How to train in Pokemon Go: Everything you need to know

Training is a fairly ambiguous term in Pokemon Go. Fans of the franchise equate training to battling and gaining experience to make Pokemon stronger. However, in Pokemon Go, only player characters gain experience, and Pokemon are powered up using Stardust. Since the term is so ambiguous, we’ll briefly cover how to train in Pokemon Go and how to train Pokemon in this tutorial.

Read Next: How to power up and evolve Pokemon in Pokemon Go

This system of training in Pokemon Go has long since been removed, but there are a number of other ways to gain experience and level up your player character. As you gain levels, you’ll be able to train your Pokemon to be even stronger! Here’s how to gain experience in Pokemon Go:

• Battle against other players or AI trainer opponents. Read more about how battling works in Pokemon Go.
• Send gifts to other players. When you reach certain friendship milestones, you will receive a huge exp boost.
• Catch Pokemon. Your first catch of the day and 7-day streaks gain you extra EXP, but every catch gives you a little bit
• Use finesse when catching Pokemon. Curveballs, catching on the first throw, and well-placed throws will earn bonus exp.
• Participate in Raids. Defeating a raid boss gives a massive amount of exp.
• Spin Pokestops and Gyms. Spinning Pokestops and Gyms gives a small amount of exp, with bonuses for streaks.
• Hatch eggs. Hatching eggs gives small amounts of experience depending on the distance required to hatch them.
• Use Lucky Eggs wisely. If you know you are about to hit a friendship milestone or complete a Raid, use a Lucky Egg first. It will double the amount of exp you earn for 30 minutes.

These are all great ways to earn yourself some experience. Ultimately though, you’ll need to do a fair amount of playing in order to reach the level cap of 40. Get out there and start catching more Pokemon!

How to train Pokemon in Pokemon Go

Whenever you catch Pokemon, you’ll receive some Stardust. Typically this is around 100 Stardust per capture. You’ll also get a big bonus for your first catch of the day and when you hit a 7-day streak. Stardust is also rewarded for level-ups and from Pokestops, Gyms, and gifts from friends.

Pokemon Candies are gained by catching Pokemon or any of its evolutions. For example, you get Charmander candy from catching a Charmander, Charmeleon, or Charizard. Once caught you can set them as your buddy and gain candies by walking around outside. The distance required depends on the type of Pokemon, with legendary Pokemon needing a whopping 20 kilometers for a single candy.

Here’s how you train Pokemon in Pokemon Go:

1. Find the Pokemon you want to level up in your inventory.
2. Click the Power Up button.
3. The game will ask you how many levels you want your Pokemon to gain. Hit the plus button until its as high as you want or you run out of resources. Confirm to level up your Pokemon.
4. To evolve your Pokemon, hit the Evolve button once you have the required number of Pokemon Candies. Follow the steps and that’s it.

It’s extraordinarily simple and we wish that Niantic had included some other ways to level up your Pokemon. Nevertheless, this is the only method to train your Pokemon in Pokemon Go for now.

How to use Battle Training in Pokemon Go

Unfortunately, I’ve been well over level ten since shortly after the game launched in 2016 so I had to rely on YouTube videos to see how it worked. You can read more about it on Niantic’s help website here.

Read next: How to battle in Pokemon Go

FAQ

What do you get for training in Pokemon Go?

Training has two purposes. Higher-level Pokemon battle better and longer against higher-level opponents. Leveling up your character can unlock various perks in the game.

Does Battle Training actually do anything?

You get some rewards for doing it once per day until you hit level ten and it disappears. However, it doesn’t level up your Pokemon. The point of training is to practice your combat skills for when you start fighting at gyms or raids.