Cracking the Code: Understanding the Buddy Candy Limit in Pokémon GO
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The burning question on every Trainer’s mind: What exactly is the Buddy Candy limit in Pokémon GO? The straightforward answer is that there’s a daily cap on the distance that counts toward earning Buddy Candy, effectively limiting the amount of candy you can acquire for a specific buddy each day. That limit is 40 kilometers worth of candy. This doesn’t mean you can’t walk more than 40km, but any distance beyond that won’t generate additional candies for your buddy on that particular day. This limit has major implications for players looking to quickly evolve Pokémon, power them up with Candy XL, or earn Best Buddy status. Let’s dive deeper into how this system works and how to optimize your buddy interactions.
Maximizing Your Buddy Candy Gains
The 40km limit means you need to be strategic. You can’t simply walk endlessly and expect an endless stream of candy. Several factors affect how efficiently you hit that limit:
- Buddy Pokémon Distance: Different Pokémon require different distances to earn a candy. Some, like Caterpie, Pikachu, and Magikarp, only need 1 km, while others require 3km, 5km or a whopping 20km.
- Pokémon Rarity: Rarer Pokémon usually require more walking distance per candy. This balances the game, preventing everyone from easily stocking up on candy for powerful or rare creatures.
- Prioritize High-Level Pokémon for Candy XL: Since there’s a chance to obtain Candy XL every time you earn regular candy, it is best practice to walk a high-level Pokemon that generates candy frequently.
- Poffins and Buddy Excitement: Use Poffins to maximize your buddy’s time on the map, helping ensure that it stays present to generate candy throughout your adventures.
- Optimal Buddy Swapping: If your focus is on maximizing candies, swapping your buddy right after you collect a candy to a different Pokemon in need is a smart strategy.
It’s also important to note that this 40km candy limit resets daily. So, even if you hit the limit one day, you can start earning candy again the following day. This system encourages consistent engagement with the game rather than allowing players to hoard candy from a single, long session.
Strategies for Candy XL Acquisition
The introduction of Candy XL significantly changed how players approach Pokémon GO. These rare candies are essential for leveling Pokémon beyond level 40, all the way to the maximum level of 50. Since the daily buddy candy limit also plays a role in Candy XL acquisition, understanding the best strategies is crucial:
- Prioritize high-level Pokémon: Walking with high-level Pokémon as your buddy is crucial because you roll for a chance at Candy XL every time you get a candy for walking.
- Maximize Candy Frequency: Choose a buddy that generates candy at shorter intervals (1km or 3km). This gives you more chances to roll for Candy XL within the 40km limit.
- Raid frequently: Participate in 5-Star and Mega Raids as these offer a significantly increased chance of obtaining Rare Candy XL, which can be used on any Pokemon.
- Trade Pokémon: Trading Pokémon will give each player additional candy, with more candy rewarded if the two Pokémon were caught far away from each other (above 100km).
- Catch Everything: The most common way to get XL Candy is simply catching Pokémon. Even common Pokémon have a chance to drop XL Candy.
How to Become Best Buddies Fast
Earning Best Buddy status with your favorite Pokémon unlocks numerous benefits, including a CP boost while the Pokémon is set as your buddy. The main way to increase your Buddy level is to gain hearts. This can be done via the following means:
- Walking: Walk with your buddy Pokémon on the map.
- Feeding: Feed your buddy berries to keep it on the map.
- Playing: Play with your buddy in AR mode.
- Battling: Battle with your buddy in Gyms, Raids, Team GO Rocket battles, and Trainer Battles.
- Taking snapshots: Take a snapshot of your buddy.
- Visiting new places: Spin the Photo Disc at a Gym or PokéStop that you haven’t visited before with your buddy.
By using these techniques every day, you will get closer to your Pokémon becoming your Best Buddy.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are some frequently asked questions about Buddy Candy and related mechanics in Pokémon GO:
1. Can you get XL Candy before level 31?
No. Candy XL cannot be obtained until the Trainer Level is 31.
2. How do you increase Buddy candy?
Buddy Candy is rewarded after walking a certain distance with your selected buddy Pokemon. The distance required to walk varies between different species. Generally, the rarer the Pokemon, the further you will need to walk to generate a candy as they are naturally harder to find in the wild.
3. Does swapping Buddy lose progress?
Yes. You’ll lose all progress towards the next candy on your existing buddy. The best time to change buddy is right after being rewarded the first time around. Switch buddy as often as you need in order to ensure you’re always getting useful candy.
4. What is the point of Candy XL?
XL Candy allows you to level your Pokémon even further than before in Pokémon Go. Introduced alongside the level cap increase alongside the Go Beyond update and the Season of Celebration, it allows players to increase the CP of a Pokémon past the original Level 40 cap, all the way to Level 50.
5. Is there a cap on Buddy Candy?
Yes, there’s a daily rolling limit of 40km’s worth of buddy candy.
6. What is the best buddy CP boost?
When your Pokemon is your Best Buddy, it gains a CP Boost, making it more powerful in Raids, Gym Battles, Team GO Rocket, and Trainer Battles. The CP Boost won’t be applied if the Pokémon isn’t currently set as your buddy.
7. How long does a Poffin last?
Normally, a Buddy Pokemon will walk alongside its trainer for 3 hours. A Poffin doubles the effects of a regular Berry, extending this to 6 hours. Therefore, it’s recommended to only use a Poffin if trainers intend to play Pokemon GO for more than a few hours.
8. Can you use 2 poffins a day?
Using 2 poffins at same day will not get you any extra hearts. Better use that 2nd poffin on another day!
9. What is the max level Poffin?
The highest possible level for a Poffin is thus 99 in Generation IV, or 100 in Generation VIII.
10. Why is Poffin foul?
If you burn the poffin consistently, spill the mixture, or mix the wrong berries, you will end up with a fowl poffin. You will need to use both sticks to mix the brew; if you spin it too fast, then the batter will spill out of the pot.
11. Can Candy XL be turned into candy?
No, you can’t convert XL candy to regular candy.
12. How much candy per trade?
Trades will give each player additional Candy, with more Candy rewarded if the two Pokémon were caught far away from another. According to Reddit, this is 1 Candy for below 30km, 2 Candy for 30-100km, 3 Candy for above 100km.
13. What is the shortest walking distance for Buddy candy in Pokemon go?
The shortest walking distance to earn Candy is 1 km. Examples include Caterpie, Pikachu, Magikarp, Aron, Wailmer, Bidoof, Purrloin, Sewaddle, Fletchling, and Skwovet.
14. How many XL candy can you get per day?
There is no limit on how much XL Candy you can earn in one day. XL Candy drops for most in-game activities that reward normal Candy, but most XL Candy comes from simply catching Pokémon.
15. What is the XL candy glitch in Pokemon Go?
POGO users recently discovered an exploit that unlocks XL candy at a shockingly fast pace with a bug in the Routes feature. Essentially, the exploit functions by eliminating the speed cap on Route progress.
By understanding these mechanics and implementing strategic approaches, you can effectively manage your Buddy Candy gains, optimize your Candy XL acquisition, and ultimately become a more formidable Pokémon GO trainer. Remember to always prioritize smart planning over brute force grinding, especially when dealing with the daily distance limit.
Engage with other players and research on platforms like the Games Learning Society at GamesLearningSociety.org to enhance your understanding of the game’s complex systems. This can significantly elevate your gameplay.