Pokemon Go Stardust is an essential resource in the game for progression. After all, you need it to bolster your Pokemon for Raids, Gym battles, and trading. It’s even important for purifying Shadow Pokemon. Because of its uses, it’s no wonder a lot of players try to find ways to grind for them. What are the best methods for this? Here are some suggestions you might want to try to get more Pokemon Go Stardust.
Inside This Article
What Is Pokemon Go Stardust?
If you’ve played mobile games or any kind of game before, then you’ll know all about in-game currencies. They usually come in gems or points that you earn by playing the game or completing various tasks. Moreover, they’re the resource players commonly use to purchase items or in-game power-ups to help them progress.
Stardust is the main in-game currency in Pokemon Go and without it, it is nearly impossible to continue with your adventures. You’ll need a lot of it to power up your Pokemon, increase their CPs, and purchase secondary Charge Moves. Moreover, the price of Stardust per power up grows higher the more rare or Legendary the Pokemon you catch is.
Now, if you’re more of a casual player who doesn’t like to engage in fights, this might not be relevant. However, if you’re keen on engaging in higher-level Battle Leagues, Raids, Gyms, and Team GO Rocket battles, you’ll certainly need it.
Apart from battles, Pokemon Go Stardust is also crucial to making trades. Whether it’s regular Pokemon you’re trading or Pokemon that evolve by trade, you’ll need the resource either way. Of course, if your Friendship Level with another player is high enough, the Stardust cost will be smaller. Nonetheless, if you like making trades often or make trades involving Shiny or Legendary Pokemon, the cost will grow larger.
Lastly, Pokemon Go Stardust is also useful for purifying the Shadow Pokemon you get after defeating Team GO Rocket Grunts. While some may only cost 1,000 to purify, rarer or Legendary Pokemon will cost you up to 20,000. Overall, Pokemon Go Stardust is a necessary resource if you want to get anywhere in the game. That’s why the method for how to get Stardust in Pokemon Go is essential knowledge.
How to Earn Pokemon Go Stardust
Pokemon Go Stardust farming might seem like a daunting task at first, but that truly isn’t the case. There are many ways to earn this in-game currency and we have listed them down below.
1. Catch Pokemon
Simple acts like catching Pokemon can already provide you with a handful. How much will you get per Pokemon? It depends on the level of the creature you’ve caught.
Base-level Pokemon will get you about 100 Stardust per catch. On the other hand, second or third evolution Pokemon will net you 300 to 500 Stardust, respectively. This also applies to the Raid Bosses you encounter and best in a match after Battle Raids.
If you want to boost the Stardust yield for catching Pokemon, we recommend buying a Pokemon Go Plus or Poke Ball Plus. Sure, it might cost you a bit of money as a one-time purchase physical item but it makes catching Pokemon easier without reaching for your phone. It does also increase the Stardust you earn for Weather-boosted Pokemon.
In this case, base-level Weather-boosted Pokemon will get you about 125 Stardust. On the other hand, second and third evolution Weather-boosted Pokemon will yield 350 to 625 Stardust, respectively. Of course, all of these numbers are for the Pokemon you catch out in the wild.
In addition, while regular Pokemon only yield these stagnant numbers of Stardust when captured, some special Pokemon provide higher rewards. For example, capturing a Parasect will yield 700 Pokemon Go Stardust. If the Parasect is Weather-boosted, that number boosts up to 875.
2. Get a Seven-Day Capture Streak & First Catch of the Day
If you’re diligent and capture Pokemon every day, you may gain seven-day capture streaks. These streaks will also reward you with Stardust every time you fulfill them. You get 600 Stardust for daily Catch Streak bonuses and 3,000 Stardust for seven-day Catch Streaks.
Furthermore, the first catch of the day will give you an additional 1,800 Stardust. If you manage to consistently do so for seven days, you may get a 9,000 Stardust bonus.
3. Feed Gym Pokemon & Defeat Raid Bosses
No, engaging in Gym battles won’t earn you any Pokemon Go Stardust. However, this doesn’t mean Gyms are completely useless when it comes to farming this resource. That’s because you can opt to feed friendly Pokemon instead to gain a bit of what you need.
