Pokemon GO is filled with many different Pokemon of varying types, appearances, and abilities. Some of the rarest Pokemon, however, are the Legendary Pokemon, many of which are only available during limited time periods.
Completing the Pokedex can be tough when it comes to obtaining these hard-to-find Legendaries, so many Pokemon GO players trade with friends. Fortunately, Legendaries can be traded, and this can be a great way to fill in those pesky Pokedex slots.
Unfortunately, trading Legendary Pokemon can come with a hefty Stardust cost, which might be more of an issue for some players than others. The price of the trade is determined by the Pokemon being traded and how close the relationship between the two trade parties are.
Let's take a look at just how much Stardust it takes to trade a Legendary, and how to reduce that number and make these trades more affordable.
Updated on August 31, 2023 by Michael Christopher: We've given this post a refresh to keep it up to date and as helpful as possible.
How Much Stardust To Trade Legendary Pokemon
When trading Legendaries, the base cost is a whopping 1,000,000 Stardust. This price can be reduced to 20,000, if the player receiving the Pokemon already has that Legendary Pokemon registered in their Pokedex. As players increase their friendship with each other, this price will go down even further.
Here's a handy chart, with "Registered" and "New" being applicable to the player receiving the Legendary:
|
Friendship Level |
Registered |
New |
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
Good Friends ♥ |
20,000 |
1,000,000 |
|
|
Great Friends ♥♥ |
16,000 |
800,000 |
|
|
Ultra Friends ♥♥♥ |
1,600 |
80,000 |
|
|
Best Friends ♥♥♥♥ |
800 |
40,000 |
Pokemon that are traded in alternate forms or event costumes that the receiving player hasn't obtained yet are also counted as unregistered, like the different forms of Giratina or Armored Mewtwo.
Occasionally, time-limited events offer friendship-related benefits. Very rarely, the trade price is discounted, so keep an eye out.
Special Trades
Players can only make one Special Trade per day. These Special Trades are any of the following:
- Unregistered Pokemon
- Legendaries
- Ultra Beasts
- Shiny Pokemon
- Unregistered forms or costumed Pokemon
During some special events, the Special Trade limit is lifted, allowing for multiple per day.
While these prices may seem harsh, they are helpful if an account is compromised and someone attempted to steal its Pokemon away.
Pokemon That Cannot Be Traded
While most Legendary Pokemon can be traded, Mythical Pokemon cannot be traded. The only exceptions to this rule are Meltan and Melmetal. With this in mind, all current Pokemon that cannot be traded are:
-
Mythical Pokemon
- Celebi
- Darkrai
- Deoxys (any form)
- Diancie
- Genesect (any Drive)
- Hoopa (any form)
- Jirachi
- Keldeo (any form)
- Meloetta
- Mew
- Shaymin (any form)
- Victini
- Zarude
- Zygarde (any form)
- Shadow Pokemon
- Eggs
- Current Buddies
- Pokemon currently defending a Gym
- Pokemon that are fainted or not at full health
- Pokemon that have already been traded
- Pokemon obtained through hacking, botting, or spoofing
Pokemon GO is available now on mobile devices.