The best ways to gain XP in Pokémon Go

This guide will lay out several ways you can earn a tonne of XP quickly in Pokémon Go, allowing you to shoot up the levelling system and gain rewards, including gaining access to the most powerful allies Pokémon Go has to offer. The faster you level up, the more powerful a Trainer you'll become, so work these activities into each session.

Raids serve as the gateway to some of the most powerful Pokémon in the entire game – legendaries, mythicals and evolved Pokémon all show up in raids at one point or another. In some cases, raids are the only way to catch those creatures. However, you can't always be standing outside your local raid spot, so what are you supposed to do?

Enter Remote Raids, which allow you to challenge any Pokémon in a nearby Raid with the proper in-game item, the Remote Raid Pass. Simply tap on the local Raid you want to challenge, activate the Pass and you'll enter the queue to take on the Raid Pokémon currently in that Gym. Defeat it and rack up the XP – especially if it's a five-star Raid.

As you venture through your neighbourhood, you may discover a peculiar egg item sitting in your inventory. It may have come to you in a bundle, or you might have earned it by reaching a particular level. That is a Lucky Egg, and activating one will grant double XP earning for a full 30 minutes after you trigger it.

If you know that you'll be playing for at least half an hour, open up the Items menu and activate a Lucky Egg to put your XP earning into overdrive. What's more, if there are other XP bonuses currently active, like from an event, the Egg will stack with those multipliers and grant even more XP. These Lucky Eggs make quite an XP omelette once cracked open.

Pokémon Go is a social game above all. The aim of the game is to get out, meet friends and team up as you catch wild Pokémon, challenge Raids and overthrow Gyms. Becoming friends with your real-world mates in Pokémon Go is simple enough, but there are levels to Pokémon Go friendship. The higher you go, the more XP you'll earn.

New friends begin at the Good Friend level and grow up into Great, Ultra and Best Friend levels. Each friend tier offers different perks, like Raid attack bonuses and discounted trades. Reaching each level will unlock a massive XP boost along with the extra perks. Keep your friends around while you play; they'll build you up faster.

There are always special events happening in Pokémon Go, with all sorts of different bonuses, perks and rewards available. Every time you log in, take a look at the Events tab and see what's going on; there may be XP boosts baked in from the jump.

While you're in there, swipe over to the Quests tab, as there will always be some sort of challenge you can complete for rewards and XP. Bear those specific quests in mind when you head back into the field, as they'll inform what your next move should be in the Pokémon Go world.