As it turns out, those Stardust that players collect when capturing monsters in Pokemon GO actually serves a very vital purpose in the game. While the item has not really been considered to be among the most important in Pokemon GO, Stardust is actually one of the most defining items that players can use to get an edge in the game.

An Official Announcement

It seems like Niantic and The Pokemon Company are well aware that players are not really very big fans of the item. Thus, in a recent Twitter announcement, the official account for the game posted a brief tip on how Stardust benefits a player's Pokemon in the game.

As could be seen in the comments in the tweet, a good number of Pokemon GO players were actually surprised to find what the item really does, with many expressing their astonishment that the item was not useless after all.

As for the reason behind the demo using a Magikarp, no one really knows.

How to Use Stardust to Power Up Any Pokemon

What is particularly great about Stardust is the fact that it works for all captured Pokemon. While Pokemon Candies (which hopefully don't come from ground-up Pokemon) are more popular among players due to the vital role they play in Pokemon evolutions, Candies only work specifically for the Pokemon they are compatible with. Stardust, however, just works, regardless of what Pokemon users would want to power-up. Stardust will do the job just fine.

In order to use it, users simply need to tap the Power Up button on a Pokemon's stats. Once that is done, it is just a matter of confirming a couple more menus. After that, the target Pokemon would already enjoy some boosted stats.

How to Hoard Stardust in Pokemon GO

Another great thing about Stardust is the fact that Pokemon GO has so far been very generous about the amount the game gives its players. Even a common, low-CP Pokemon would at least give players 100 Stardust.

If players would like to hoard on this now-precious item, it would be best to go in a location that is populated by lots of Pokemon, and then using a Lure or an Incense. It doesn't really matter if the creatures that appear are rare or not. If players can catch one Pokemon every minute, they would be able to acquire as much as 3,000 Stardust in half an hour.

Also, hatching Pokemon Eggs is another great way to hoard up on the item, as 10km Eggs actually give out as much as 2,000 Stardust once hatched. 2km and 5km Eggs give out a significant number of Stardust as well.