When Should I Unlock a Second Charged Move?
Updated
A second charged move doesn't have one price. The game sets it per species: 50,000 Stardust on 408 of them, 10,000 on 262, 75,000 on 228 and 100,000 on 125. On 18 families the earlier stage costs less than the stage it evolves into, and the move stays on the Pokémon through evolution, so unlocking it early keeps the cheaper price.
Bonslysaves 65,000
Chinglingsaves 65,000
Elekidsaves 65,000
Happinysaves 65,000
Magbysaves 65,000
Mantykesaves 65,000What it costs
There are four prices across the 1,023 species the game puts a second-move price on, and 50,000 Stardust is the one you'll meet most often, on 408 of them. Check your Pokémon before you assume it's the expensive one.
| Stardust | Species | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 50,000 | 408 | 40% |
| 10,000 | 262 | 26% |
| 75,000 | 228 | 22% |
| 100,000 | 125 | 12% |
Where it pays
| Unlock it on | Instead of | Cost | After evolving | You save |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonsly | Sudowoodo | 10,000 | 75,000 | 65,000 |
| Chingling | Chimecho | 10,000 | 75,000 | 65,000 |
| Elekid | Electabuzz, Electivire | 10,000 | 75,000 | 65,000 |
| Happiny | Chansey, Blissey | 10,000 | 75,000 | 65,000 |
| Magby | Magmar, Magmortar | 10,000 | 75,000 | 65,000 |
| Mantyke | Mantine | 10,000 | 75,000 | 65,000 |
 Mime Jr. | Mr. Mime, Mr. Rime | 10,000 | 75,000 | 65,000 |
 Munchlax | Snorlax | 10,000 | 75,000 | 65,000 |
 Riolu | Lucario | 10,000 | 75,000 | 65,000 |
 Smoochum | Jynx | 10,000 | 75,000 | 65,000 |
 Tyrogue | Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan, Hitmontop | 10,000 | 75,000 | 65,000 |
 Azurill | Marill, Azumarill | 10,000 | 50,000 | 40,000 |
 Budew | Roselia, Roserade | 10,000 | 50,000 | 40,000 |
 Togepi | Togetic, Togekiss | 10,000 | 50,000 | 40,000 |
 Wynaut | Wobbuffet | 10,000 | 50,000 | 40,000 |
 Qwilfish | Overqwil | 50,000 | 75,000 | 25,000 |
 Sneasel | Sneasler | 50,000 | 75,000 | 25,000 |
 Stantler | Wyrdeer | 50,000 | 75,000 | 25,000 |
The one that matters most
Riolu into Lucario. Lucario sits in the top ten of our tier list, so it's a Pokémon you'll actually build, and doing the second move as a Riolu costs 10,000 Stardust instead of 75,000.
Everything else: evolve first
Outside those 18 families, the game charges the same figure at every stage, so evolving costs you nothing extra. Powering up costs the same Stardust at a given level whether or not a Pokémon has evolved, and evolving keeps the level it already had. So evolve, see what you got, then decide whether to spend on it.
Every figure here is the game's own second-move cost for that species. Check any of them on the species page, under What it costs.
Questions people ask
How much does a second charged move cost in Pokémon GO?
It depends on the Pokémon. The game sets four prices, plus Candy, across the 1,023 species it prices: 50,000 Stardust on 408 of them, 10,000 on 262, 75,000 on 228 and 100,000 on 125. The most common of them is 50,000 Stardust. On 18 families the earlier stage costs less than the stage it evolves into: Bonsly, Chingling, Elekid, Happiny, Magby and more.
Should I unlock a second charged move before or after evolving?
Before, on the 18 families where the game charges the earlier stage less than the stage it evolves into. Everywhere else the family pays one price start to finish, so evolve first, see what you got, then decide whether to spend on it.
Which second charged move unlock is worth doing?
Riolu into Lucario. It costs 10,000 Stardust and 25 Candy at the Riolu stage against 75,000 Stardust after evolving, a saving of 65,000, and Lucario is a top-ten attacker on our tier list.
Does a second charged move carry through evolution?
Yes. The move is unlocked on the Pokémon, so it is still there after it evolves. That is the whole reason unlocking it at the cheap stage works.
Does evolving cost you anything extra?
No. Powering up costs the same Stardust at a given level whether or not a Pokémon has evolved, and evolving keeps the level it already had.
Where can I check the cost for one Pokémon?
On its species page, under What it costs. Every figure on this page is that same number, read from the game's data files.