Buddy Pokémon

A Buddy Pokémon (Japanese: 相棒ポケモン Partner Pokémon) is a walking Pokémon in . They allow the player to earn for the Buddy Pokémon's family by walking with them. They walk alongside the player, similar to in Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!. Buddy Pokémon were added to Pokémon GO in version 0.37.0 (labeled 1.7.0 on the ), which was released on September 13, 2016.
==Mechanics==
The player earns Candy after walking a certain distance while the same Pokémon is equipped as their Buddy Pokémon. The distance required (1 km, 3 km, 5 km, or 20 km) depends on the Pokémon's evolutionary line. The player can only have one Buddy Pokémon at a time, and can only swap their Buddy Pokémon up to 20 times per day. Prior to the launch of Buddy Adventure, changing or evolving the Buddy Pokémon resets the distance until the next Candy is obtained. Additionally, a Buddy Pokémon cannot be transferred, traded, or placed in a . If the player is level 31 or above, there is a chance that the Buddy Pokémon can drop a Candy XL in addition to the candy; Candy XL drop odds depend on the Buddy Pokémon's level, with higher levels increasing the odds. If or is the buddy, it can sometimes drop a Gimmighoul Coin.
Starting in version 0.49.1 (labelled 1.19.1 on the iOS App Store) of Pokémon GO, which was released on December 8, 2016, the total Candy collected by a particular Pokémon as a Buddy Pokémon is displayed on the Buddy information screen, and the total distance walked with a Pokémon as a Buddy Pokémon is listed on that Pokémon's information screen.
Originally, the distance corresponded to half of the Pokémon's family's distance (rounded to the nearest whole number), but since the introduction of Buddy Pokémon, Egg distances have changed often, whereas buddy distance has not changed. Aside from baby Pokémon and first partner Pokémon, all Pokémon with the same buddy distance require the same amount of and Candy to learn a second Charged Attack. The cost to purify a Shadow Pokémon also corresponds to its buddy distance.
If the player has previously their Buddy Pokémon, or their Buddy Pokémon is part of the evolutionary line of a Pokémon that the player has previously Mega Evolved, that Buddy Pokémon will also reward Mega Energy when its buddy distance has been met. Regardless of species, 5 Mega Energy are rewarded for every 1 km walked. Therefore, a buddy distance of 1 km rewards 5 Mega Energy when the distance is met, 3 km rewards 15 Mega Energy, 5 km rewards 25 Mega Energy, and 20 km rewards 100 Mega Energy. This mechanic works identically with Pokémon that have undergone .
:For a list of Pokémon by their Buddy distance and other properties, see List of Pokémon by Buddy Pokémon properties
==Evolution==
Certain Pokémon can evolve if it has walked with the player for a certain distance as their Buddy Pokémon.
This evolution mechanic does not override the ability of Eevee's nickname or a nearby Mossy or Glacial Lure Module to cause it to evolve into a particular Eeveelution.
