We all know that Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu and Pokémon Let’s go Eevee were recently announced for the Nintendo Switch (and if you didn’t, where have you been?), and that some new updates also give players on the mobile console the ability to interact with mobile device players on Pokémon GO!. You may also have seen a bunch of your friends on social media returning to the game and sharing their trainer codes (my feeds are cluttered with them).

That being said, we’ve seen some tips & tricks floating around the internet recently, on how to help new players level up fast in order to catch up to those players who never put the game down in the first place. So, we thought we would share with you one of the best methods to do this.

Know your steps for leveling
Sure, you may have not played Pokémon GO! in a while, but that doesn’t mean you don’t know a few (read as “a lot of”) players who didn’t quit, and just kept on catching ‘em. So, as long as you’re at least a level 5 trainer (which wasn’t terribly difficult in the first place), this first tip should help you level up pretty fast.

1. 1. Like you would at any PokéStop, go spin at a gym. This will net you a Free Raid Pass, which you can use on any level raid (yes, even Legendary).
2. Hang on to that Raid Pass! Keep it for the next day you have time to devote at least 30 minutes to the game.
3. When you’re set, go pop a Lucky Egg (it will grant you double XP for the first half hour of game play), and go join your first Raid ASAP.
4. Finish the Raid, then quickly get to another gym to spin at. This will get you another Free Raid Pass (conversely, you could purchase a Premium Raid Pass for 100 PokéCoins in Pokémon GO’s store).
5. Find another Raid, and complete that one. (Are you seeing a pattern yet?)
6. Keep repeating this process over and over, for as long as you have access to Lucky Eggs, and for as long as you’re willing to part with your PokéCoins for Premium Raid Passes.

Just so you know, you don’t have to buy anything for this to help you. In the span of your first 30 minutes after that Lucky Egg, you’ll get a huge amount of experience if you take advantage of this method. You can sometimes get the Lucky Eggs from leveling up, or you can purchase them. It’s all about the Lucky Eggs. Just make sure you hang on to them until the time is just right. There’s a distinct breakdown of the XP you can gain in these raids, and using a Lucky Egg will double that amount, and the occasional Double-XP events will stack with that. For instance, a Legendary Raid will normally get you 10,000 XP. Use your Lucky Egg, and that’ll get you 20,000 XP – if you’re lucky (or shrewd) enough to do this during a Double XP event, this will result in you receiving a whopping 40,000 XP after the multiplier stack. I’ll say that again: FORTY THOUSAND EXPERIENCE POINTS IN 30 MINUTES. That’s the most you can get in that short a time span. This will come in really handy in the later levels, as it takes a full 5 million XP to level up from 39 to 40 in the game. (Just remember: The game won’t show that you’ve gotten the double-XP when you finish the raid, but as long as you use this method, you’re definitely going to receive it.)

Socialize!
The second (but no less important) part to this method of XP farming, is ensuring that you’ve got friends who will join you on these Raids. It’s basically impossible to complete the more difficult ones on your own, so make sure that you’ve got a squad of players with whom you can team up. There are lots of people on Discord or Facebook who are always looking for teams, and you can also poke around for local Pokémon GO! raid groups. They’re out there, and will always announce the time and place they’re planning on raiding. All you have to do, is get there with your Free Raid Pass, and jump into the fray.

Remember: If you’re playing Pokémon GO!, it’s going to be important that you level up for a couple of reasons.
First, every time you level up, you’ll earn some useful items, and you’ll get access to much better stuff at all the PokéStops. Second, you’ll encounter (and be able to capture) stronger Pokémon the stronger you get. The stronger your Pokémon are, the tougher you’ll be to beat when you get into raids and gym battles.

While there are lots of ways to earn some good XP in Pokémon GO! and Pokémon Let’s Go: hatching eggs, throwing good curveballs, catching more Pokémon, and yes…even using the Pidgey exploit, there are a lot of top players out there who swear by the method we’ve outlined for you here today.

So get out there, Pokémon trainers! Go use those Lucky Eggs, catch more Pokémon, finish more raids, and level up! You’ve got this!