Feeding Berry to friendly Gym Pokemon will yield you 20 Stardust. If you happen to reach 10 Berries fed to 10 Pokemon, you can even boost the yield to 2,000 Stardust. However, you can only do so in 30-minute intervals; otherwise, your Berries will be wasted. Of course, this doesn’t mean you can only feed other people’s Pokemon in Gyms to earn Stardust. Feeding your own will also produce the same result.
Now, we know that this sounds like a simple task in principle. After all, you’ll simply need to use Berries to gain Stardust in exchange. However, it’s not exactly the simplest task in the world. That’s because many other trainers will be competing against you to earn Pokemon Go Stardust the same way. Hence, it’ll be difficult to find available friendly Pokemon that need to eat 10 Berries.
Feeding Berries to friendly Gym Pokemon shouldn’t be your main farming method. It’s more of an incidental method that you should keep in mind when you have the opportunity. On the other hand, defeating Raid Bosses, which yields 500 Pokemon Go Stardust, might be a more effective strategy.
4. Join Field Research
Field Research tasks are some of the most effective ways the game uses to encourage users to play more. Completing these will yield you numerous rewards of various kinds. Some of these include Pokemon encounters, items, and even Pokemon Go Stardust.
Now, we can’t say that this is the most consistent way to earn Stardust. After all, the amount you earn varies greatly depending on the task. For example, winning Gym Battles usually only provide 100 Stardust. However, something like the task of catching a Ditto can earn you 4,000.
Nonetheless, we recommend joining Field Research and completing its tasks anyway. That’s because completing seven will earn you 2,000 Stardust as a Breakthrough reward. Moreover, if you happen to encounter Special Research tasks, you can even earn 2,000 to 10,000 at once.
5. Hatch Eggs
You can also earn Pokemon Go Stardust by hatching Pokemon Eggs. This method might yield little results especially because lower-level Pokemon are more common than higher-level ones. Nevertheless, it’s a decent way to earn Pokemon Go Stardust if you want to cover all bases.
How much will you gain from hatching Pokemon? It depends on the kind of Egg you hatch and, sometimes, the time of hatching also randomly factors in. On average, 2 KM Eggs will yield about 400 to 800 Pokemon Go Stardust. If you happen to hatch a 5 KM Egg, that range grows to 800 to 1,600 Pokemon Go Stardust.
However, if you’re lucky, you can get about 1,600 to 3,200 Pokemon Go Stardust from hatching a 10 KM Egg. That range increases even further to 3,200 to 6,400 if you hatch a 12 KM Egg.
6. Open Gifts
Gifts are a wonderful part of Pokemon Go and even more so since the potential to earn Stardust was incorporated. Just by simply opening a gift, you can earn 100, 200, or 300 Pokemon Go Stardust. The amount may be minimal but you get free Stardust, nonetheless.
7. Join Special Events
If you join special events, like the Stardust challenge Pokemon Go hosts or any other event, you might gain Stardust. Of course, these events will vary in both the type of event and the reward you get. Some events will even provide XP or candy as a reward instead of Stardust.
However, it’s important to keep your eyes peeled for any potential Pokemon Go Stardust boost reward. That’s because, while the game previously provided only twice the Stardust rewards, it’s been offering triple the amount more recently.
8. Defeat Team Go Rocket
You can easily gain Pokemon Go Stardust by beating Team Go Rocket members. Defeat a grunt and you’ll gain 500 Stardust automatically. If you beat Cliff, defeat Sierra, or any other leader, you’ll gain double the amount.
Of course, you can only do all this once you become an eighth-level player. Once you reach that, you can find Team Go Rocket Grunts in black PokeStops. Leaders, on the other hand, will appear in either black PokeStops or Team Go Rocket hot air balloons.
Lastly, you can defeat Giovanni, the ultimate Team GO Rocket leader, and earn 5,000 Stardust. However, do note that this potential breakthrough is locked behind a couple of tasks. Firstly, you’ll need to best six Team GO Rocket Grunts and create Rocket Radar. Afterward, you can use the radar to find Rocket Leaders and defeat three.
