Summary

  • The Pokemon GO community has recently banded together to help one player with a massive Rare Candy and Rare Candy XL stockpile decide what to do with it.
  • While the recommendations varied, many fans agreed that Rare Candy XL should primarily be used for Mythicals that cannot be obtained from raids and are thus difficult to farm.
  • Meanwhile, many players opined that any competitively viable and otherwise useful Legendaries and Mythicals make for great Rare Candy candidates, both in terms of leveling up and unlocking second moves.

One Pokemon GO player with a massive stockpile of Rare Candy and Rare Candy XL has recently taken to social media to solicit some advice about what to do with it. Their plea prompted hundreds of responses from the Pokemon GO fandom detailing a variety of helpful recommendations.

Much like its name implies, Rare Candy is a fairly uncommon item in Niantic's hit mobile game. Procuring it usually requires battling, although the occasional Research Task will also offer it as a reward. And while a single Rare Candy can be used as a substitute for any Pokemon-specific Candy, each Rare Candy XL in Pokemon GO is equivalent to 100 regular ones. Procuring this triangle-shaped item is also a requirement for getting a Pokemon from level 40 to 50.

Pokemon GO: How to Get Rare Candy

Rare Candy has been around since the first generation of Pokemon games and the uncommon item can even be obtained in Pokemon GO through various means.

Although this makes it an exceedingly scarce resource, Niantic recently tweaked the Rare Candy XL drop rate in Pokemon GO in order to allow players to start getting it from trainer level 31 instead of 40, thus facilitating the process of farming it. Reddit user _ChrisRiot seemingly made the most of that change, having recently found themselves with 191 Rare Candy XL, on top of 1,111 Rare Candy. They subsequently took to the r/PokemonGO subreddit to ask for advice about what to do with their humongous stockpile before they completely run out of inventory space.

Best Uses for Pokemon GO Rare Candy (XL), According to r/PokemonGO

  • Powering up competitive and otherwise useful Legendaries and Mythicals.
    • Rare Candy XL is best reserved for Mythicals that aren't available in raids, like Zarude.
  • Unlocking second moves on useful Legendaries and Mythicals.
  • Filling out the Pokedex with any missing Pokemon evolutions that require 400 Candy to trigger: Gyarados, Altaria, Wailord, Noivern, Melmetal, etc.
    • Doubly so if the evolution is useful in competitive play, like e.g., Altaria and Melmetal are.
  • Powering up any other maximally competitive Pokemon.
    • 0/15/15 IVs are ideal for the Great League and Ultra League.
    • 15/15/15 IVs are ideal for the Master League.
    • ML candidates should be preferred over GL and UL ones because they normally require a much higher level of investment.

The question prompted hundreds of responses, many of which unsurprisingly recommended that they use their stockpile for improving the best competitive Legendary and Mythical creatures in their collection. Elaborating on that notion, multiple players posited that Rare Candy XLs are best used for creating Pokemon GO XL Candy for Mythicals that cannot be obtained from raids, which inhibits the ability to farm them. An obvious example of such a creature would be Zarude, which was added to the game in late 2021.

Meanwhile, some other players said that _ChrisRiot's Rare Candy stockpile is also a great opportunity for them to bestow their favorite Legendaries and Mythicals with a second Charged Move. Unlocking another attack on such creatures normally requires 100 Candy and 100,000 Stardust.

Beyond that, the consensus advice was that the player focuses on powering up competitively viable Pokemon that either have perfect IVs for the Master League or score 0/15/15 in appraisals, which would make them ideal for the Great and Ultra Leagues, stats-wise. The only widely recommended exception to that approach would be to use Rare Candy to fill out one's Pokedex with the most expensive Pokemon GO evolutions that require 400 Candy to trigger.

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Pokemon Go Tag Page Cover Art
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Augmented Reality
RPG
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Systems
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Released
July 6, 2016
Developer(s)
Niantic
Publisher(s)
Niantic
Engine
Unity
Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
Cross-Platform Play
Yes
Cross Save
Yes
Franchise
Pokemon
Number of Players
Single-player
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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
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Pokémon GO is an immersive open-world multiplayer RPG that enables you to live your own RPG adventure in augmented reality. Find and evolve all Pokémon and battle with other players in AR online in this multiplayer adventure RPG.

COMPLETE YOUR POKÉDEX AND INCREASE YOUR TRAINER LEVEL!
Catch your favourite Pokémon as you explore the open world in augmented reality, trade them with other Trainers, or get the chance to catch a Pokémon after winning a Raid. You can also collect Pokémon by hatching eggs through walking! Evolve your Pokémon in your Pokédex, gain levels to catch more powerful Pokémon and earn adventure rewards during a Raid in multiplayer or online PvP battle.

EXPERIENCE THE ADVENTURE IN MULTIPLAYER AND PvP!
Start your own adventure and challenge other Trainers online in PvP during epic Gym battles or in the GO Battle League. You can also enjoy multiplayer by facing off with other players in PvP battles to win rewards, or team up with other Trainers for a chance to catch Pokémon after a Raid Battle.

CREATE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE!
Customise your avatar, join one of the three teams and pick your Buddy Pokémon from your Pokédex to journey by your side in this AR adventure RPG.

SWITCH BETWEEN THE REAL WORLD AND THE VIRTUAL WORLD WITH THE AR+ MODE!
Bring the RPG to the real world and search for Pokémon in locations around you. With the AR+ mode, Pokémon appear right in front of you — Catch it with your PokéBall and add it to your Pokédex.

Catch your favourite Pokémon in AR as you explore the world and battle online with other Trainers in PvP and Raid battles.

Platform(s)
iOS, Android
Genre(s)
Augmented Reality, RPG