What does XL mean in Pokémon Go? A Comprehensive Guide

Hey there fellow trainer! As an avid Pokémon Go player and data analyst myself, I know you‘ve probably seen those XL tags on some of your Pokémon and wondered what they meant. Well, you‘ve come to the right place!

In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll break down everything you need to know about XL Pokémon – what they are, why they‘re special, how to get them, and how to power them up. Let‘s dive in!

What are XL Pokémon?

XL stands for "extra large" and refers to Pokémon that are above the normal size range for their species. More importantly in Pokémon Go, XL tags on Pokémon mean they are above level 40.

Previously, the max level cap for all Pokémon was 40. But now with the new "Go Beyond" update, you can power certain Pokémon up beyond 40 all the way to level 50 using a special new resource called XL Candy.

So in summary:

• XL Pokémon: Pokémon that are powered up beyond level 40 to level 50.
• XL Candy: Special candy used to power up Pokémon from levels 41-50.

Why are XL Pokémon Better?

You‘re probably wondering – what‘s the benefit of having an XL Pokémon powered up to level 50?

The main advantage is they have significantly higher CP and stats!

For example, a normal level 40 Dragonite caps out around 3500 CP. But an XL level 50 Dragonite can surpass 4700 CP!

This allows XL Pokémon to reach higher combat power than ever before. They will perform better in raids, gyms, and PvP battles like the GO Battle League.

Here are some key advantages of XL Pokémon:

• Higher maximum CP (up to ~10-15% increase)
• Better overall base stats (Attack, Defense, HP)
• Reach CP caps not possible before at certain leagues (e.g. Azumarill in Great League)
• Gain key breakpoints against raid bosses and PvP opponents
• Improved ranking for PvP meta and raid counters

So in competitive play, XL Pokémon are highly desirable and can give you an edge. They introduce new possibilities and shake up the established meta.

How Do You Get XL Pokémon?

Now you know why XL Pokémon are so great, so how do you actually get them?

There are a few main ways:

1. Catching Wild Pokémon

• Pokémon encountered in the wild have a chance of being XL upon catching them.

• The odds increase as you level up. At level 40+ the chance is approximately:

  • 1 in 450 for normal spawns

  • 1 in 125 for weather boosted spawns

• Useful Pokémon like Dratini, Larvitar, Beldum can be found XL. But not all species can be XL (see exclusions below).

2. Hatching from Eggs

• Pokémon hatched from Eggs have a chance to be XL based on your trainer level:

  • Levels 31-35: ~1 in 500 chance

  • Levels 36-40: ~1 in 64 chance

  • Level 40+: ~1 in 16 chance

• 12km eggs have the highest XL odds. Useful Pokémon like Riolu, Dratini, Beldum hatch XL from eggs.

3. Luck Trades

• When trading Pokémon, both trainers getting "Lucky" Pokémon increases the chance of them becoming XL.

• Estimated XL chance for Lucky trade:

  • Levels 1-30: ~1 in 133 chance

  • Levels 31-40: ~1 in 64 chance

  • Level 40+: ~1 in 32 chance

• Trading extras with Best Friends is a great way to reroll IVs and try for XL.

4. Transferring Pokémon

• Transferring Pokémon to Professor Willow gives a small chance of rewarding XL candy:

  • Levels 1-30: 1 in 500 chance

  • Level 31+: 1 in 100 chance

• Transferring multiples during 2x transfer candy events optimizes this.

5. Adventure Sync Rewards

• Walking 50+ km in a week earns you a chance at rare XL candy.

• Up to 5 XL candy can be rewarded:

  • 50 km reward: 1 XL candy

  • 75 km reward: 2 XL candies

  • 100 km reward: 3 XL candies

• Enabling Adventure Sync on Google Fit or Apple Health maximizes distance tracked.

6. Battling Raids/Gyms

• You have a chance of earning bonus XL candy from Gym and Raid Battles:

  • Tier 1-4 Raids: Up to 3 bonus XL candy

  • Tier 5 Raids: Up to 5 bonus XL candy

  • Gym Battles: Up to 2 bonus XL candy

• Chance increases with higher Gym badges and by having allies in the raid. Optimizing Premier balls and damage boosts XL candy chances.

7. Research Tasks

• Certain Field Research tasks reward XL candy, such as:

  • Hatch 3 Eggs – Bunnelby XL candy

  • Make 3 Great Curveball throws – Spinda XL candy

  • Win a raid under 60 seconds – XL rare candy

• Tasks that giverare candy/candy can reward the XL variant.

8. Daily Adventure Incense

• Using the special Daily Adventure Incense has a chance of spawning rare Pokémon that can be XL.

• Useful species like Dragonite, Larvitar, and Beldum occasionally appear from it as XL.

• The XL chance improves as you increase the incense‘s level over time.

Which Pokémon Can Be XL?

Not all Pokémon are able to become XL – there are some major exclusions:

✅ Can Be XL:

• Most ordinary Pokémon like Bulbasaur, Dratini, Beldum, etc.