Upon defeating three leaders, you can create a Super Rocket Radar to search for Giovanni. Activate this time and then use it to find him in various PokeStops. Of course, you won’t find him at your first stop as many Grunts disguise themselves as him to confuse you. Nonetheless, simply press on in your search until you finally find him.
9. Adventure Sync Rewards
If you’re a fifth-level player, then you might have already unlocked the Adventure Sync feature. In this case, all you need to do is activate the setting under the Settings menu. Once that’s done, the app can track the distance you’ve walked while the app isn’t running. If you walk far enough, you might gain an incidental bonus Stardust as a result.
Rewards will vary from 500 to 16,000 Pokemon Go Stardust, depending on the distance. The lowest reward (500) will only appear once you’ve walked 25km. On the other hand, the highest (16,000) Stardust will pop up if you manage to walk 100km a week.
10. Join GO Battle League
One of the most effective ways to earn Pokemon Go Stardust is to join the GO Battle League. Of course, you need to be somewhat formidable of an opponent for this method to be productive. That’s because you can gain more Stardust if the trainer you battle is higher in level. However, the amount will vary depending on the battle.
If you want even more Stardust, you can gain better rewards if you choose the Premium Rewards option. However, do note that this will require a Premium Battle Pass to enter.
11. Battle With Trainers
Have a lot of friends who are fellow trainers? You’re in luck. One great way to earn Pokemon Go Stardust is to battle against them or leaders Spark, Blanche, and Candela. Of course, like other battles, different kinds will yield different amounts of Stardust as a reward.
Defeating leaders in the Great League can gain you anywhere from 300 to 600 Stardust. If it’s an Ultra League, that range jumps up to 400 to 800 Stardust. You can push things even further by joining the Master League which will yield 500 to 1,000 Stardust. If you’re battling against real players, that league will automatically boost the potential reward to 500 up to 1,000 Stardust.
However, do note that this method isn’t a sure-fire way to earn Stardust. That’s because Pokemon Go Stardust isn’t the only reward the game offers here; you might gain other items in its place and waste your time. Moreover, even if Stardust is the reward, you can only earn them in the first three fights per day.
12. Use Star Pieces
Star Pieces are a great resource if you want to increase the Stardust you gain by 50%. Of course, it only takes effect for 30 minutes so you’ll have to use it effectively. Nonetheless, it’s a good way to boost your rewards when you’re planning to go out and catch Pokemon. Moreover, it’s a good multiplier to have during special events that reward you with Pokemon Go Stardust.
Not sure where to get Star Pieces? You can find them at any Pokemon Go Shop with PokeCoins. Once you’ve found them, you can buy Star Pieces in singles or bundles.
Pokemon Go Stardust Hacks to Earn More
Pokemon Go already provides enough ways to earn the Stardusts that you need, but unconventional methods are also available if you are itching to earn more. Here are some hacks and tips that might help you in your quest.
1. Changing Time Zones
Adjusting your time zone is one neat Pokemon Go Stardust hack that’s pretty easy for people to do. Simply adjust the settings on your phone or head to a different location with a different time zone. Afterward, you can get the next day’s raid pass, open gifts, or earn streak bonuses early without truly committing daily.
2. Creating Multiple Accounts
Going on raids is an effective way of farming for Pokemon Go Stardust – but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. That’s because you have to look for other players in the same area and get your timing right. While this may seem easy in crowded areas, it isn’t always practical if you live in more rural locations.
Hence, we recommend creating multiple accounts instead so that you can effectively fly solo during raids. It’s a perfectly legal way to circumvent the problem without worrying about coordination or the risk of getting banned.
3. Spoofing Your Location
Simply download a location-spoofing app or a VPN and you can trick Pokemon Go into thinking you’re somewhere else. Once that’s done, you can now try to find Pokemon in locations you otherwise can’t reach.
Just a disclaimer though, Pokemon Go doesn’t allow players to spoof their location and regards it as cheating. Hence, the game might ban you if you get a strike. The first ban usually lasts for one week while the second will get you banned monthly. If you get a third strike, your account can be permanently banned. Therefore, we don’t generally recommend using this method despite it being legal and available.
