Experience and levels

Your lead's level derives from total accumulated exp, not spent points. The curve has two phases: up to level 50 it is truly exponential (each level costs far more than the last), and from 50 onward it eases off: each level costs only a little more than the one before. The cap is level 500.

How exp grows

From 1 to 50: steep growth. The first levels fly by, but every new level weighs much more than the last. This is the steepest stretch of the game.
From 50 to 500: the climb continues on a gentle ramp: each level costs about 4% more than the previous one. Levels move at a steady pace again, and the wall builds up slowly as those 4% steps compound.

Exp-per-level table

Values computed from the game's formula. "Total exp" is the cumulative amount needed to arrive at the level; "Exp for that level" is the jump from the previous level.

Level	Total exp to reach	Exp for that level (delta)
2	~15	~12
5	~138	~60
10	~1,018	~288
20	~13,800	~2,800
30	~105,600	~18,300
50	~3.4 million	~507 thousand
60	~10.5 million	~845 thousand
80	~36.7 million	~1.9 million
100	~94 million	~4.1 million
150	~738 million	~29 million
200	~5.3 billion	~205 million
500	~686 trillion	~26 trillion

Apprentice Pace

A pokemon below your trainer level hunts with a tailwind. The further behind it is, the stronger the push:

Where it stands	Experience
Up to 25% of your trainer level	×25
From 25% to half	×12
From half to 70%	×6
From 70% to 85%	×3
From 85% to 95%	×1.5
Above 95%	normal

This is why a pokemon caught at level 1 climbs thirty levels in an afternoon, and why it slows down near the end. That is not a bug: past 95% the real game starts.

The Gym Master talent (Raising branch) pushes the accelerated step a little higher.

A pokemon with a Star (see Ascension Altar) has its own, stronger table, because it has walked this road once already:

Where it stands	Experience
Up to half of your trainer level	×16
From half to 85%	×12
From 85% to 95%	×8
From 95% to 99%	×6

The Pace bar shows up on the pokemon's sheet and on the hunt card, telling you the current multiplier and how long it lasts.

What this means in practice

The exp you earn per kill grows with the region level (see Regions and unlocking), and the world has ever-stronger regions waiting for you. In practice, for someone hunting well (right region, potions on):

Milestone	Approximate pace
~Level 20	~1 hour of hunting
~Level 50	a few days
~Level 80	about a month
~Level 100	around three months
Beyond 100	the world has content far past it; the climb slows a little with every level

Investing in your build shortens all of this: high-tier moves, seals, held items, clan and gems multiply your speed many times over.

Faints can delevel you

Because level comes from total exp, losing exp to a faint can reduce your level. Penalty details in Enemy threat and fainting.