Pokémon require you to do a task whilst they are your buddy, such as walking or winning raids.
- Trade evolution – Some Pokémon can be evolved for free if they have previously been traded. These Pokémon can also be evolved using candy but it is expensive.
Check out our database for evolution information.
When deciding which Pokémon to evolve, it’s essential to consider the individual values (IVs) and CP. High-IV Pokémon generally have more potential, but CP can be a more immediate concern. Here are some tips for making the right choice:
- If you’re interested in building PVP Pokémon, use the PVP feature on our database to work out what IVs are favourable and therefore which Pokémon to evolve
- If you’re a collector, focus on high-IV Pokémon to build a powerful team over time.
- Consider saving your Stardust and candy for high-IV, high-level Pokémon to get the best of both worlds.
Evolving Pokémon in Pokémon GO is a rewarding aspect of the game, allowing you to complete your Pokédex and strengthen your Pokémon for battles and raids. With this comprehensive guide, you’ll be well-equipped to make informed choices about which Pokémon to evolve and how to maximise their potential. So get out there, catch ’em all, and become a Pokémon master!
