What to power up first (power-up priorities for beginners)
TrainingLast checked 2026-10-31
In 3 lines
- Stardust is limited, so first power up strong counters you'll use for a long time across many raids.
- Pokémon that often show up in the raid page's 'Easy-to-get Pokémon for beginners' picks are a good place to start.
- Up to around level 30, power-ups are cheap and pay off well. From 40, the cost jumps, so spend there only on Pokémon you'll really use.
Power-up order
- All-round attackers: Pokémon that hit many bosses' weaknesses (for example, Fighting types like Lucario and Machamp) get used in lots of raids.
- Types the current bosses are weak to: Check the recommended counters on the boss cards in Raids, and pick the ones you already have.
- High-IV Pokémon: For the same Pokémon, ones from raids, Eggs or research (IV floor of 10) have the edge (How to read IVs and appraisals).
How far to go
| Range | Stardust | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 20 → 30 | 75,000 | Big payoff for the cost |
| 30 → 40 | 150,000 | Only your go-to attackers |
| 40 → 50 | 250,000 + 296 Candy XL | Top attackers and GO Battle League |
You can work out each Pokémon's exact cost and its CP after powering up in the 'My Pokémon' tab of its detail page (Dragonite).
Also worth a look
- See whether you can now solo more raids with the Solo simulator.
- Shadow Pokémon hit hard but cost 1.2× to power up, and Lucky Pokémon cost half the Stardust (How to earn and save Stardust).
Checklist
- Check which Pokémon often appear in raid recommendations
- Power up high-IV Pokémon first
- Level 40 and above only for must-have attackers
Sources
- Site data: power-up costs are from the power-up settings in the Game Master (PokeMiners); recommended counters are the raid page's calculations (DPS, TDO)
Raids nowSee all
Related Pokémon & events
- Lucario
- Machamp
- Garchomp
- Metagross
More in Training
- How to earn and save StardustStardust 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.
- 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.
- 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.