How to earn and save Stardust
TrainingLast checked 2026-10-31
In 3 lines
- Stardust goes into power-ups, second Charged Attacks and trades, so you'll always be short. Deciding where to spend it first is the biggest way to save.
- Going from level 30 to 40 alone costs 150,000, and 40 to 50 costs 250,000, so save high-level power-ups for Pokémon you'll really use.
- Use Star Pieces (1.5× for 30 minutes) during events with a Stardust bonus. Lucky Pokémon cost half as much to power up.
What it's used for
- Power-ups: Every time you raise a level by 0.5. The higher the level, the more it costs.
- Second Charged Attack: 10,000–100,000 Stardust and 25–100 Candy, depending on the Pokémon.
- Trades: A regular trade costs 100, but a Special Trade costs 800–1,000,000 depending on your friendship level (see Trading and Lucky Pokémon).
Power-up costs by level
The cost is the same for every species within each level range (for regular Pokémon).
| Range | Stardust | Candy / Candy XL |
|---|---|---|
| 1 → 20 | 45,000 | 56 Candy |
| 20 → 30 | 75,000 | 66 Candy |
| 30 → 40 | 150,000 | 182 Candy |
| 40 → 50 | 250,000 | 296 Candy XL |
Raid, Egg and research Pokémon come at level 20 (level 25 for weather-boosted raids), so for the same Pokémon, it's cheaper to raise one that starts at a higher level.
Cost by state
| State | Power-up Stardust and Candy |
|---|---|
| Lucky Pokémon | Half the Stardust |
| Shadow Pokémon | 1.2× |
| Purified Pokémon | 0.9× |
How to earn it
- You always get it for catching Pokémon and hatching Eggs. It's also often in raid and research rewards, and in GO Pass rewards.
- A Star Piece gives you 1.5× Stardust for 30 minutes.
- You'll earn the most by stacking a Star Piece with a '2× or 3× catch Stardust' bonus during Community Day or other events. Check event bonuses on Events.
How to save it
- Pick which Pokémon to power up after checking their IVs.
- Spend on level 40 and above only for your go-to raid attackers and GO Battle League team.
- For Pokémon you'll use for a long time, raising one you got in a Lucky Trade costs half the Stardust.
- Don't power up a Pokémon before it evolves. Evolve it first, then power up (the cost depends only on level, so it's the same, but you can decide after seeing its evolved CP).
Checklist
- Use Star Pieces during Stardust bonus events
- Check IVs and state (Lucky, Shadow) before powering up
- Second Charged Attacks only for Pokémon you use often
Sources
- Site data: power-up costs and state multipliers are from the power-up settings in the Game Master (PokeMiners); second Charged Attack costs are from each Pokémon's settings
- Site data: the Star Piece effect (1.5×, 30 minutes) is from the item settings in the Game Master (Item dex)
Related Pokémon & events
- Dragonite
- Rayquaza
More in Training
- How to use Candy and Candy XLYou collect Candy by catching, transferring, walking with your buddy, trading and hatching, and from level 40 you power up with Candy XL.
- What to power up first (power-up priorities for beginners)Stardust is limited, so first power up strong counters you'll use for a long time across many raids.
- TMs and how to learn exclusive moves (Elite TMs and Community Day moves)Fast TMs and Charged TMs change a move at random, and they can't teach exclusive moves such as Community Day moves.
- How to raise your Trainer level fast (earning XP)The fastest way is to activate a Lucky Egg (2× XP for 30 minutes) and do your evolving, catching and raids all at once.
- Shadow Pokémon: when to purifyShadow Pokémon have 1.2× Attack but also take more damage, and they cost 1.2× Stardust and Candy to power up.
- Evolution items and the Pokémon that use themSome Pokémon need an evolution item on top of Candy to evolve. The Sinnoh Stone is used for 18 species and the Unova Stone for 7.
- Every way to evolve Eevee (nicknames, Lure Modules and buddy)Eevee evolves into one of 8 Pokémon for 25 Candy, and you can choose the evolution you want by meeting its condition.
- Egg hatching guide (Eggs by distance and incubators)Eggs come in distances such as 2, 5, 7, 10 and 12 km. Put one in an incubator and walk that far, and a Pokémon hatches.
- Buddy Pokémon guide (Candy distance and Best Buddy)Walk with the Pokémon you set as your buddy and you get its Candy every set distance (1, 3, 5 or 20 km), which depends on the Pokémon.
Game rules and numbers can change, so each article shows when it was last checked. Articles are rechecked once that date is 6 months old. If you spot a mistake, let us know with 'Report an error' at the bottom of the page.