Types of XP bonus awarded for capturing Pokemons

Catching Pokemons in Pokemon GO is a great way to earn XP. You earn 100 XP for every Pokemon you catch, and 500 XP if you are registering a new Pokemon to your Pokedex for the first time. But on top of these basic XP rewards, you can earn additional XP bonus on every catch. In this article we will reveal what these XP bonuses are and how to get them.

Marksmanship Bonus

The first type of XP bonus is based on the timing and accuracy of your throw. The quality of your throw is graded on 4 tiers, excellent throw, great throw, nice throw, and normal throw. No additional XP is awarded for a normal throw. For the other 3 tiers, the image below illustrates the amount of bonus XP awarded for each tier.

A throw is eligible for XP bonus if the Pokeball hits the Pokemon near the center of the inner colored contracting circle. If the hit occurs when the inner circle is large, then a nice throw bonus is given. And vice verse, if the hit occurs when the inner circle is small, then an excellent throw bonus is given.

Curveball Bonus

The next type of XP bonus is based on how you threw the Pokeball when your Pokemon is caught. If you put the Pokeball into a spin prior to throwing it, then the Pokeball will follow a curved trajectory. If the curved Pokeball manages to hit the Pokemon and capture it, then you will receive a curveball bonus.

There is no XP bonus for a normal or straight throw.

[100th Catch] Bonus

The last type of XP bonus is a bit mysterious. It simply shows up as “Bonus” leaving many people wondering what exactly it was for. Well apparently you are awarded bonus XP for catching every 100th of a certain species of Pokemon. So for example, you get this bonus for catching the 100th, 200th, or 300th Pidgey and so on.

As we have seen from the above images, these bonus XP rewards are stackable. So if you want to rack up as much XP as you can, then I recommend practicing throwing curveballs and improving on your marksmanship. With some practice, you will be on your way to earning more XP for every Pokemon your catch!