If you're stuck at a lower level in Pokémon Go while your friends seemingly soar forward, don't despair: You can power level your trainer by using a Lucky Egg. When you pop a Lucky Egg, it doubles the amount of experience points (XP) you receive for the next 30 minutes (whether or not the game is open). Here are the best actions you can perform while a Lucky Egg is active.
New to Pokemon Go? Check out our beginner's guide first!
What you'll need
Before you set a Lucky Egg, you'll want to make sure you're ready to make the most of it. Here's what you should have at the ready in your inventory:
- At least one Lure Module (more if you can go to a place with multiple PokéStops in the same location)
- At least one Incense module
- Plenty of Poké Balls
- Space in your Pokémon Storage container for new Pokémon (You might have to transfer some Pokémon to Professor Willow, but don't touch your Pidgey or Rattata).
- Many copies of common Pokémon like Pidgey, Caterpie, Weedle, and Rattata — you'll need to use an Evolution Calculator to figure out just how many, as you'll see below
- You can also check out metllicamilitia's suggestions from our forums for some specific planning tips.
Step 1: Use an Evolution Calculator and Transfer Pokémon
One of the easiest ways to get XP is by evolving Pokémon — every time you do, you get a 500XP bonus (doubled to 1000XP with a Lucky Egg). There are several common Pokémon in the game that cost only 12 Candy to evolve; as such, you can stockpile these creatures and their Candy for mass evolving — and lots of XP.
Reddit user Zach Cowell created a simple but effective way to calculate just how many of these common Pokémon (like Pidgey and Rattata) you'll need to get the most out of your Lucky Egg, along with how much XP you will earn. The calculator even shows the percentage of your Lucky Egg that will be used, based on the estimated time it takes to evolve them.
Once you've calculated the number of Pokémon and Candy you need, you'll want to do any transfers before proceeding to the next step.
Step 2: Find a PokéStop
Next, you should head to the best PokéStop area near you. Ideally, you'll want to find a place that hosts two or more PokéStops in the general area: This increases the spawning rate, which allows you to have more opportunities within a Lucky Egg's 30 minutes to catch Pokémon.
Note: Don't set any Lures or Incense just yet. Catching Pokémon while you are trying to evolve can be distracting, and you could use up precious minutes.
Step 3. Set a Lucky Egg
Once you are properly situated, set your Lucky Egg. Remember: You only have 30 minutes to do everything, so don't dilly-dally. Once your egg is set, get to work!
Step 4: Evolve common Pokémon (and any Pokémon with new evolutionary states)
You've got your Lucky Egg set — now it's time to evolve some common Pokémon. Using your calculator numbers, evolve all the Pidgey, Rattata, Caterpie, and the like that you can to their first evolutionary step (the 12C/25C cost); don't worry about their second evolution, as it's not worth the candy cost. After you've evolved a Pokémon, you can even transfer it to Professor Willow to earn more candy, which you can then put toward more evolution.
In addition to grind-evolving your Pidgeys and Caterpie, you can also store up any new evolutions for Lucky Egg times: If you're evolving a Pokémon and you've yet to see its evolutionary status, that will earn you an additional "New Pokémon" 500XP bonus — 1000XP when used with a Lucky Egg, for a total of 2000XP per evolution.
Step 5: Drop a Lure at a PokéStop and set an Incense pot
If you've taken up your entire 30 minutes evolving Pokémon, don't worry about this step (unless you plan to set another Lucky Egg).
If, however, you still have time left, don't waste it: You can drop a Lure and set an Incense pot to use up the remainder of your double XP run.
This is especially useful if you're in an area within a few yards of multiple PokéStops: More Pokémon spawn around multiple PokéStops, and when you're using incense, Pokémon spawn more often while you are moving than if you are stationary. So, if you walk from one PokéStop to another, you're generating more opportunities to spawn.
And speaking of moving: If you happen to have one or more eggs in your Pokémon storage on the verge of hatching, plan your Lucky Egg around them: You'll earn 1000XP for every egg you hatch, and if it's new to your Pokédex, you'll earn 1000XP more!
Questions?
These are the best ways to make use of a Lucky Egg in order to gain a high amount of XP quickly. Do you have any tips for leveling up? Let me know what they are in the comments.
