This article is part of a directory: Pokemon GO: Full Game Guide | Tips, Tricks, and Events
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Pokemon GO follows the classic Pokemon gameplay formula: players catch Pokemon, strengthen and evolve them, and use those Pokemon in battles against other trainers. But Pokemon GO does just about everything else in a different way than the main game franchise. With real-world AR elements, step counting, and in-app purchases, it's a much different game than its console siblings.

This mobile Pokemon game also simplifies the Pokemon-catching process by not requiring a battle to weaken the wild Pokemon beforehand. This ease of catching combined with the area-based spawns of certain Pokemon types generally leads to trainers having a huge abundance of duplicate Pokemon that don't serve a real in-game purpose. Professor Willow takes care of that issue by offering to take Pokemon off a player's hands in exchange for some rewards.

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Should You Transfer Pokemon to the Professor?

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The process of transferring a Pokemon in Pokemon GO requires a player to choose a Pokemon in their roster and request that Professor Willow takes it. In exchange for the creature, Professor Willow gives the player candy for that specific Pokemon type. For example, a trainer who transfers a Pidgey would receive Pidgey candy in return. These transfers are permanent, so once a trainer gives up a Pokemon, they can't get that specific team member back.

Candies are extremely valuable in Pokemon GO, which is why it's a pretty fair trade with Professor Willow. Pokemon GO candies are resources that allow players to evolve a Pokemon to its next form or to boost its combat power, also known as CP. The candies are specific to each species of Pokemon and are hard to come by, so transferring Pokemon to Professor Willow is actually a fairly necessary part of the game.

Transferring also becomes a powerful resource during Pokemon GO events like Community Days. On these event days, one specific Pokemon will spawn in abundance around the world with an increased possibility for players to catch a shiny variety. Trainers who commit to playing through an entire Community Day can end up with hundreds of the same Pokemon by the end of the day, many of which serve no real purpose.

A common strategy is to identify the singular Pokemon with the highest stats (like CP and IV) and keep only the strongest and the shinies while transferring all the rest. This results in a backpack full of candy, allowing trainers to easily evolve the strongest Pokemon of the day and boost its CP sky-high. Additional incentive to use this strategy is provided by the game in that all Community Day Pokemon that are evolved to their final form know a special charged attack.

However, for the more sentimental player who cannot bear to part with a single creature within their collection of Pokemon, fret not. Transferring is not the only way to receive candy in Pokemon GO. Trainers automatically receive three candies upon catching a Pokemon, or six when using a pinap berry.

Hatched eggs also provide up to 30 candies, depending on the distance required. Candy can also drop from in-game actions like walking a Pokemon or feeding a Pokemon in a gym. Rare Candy is also available as a Pokemon GO raid reward, and this candy is a sort of wild card that can be applied to any Pokemon in the game.

Players unsure about making their first transfer can rest easy—there is no downside to transferring in Pokemon GO as long as it's a Pokemon a trainer is willing to let go of. While it is possible to stockpile candy through catching alone, trainers may find that without transferring, their Pokemon storage may start to get a little bit cramped.

Pokemon GO is available on Android and iOS.

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