Pokémon Go 'Spring Eggstravaganza' event guide

Updated April 20, 2017: The Pokémon Go Spring Event event is now over. No more 2x leveling up, but time to evolve the very best Pokémon you got, and transfer away the rest!

Pokémon Go's Easter / Spring Event is running for a week and is giving double XP and a greater-than-usual variety of Pokémon in 2 KM Eggs, and 50% off Lucky Eggs in the Pokémon Shop. So, how do you get the most out of the event?

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TL;DR: What should you do before the Pokémon Go Spring Event ends?

  • Crack a Lucky Egg and mass evolve any remaining Pokémon you have left, especially 12-candy Pidgey, Caterpie, and Weedle, but also 25-candy starters, Rattata, Hoddip, etc.
  • While you're evolving, finish walking any remaining 2 KM, 5 KM, and 10 KM Pokémon Eggs.
  • Sping PokéStops to fill your Egg slots back up. Every Stop is dropping Eggs right now but we have no idea if that'll persist after the event, so fill 'em while you got 'em.
  • Buy a 25 pack of Lucky Eggs at 50%. It's the best deal on the Shop right now and you can use them to mass evolve until the next event.

What is this Pokémon Go Easter / Spring Event of which you speak?

Here's what Pokemon Go just announced:

Lace up your walking shoes and get ready to put a spring in your step—the Pokémon GO Eggstravaganza is nearly here! From 1:00 P.M. PDT on April 13 to 1:00 P.M. PDT on April 20, 2017, a greater variety of Pokémon can now be found in 2 km Eggs, so get cracking and see what you find! Your Egg-venture doesn't stop there, though—you'll also earn more Candy for every Egg you hatch!Throughout this Eggstravaganza, you'll also level up even faster with double XP! Combine this Egg-cellent bonus with a Lucky Egg, and you'll earn four times the XP you normally would. To make this Eggstravaganza even sweeter, Lucky Eggs will be 50% off in the in-game shop!

When does the Pokémon Go Easter / Spring Event start and end exactly?

Here are the official times:

  • Start: April 13, 2017 at 1 p.m. PDT / 4 p.m. EDT
  • End: April 20, 2017 at 1 p.m. PDT / 4 p.m. EDT

So, a week of springtime fun.

How does 'double XP' break down?

Think of it like having a free Lucky Egg running all the time, 24/7, for the duration of the event. You'll get twice the normal amount of XP for everything you do in the game. That works out to:

  • Curve Ball bonus: 20 XP
  • Nice Throw bonus: 20 XP
  • Pokémon Flees: 50 XP
  • First Throw bonus: 100 XP
  • Great Throw bonus: 100 XP
  • Excellent Throw bonus: 200 XP
  • Spin a PokéStop: 200 XP
  • Catch a Pokémon: 200 XP
  • Hatch a 2K egg: 400 XP
  • Hatch a 5K egg: 1000 XP
  • Add a Pokémon to your Pokédex: 1000 XP
  • Evolve a Pokémon: 1000 XP
  • Daily PokéStop Streak (Days 1-6): 1000 XP
  • Daily Catch Streak (Days 1-6): 1000 XP
  • Hatch a 10K egg: 2000 XP
  • Daily PokéStop Streak (Day 7): 4000 XP
  • Daily Catch Streak (Day 7): 4000 XP
  • Train at a Gym: Variable x2
  • Battle at a Gym: Variable x2

Can you add a Lucky Egg as well for quadruple XP?

You can! And you'll get 4x on your XP for the 30 min. duration of the Lucky Egg! That works out to:

  • Curve Ball bonus: 40 XP
  • Nice Throw bonus: 40 XP
  • Pokémon Flees: 100 XP
  • First Throw bonus: 200 XP
  • Great Throw bonus: 200 XP
  • Excellent Throw bonus: 400 XP
  • Spin a PokéStop: 400 XP
  • Catch a Pokémon: 400 XP
  • Hatch a 2K egg: 800 XP
  • Hatch a 5K egg: 2000 XP
  • Add a Pokémon to your Pokédex: 2000 XP
  • Evolve a Pokémon: 2000 XP
  • Daily PokéStop Streak (Days 1-6): 2000 XP
  • Daily Catch Streak (Days 1-6): 2000 XP
  • Hatch a 10K egg: 4000 XP
  • Daily PokéStop Streak (Day 7): 8000 XP
  • Daily Catch Streak (Day 7): 8000 XP
  • Train at a Gym: Variable x4
  • Battle at a Gym: Variable x4

So, basically, the best time to level up ever?

