Pokemon Go players question whether leveling past 40 is even worth it

One Pokemon Go player’s leveling question has the community divided on whether it’s beneficial to level up past 40.

Niantic’s Pokemon-branded mobile game originally launched with a level cap of 40, which remained the case until the Season of Celebration increased the cap to 50 in November 2020.

Leveling up from 1 to 40 has proven simple, merely requiring players to obtain XP. However, the gains happen at a plodding pace, so reaching the previous level cap can take years for many.

As such, some players have questioned the benefit of working their way up to 50, since the level-up process requires even more of a time sink.

Reddit user AlexEmbers, specifically, wondered whether the continued grind offered a competitive advantage of some kind.

The Pokemon Company

The Pokemon Go community has a split opinion on the matter, with a contingent saying there’s no advantage at all.

But others argue the extra rewards and bragging rights make it worthwhile, especially since continuing to play regulary will unlock new levels regardless.

One person explained, “No, there’s no advantage since you can power up Pokemon to level 50 now, and you could earn XL candy from L31 already. The only thing is the various rewards from each level, which you can look up.”

Someone else mentioned the increased difficulty that accompanies level 40-plus: “[Team] Rocket encounters get increasingly harder with your level, so there’s really no point in doing so other than bragging rights.”

Another Pokemon Go user argued in favor of reaching higher levels as it can boost team confidence during Raids. “Higher level will give randoms in your raid higher confidence to stay in the lobby and do a harder raid with less people.”

Yet another player shared some advice that the original poster responded well to, “Nope, just enjoy the ride!”