❌ Cannot Be XL:

• Legendaries like Mewtwo, Raikou, Dialga, etc.

• Mythicals like Mew, Celebi, Meloetta, etc.

• Certain extra large Pokémon like Wailord, Onix, etc.

So normal Pokémon that have evolved forms like Dratini, Larvitar, and Gible can be XL, which is ideal as their final evolutions are very relevant for raids and PvP.

But strangely, species that are normally larger like Wailord and Steelix are excluded. And no legendaries can be XL, which limits their max power.

How Do You Power Up XL Pokémon?

Okay, you‘ve managed to acquire some rare XL Pokémon. So how do you actually level them up past 40?

Simple – you use XL Candy!

• XL Candy is required to power up Pokémon from levels 41-50.

• It takes 296 XL Candy to fully max out a Pokémon to level 50.

• The amount of XL Candy needed follows this progression:

Level	XL Candy Needed	Total XL Candy
41	10	10
42	10	20
43	10	30
44	10	40
45	12	52
46	12	64
47	12	76
48	14	90
49	14	104
50	25	129

• You can feed both regular and XL candy to level up a Pokémon from 1 to 50.

• Using a blend is most efficient. Regular candy until level 40, then use XL candy.

• XL candy also works to power up from levels 1-40 but is overkill and not cost effective.

And that covers the basics of powering up XL Pokémon! Take it slow and steady as XL candy is limited and valuable.

How to Get XL Candy

Now for the question – how do you get the precious XL Candy needed to level up your XL Pokémon?

There are a few main methods to get XL candy:

Catching

• Catching Pokémon has a chance of rewarding XL candy.

• Chance increases based on Pokémon species and weather boosts.

• Useful Pokémon like Dratini, Larvitar, and Beldum can reward XL candy upon catching.

Hatching

• Hatching Pokémon Eggs can give XL candy.

• Higher tier eggs (10km/12km) have better XL candy odds.

Transferring

• Transferring Pokémon to the professor has a small chance of XL candy.

• Chance improves as your trainer level increases.

Walking Buddies

• Your Pokémon buddy can find candy XL as you walk together.

• Chance increases as buddy level and walking distance increase.

Research Tasks

• Some Field Research tasks reward XL Rare Candy as a prize.

• Tasks related to catching, hatching, raids can give XL candy.

Adventure Sync

• Meeting weekly walking milestones via Adventure Sync can reward XL candy.

• Up to 5 XL per week are possible if you walk 50-100km.

Raid/Gym Rewards

• You can get bonus XL candy from Tier 1-5 raid rewards and gym battles.

• More Premier Balls and higher gym badges boost your XL candy chances.

Daily Adventure Incense

• Pokémon spawned from the special incense have a chance to reward XL candy when caught.

• Unlocking higher levels of the incense improve your XL candy odds over time.

As you can see, XL candy has a random chance from many common gameplay activities – catching, hatching, walking, raiding, etc. It adds up over time!

Maximizing certain activities like catching, raids, walking, and transfers will help accumulate XL candy faster.

XL Candy Farming Tips

Here are some tips to optimize gaining XL Candy:

• Catch every Dratini, Larvitar, Beldum, etc. you see! Useful species have increased XL odds.

• Raid a lot during raid events – more Premier Balls means more XL candy chances.

• Hatch eggs nonstop, especially 12km Strange Eggs during events.

• Do mass transfers during 2x transfer candy events to re-roll for XL.

• Walk with Larvitar/Dratini/Beldum as your Buddy for a chance at their XL candy.

• Activate Mega Evolution for the species you‘re catching for +1 extra XL candy per catch!

• Stack Incense, Lures to maximize spawns and XL candy catching opportunities.

• Complete Field Research tasks that reward Rare XL Candy.

• Adventure Sync walk 50-100km each week to get those XL rewards!

Follow those tips and you‘ll be rolling in XL Candy before you know it!

Is XL Always Better?

You may be wondering – if I have a normal and XL version of a Pokémon, is the XL always stronger?

The answer is it depends! XL has higher potential, but a normal Pokémon with better IVs can still outperform a low IV XL version.

For example:

• A 15/15/15 normal Dragonite at level 40 is 4349 CP

• A 6/6/6 XL Dragonite at level 50 is only 4152 CP

So make sure to compare the IVs – a high IV normal version can be on par or even better than a low IV XL version. Power up the one with the optimal IVs.

High IVs + XL is the best combo for maximizing power. But don‘t overlook good IV non-XL Pokémon either when powering up your teams.

Closing Thoughts

And that summarizes the key facts around XL Pokémon in Pokémon Go!

They offer exciting new potential by breaking past old CP caps and unlocking greater power. But XL candy is limited, so use it wisely on your best Pokémon.

I hope this guide gave you a comprehensive understanding of how to obtain, power up, and utilize XL Pokémon for raids, PvP, and battling. If you have any other questions feel free to ask!

And as always, thanks for reading and happy hunting for those extra large Pokémon!