How to Get Stardust in Pokemon Go
There wasn’t much to Pokemon Go initially outside of the novelty of walking around and catching Pokemon. You could visit specific locations to get items like Potions and Poke Balls or test your mettle against other trainers through Gyms, but that’s about it. Now, the roster has expanded, battles have become fully fleshed out, and the events are worth keeping up with daily. But there’s one item in the game that’s stayed true to its roots: Stardust. Stardust is a crucial resource in Pokemon Go; you’ll always need these bottles of sparkles. Unfortunately, this is the one item you can’t buy from the in-game shop, so you’ll have to resort to farming them in Pokemon Go. Thankfully, there are multiple ways to go about getting Stardust, and we’ll be showing you just that.
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The Uses of Stardust
Stardust has many use-case scenarios, but perhaps the primary way to use it is by powering up Pokemon. To do this, you can select the Pokemon you want to strengthen and click the ‘Power Up’ button. You can select the desired CP (Combat Power) you want to hit using the plus and minus buttons. It’ll show you how much Candy and Stardust you need to get the desired result.
You can also use Stardust to unlock the second Charge moves for your Master League, Ultra League, and Great League Pokemon. To do this, select the Pokemon of your choice and click the ‘New Attack’ button.
The cost of how much Stardust you’ll spend is dependent on the walking distance of your Pokemon:
- 20KM Pokemon – 100 Candy and 100,000 Stardust
- 5KM Pokemon – 75 Candy and 75,000 Stardust
- 3KM Pokemon – 50 Candy and 50,000 Stardust
- 1KM Pokemon – 25 Candy and 10,000 Stardust
I advise that you only do this with the absolute best Pokemon you regularly use since unlocking Charge moves generally costs a lot of Candy and Stardust.
Lastly, you can purify your Pokemon with the use of Stardust. This is typically done on a Shadow Pokemon when you want to remove its evil aura. Shadow Pokemon are what you catch when you manage to defeat a Team Rocket member; they usually come out frequently whenever you’re active on the in-game map. The cost can be as little as 1,000 Stardust for a Shadow Rattata to 20,000 Stardust for a Shadow Mewtwo. The stronger the Shadow Pokemon, the higher the Stardust requirement is to purify it.
The main reason other trainers prefer to purify their Shadow Pokemon is that it’ll gain a ton of CP and do more damage when facing opposing Shadow Pokemon. You’ll also unlock a new move instead of being stuck with Frustration.
The Best Ways to Get Stardust
- Hatch Your Eggs
Forgetting that you have Pokemon eggs in your inventory all too relatable, but you should really put them in one of your Incubators. Not only do you get a strong Pokemon right off the bat, but hatching the eggs also nets you some Stardust in the process.
The amount of Stardust given varies by the egg:
- 12KM Egg – 3,200-6,400 Stardust
- 10KM Egg – 1,600-3,200 Stardust
- 7KM Egg – 800-1,600 Stardust
- 5KM Egg – 600-1,600 Stardust
- 2KM Egg – 400-800 Stardust
As you can see, you’ll get the most Stardust if you hatch 12KM eggs. If you choose to hatch them simultaneously, I highly recommend using a Star Piece since it gives all Stardust gains a 1.5x multiplier. If done right, you can get up to 57,000-115,000 Stardust—that’s enough to unlock a second Charge move for your Pokemon!
- Catch Pokemon
Pokemon Go is all about “catching” Pokemon while traveling the outside world, so it makes sense for the game to give Stardust to players as a mini reward. The base Stardust rate is 100 per catch; the amount isn’t substantial by any means, but if you catch every Pokemon you see, you’ll quickly start racking the resource up.
Here’s a tip: always watch out for the weather. Weather affects the Stardust rates in Pokemon Go, with weather-boosted Pokemon dropping an additional 25 Stardust per catch. So, for example, if it’s a sunny day where you’re at, and you’re about to catch a Charmander, you’ll gain 125 Stardust instead of 100.
- Do PvP
If you’re competitive, participating in Pokemon Go’s PvP is one of the best ways of getting Stardust. The amount you get depends on how often you get victories. You can see the amount of Stardust you’ll earn at the top of the Battle Screen, along with your longest streak, battles, and accumulated wins.
You can do PvP via the Go Battle League if you’re serious about competing in a worldwide matchmade league, but I understand it’s not for everyone. If you want a more casual approach than climbing the ranked ladder, you can participate in a friendly PvP match with a nearby trainer on your Friend List.
The Stardust Melody
There are many essential items in Pokemon Go, but none compare to Stardust when it comes to upgrading your Pokemon. They may not be the rarest item in the game, but they’re vital enough that you’ll want to use them wisely. Grinding for Stardust is a part of your daily venture into the world of Pokemon Go, and now that you have an idea of how to farm them, hopefully, the process will become second nature after a while.
