Pokémon GO overhauls its level progression on October 15th — XP Celebration event gives players a boost to push to Level 50 before the update

Scopely have announced a major update in Pokémon GO that will take effect in-game from October 15th of this year. This major update will increase the level cap from 50 to 80, and substantially overhaul level progression to make the game a more enjoyable experience for Trainers. Ahead of this update, a special XP Celebration event is currently running through until October 14th.

Update Details
The following changes will take effect in-game beginning October 15th:

• The level cap will increase from level 50 to level 80. The overall leveling curve from level 1 to 80 will also be rebalanced, such that Trainers can expect to earn levels more frequently as they play.
• Tasks for Level-Up Research for levels 41 to 50 will be removed, while new Level-Up Research tasks will be added to levels 71 to 80.
• Trainers at level 70 and higher will have an increased chance of becoming Lucky Friends with other Trainers.
• New rewards will be added to level-up progression, including increased storage capacity for Pokémon, items, and Gifts, as well as new avatar items starting at level 25 onwards.

With the rebalancing of the level curve, some Trainers' levels will change when the update arrives on October 15th. However, it will only be possible for Trainers to gain levels in this way, and no Trainers will go down in level. Any Trainers whose levels go up in this manner will receive any and all rewards associated with reaching those levels at the same time as this update. For Trainers who remain at their current levels, the amount of XP needed to reach the next level may change depending on the Trainer's current level.

Further details on this update will be released closer to October 15th.

Claim these Level Rewards prior to the new update!
Following the update, the existing avatar items earned by reaching levels 40 through 50 under the current level progression system, including the Level 50 Jacket, will no longer be available. Trainers who have already earned these items, poses, and other level-up rewards however will still retain them after the update.

By Tuesday, October 14th, at 11:59pm local time, all Trainers will receive a special in-game medal commemorating the highest level they achieved under the current level progression system. Additionally, Trainers who reached level 50 will also receive a brand new avatar pose.

XP Celebration event
The XP Celebration event commenced this Monday, and will continue through until October 14th, at 11:59pm local time, just before the update.

Event Bonuses & Activities
The following event bonuses will be active during this event:

• 2× Catch XP from Nice, Great, and Excellent Throws
• +3,000 XP from winning raids
• +3,000 XP from winning Max Battles

These bonuses will stack with the bonuses from all other events running over this period.

Research Tasks
A free Timed Research will be available to all Trainers who are level 5 and above. Completing this research will allow Trainers to earn over 7 million XP.

A level 47 Level-Up Research task will also be adjusted for this event. Whereas this Level-Up Research task previously required Trainers to explore 25 km in a week eight times, Trainers will only need to do so two times for the task with this event.

XP Celebration Ultra Box
An XP Celebration Ultra Box is available for purchase on the Pokémon GO Web Store for US$9.99 (or equivalent pricing tier in each local currency). The box, which can be purchased up to three times per Trainer, includes 15 Lucky Eggs, one Super Incubator, one Incubator, five Incense, and two Lure Modules.