Absolutely. Here's what you want to do:

  1. Catch as many 12-candy Pokémon as you can: Caterpie, Pidgey, and Weedle; and as many low-candy Pokémon as you happen to: Rattata, starters, Nidorano, Oddish, Poliwag, Abra, Machop, Bellsprout, Geodude, Gastly, Eevee, and Hoppip.
  2. If you have a vast surplus of Pinap Berries you're not saving for rares, use them to double your candy on catches.
  3. Any time you have enough candy and Pokémon for around 80 evolutions, drop a Lucky Egg and do a mass evolution.
  4. Make sure you get all your daily streak bonuses, especially your 7-day streak if it falls during the event.
  5. Hatch as many Pokémon Eggs as you can, especially all the 10 KM eggs you get.
  6. If you have extra Lucky Eggs, or can time your streaks and hatches with your mass evolutions, profit!
  7. Prestige as many Gyms as possible, if you're great at it and you can get the max XP for each battle. (Otherwise it's not time efficient.)
  8. Add any Pokémon you're still missing to your Pokédex.

All of that should help you get to your next level(s) as fast as possible.

Should you stock up on Lucky Eggs since they're now 50% off?

The event essentially gives you a "free" Lucky Egg, 24/7, for the duration. So you're already getting XP at double the normal rate. If you really care about leveling up as fast as possible, though, and you have the Poké Coins to spare, then getting a pack of Lucky Eggs and dropping them before you mass-evolve, mass-hatch, or mass-prestige, will give you quadruple the normal rate.

That's like getting your next level in three days instead of a week, or a week instead of a month.

And at 50% off? You can level as fast as possible for the least amount of coins as possible.

So... 25 Lucky Egg pack for 625 coins?

If you're serious about leveling up, that's the best deal in the Poké Shop this week.

What does "more" candy mean for Pokémon Egg hatches?

Pokemon Go hatch Togepi

Pokemon Go hatch Togepi (Image credit: iMore)

It simply means "more", sadly, and not double, like what was provided during the Halloween and Valentine's Events. It looks like an extra piece of candy or two is imply being thrown in for every hatch.

Here's a best guess:

  • 2 KM: 6 to 18 candies.
  • 5 KM: 11 to 24 candies.
  • 10 KM: 17 to 36 candies.

That could still be enough to push you over the edge and get you that Tyranitar, Amphoros, Dragonite, or other evolution you've been waiting for, or to power you up for Gyms!

Best Pokémon to evolve and power up for Gyms

What does a 'greater variety of Pokémon can now be found in 2 km Eggs' mean?

It means some Pokémon that previously hatched from 10 KM or 5 KM eggs now hatch from 2 KM egg.

Here's the current list as crowd-sourced by The Silph Road:

  • Aerodactyl
  • Dunsparce
  • Eevee
  • Elekid
  • Girafarig
  • Grimer
  • Growlithe
  • Koffing
  • Lapras
  • Magby
  • Miltank
  • Onix
  • Phanphy
  • Rhyhorn
  • Scyther
  • Shellder
  • Shuckle
  • Skarmory
  • Smoochum
  • Sneasel
  • Stantler
  • Sudowoodo
  • Tangela
  • Tyrogue
  • Wobbuffet
  • Wooper

How to hatch Pokémon Eggs faster in Pokémon Go

Does this affect old Pokémon Go Eggs you already have or only new ones you get during the event?

You'll get double candy for hatching any Pokémon Egg you have, old or new. You'll only get the "greater variety" in new eggs, though. Everything about a Pokémon Go Egg, including what's inside it, is determined the moment you get it.

And the Gen 2 starters now hatch as well?

From 5 KM, they now absolutely do:

  • Chikorita
  • Cyndaquil
  • Totodile

That should help you get all the evolutions as well!

Pokémon Go for Apple Watch will let you hatch Pokémon Go Eggs even faster?

Pokemon Go Watch

Pokemon Go Watch (Image credit: iMore/ Rene Ritchie)

The Apple Watch extension for Pokémon Go is a workout app, so it counts steps taken, not just distance traveled. There's a pace element, so you'll have to walk briskly. But, yes, if you use it you can often hatch faster than if you don't.

TL;DR: Here it is again!

  • Crack a Lucky Egg and mass evolve any remaining Pokémon you have left, especially 12-candy Pidgey, Caterpie, and Weedle, but also 25-candy starters, Rattata, Hoddip, etc.
  • While you're evolving, finish walking any remaining 2 KM, 5 KM, and 10 KM Pokémon Eggs.
  • Sping PokéStops to fill your Egg slots back up. Every Stop is dropping Eggs right now but we have no idea if that'll persist after the event, so fill 'em while you got 'em.
  • Buy a 25 pack of Lucky Eggs at 50%. It's the best deal on the Shop right now and you can use them to mass evolve until the next event.

Also: Get out, enjoy, take your family and friends, accumulate candy, evolve all the things. Have FUN!

Any Pokémon Go Easter / Spring questions?

If you have any questions about the Pokémon Go Easter / Spring Event, drop them in the comments below!

Rene Ritchie
Contributor

Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.