Previous Evolution 	Previous Evolution 	Buddy Evolution	Buddy Evolution 	Buddy Evolution	Later Evolution 	Later Evolution
Pokémon 	Method 	Pokémon 	Method 	Pokémon 	Method 	Pokémon
 	50→ 	 	+ 100Defeat 30 and/or Pokémon→ 	 	Annihilape cannot evolve further 	Annihilape cannot evolve further
Galarian Slowpoke is the lowest in its line 	Galarian Slowpoke is the lowest in its line 	 	+ 50Catch 30 Pokémon→ 	 	Galarian Slowbro cannot evolve further 	Galarian Slowbro cannot evolve further
Galarian Slowpoke is the lowest in its line 	Galarian Slowpoke is the lowest in its line 	 	+ 50Catch 30 Pokémon→ 	 	Galarian Slowking cannot evolve further	Galarian Slowking cannot evolve further
Galarian Farfetch'd is the lowest in its line	Galarian Farfetch'd is the lowest in its line	 	+ 50Make 10 Excellent Throws→ 	 	Sirfetch'd cannot evolve further 	Sirfetch'd cannot evolve further
Happiny is the lowest in its line 	Happiny is the lowest in its line 	 	+ 25Walk 15 km→ 	 	50→ 	
Mime Jr. is the lowest in its line 	Mime Jr. is the lowest in its line 	 	+ 50Walk 15 km→ 	 	Mr. Mime cannot evolve further 	Mr. Mime cannot evolve further
Eevee is the lowest in its line 	Eevee is the lowest in its line 	 	+ + 25Walk 10 km(evolve during day mode)→ 	 	Espeon cannot evolve further 	Espeon cannot evolve further
Eevee is the lowest in its line 	Eevee is the lowest in its line 	 	+ + 25Walk 10 km(evolve during night mode)→	 	Umbreon cannot evolve further 	Umbreon cannot evolve further
Eevee is the lowest in its line 	Eevee is the lowest in its line 	 	+ 70 + 25→ 	 	Sylveon cannot evolve further 	Sylveon cannot evolve further
Bonsly is the lowest in its line 	Bonsly is the lowest in its line 	 	+ 50Walk 15 km→ 	 	Sudowoodo cannot evolve further 	Sudowoodo cannot evolve further
Hisuian Qwilfish is the lowest in its line 	Hisuian Qwilfish is the lowest in its line 	 	+ 50Win 10 → 	 	Overqwil cannot evolve further 	Overqwil cannot evolve further
Hisuian Sneasel is the lowest in its line 	Hisuian Sneasel is the lowest in its line 	 	+ + 100Walk 7 km(evolve during day mode)→ 	 	Sneasler cannot evolve further 	Sneasler cannot evolve further
Feebas is the lowest in its line 	Feebas is the lowest in its line 	 	+ 100Walk 20 km→ 	 	Milotic cannot evolve further 	Milotic cannot evolve further
Woobat is the lowest in its line 	Woobat is the lowest in its line 	 	+ 50Walk 1 km→ 	 	Swoobat cannot evolve further 	Swoobat cannot evolve further
Galarian Yamask is the lowest in its line 	Galarian Yamask is the lowest in its line 	 	+ 50Win 10 → 	 	Runerigus cannot evolve further 	Runerigus cannot evolve further
 	25→ 	 	+ 20 + 100→ 	 	Florges cannot evolve further 	Florges cannot evolve further
Pancham is the lowest in its line 	Pancham is the lowest in its line 	 	+ 50Catch 32 Pokémon→ 	 	Pangoro cannot evolve further 	Pangoro cannot evolve further
Spritzee is the lowest in its line 	Spritzee is the lowest in its line 	 	+ 50Use an → 	 	Aromatisse cannot evolve further 	Aromatisse cannot evolve further
Swirlix is the lowest in its line 	Swirlix is the lowest in its line 	 	+ 50Give your buddy 25 treats→ 	 	Slurpuff cannot evolve further 	Slurpuff cannot evolve further
Poipole is the lowest in its line 	Poipole is the lowest in its line 	 	+ 200Catch 20 Pokémon→ 	 	Naganadel cannot evolve further 	Naganadel cannot evolve further
 	25→ 	 	+ 100Walk 25 km→ 	 	Pawmot cannot evolve further 	Pawmot cannot evolve further
Charcadet is the lowest in its line 	Charcadet is the lowest in its line 	 	+ 50Defeat 30 Pokémon→ 	 	Armarouge cannot evolve further 	Armarouge cannot evolve further
Charcadet is the lowest in its line 	Charcadet is the lowest in its line 	 	+ 50Defeat 30 Pokémon→ 	 	Ceruledge cannot evolve further 	Ceruledge cannot evolve further
==Position==
Each species of Pokémon has a defined Buddy position. Medium Pokémon stand beside to the player, while large Pokémon stand behind the player. Flying Pokémon will fly or float next to the player.
Pokémon with a position of "Shoulder" or "Baby" sit on the player's shoulder or ride in their arms, respectively. initially stands beside the player, but moves to their arms if it collects a total of 10 Pikachu Candy.
==Buddy Adventure==
On December 17, 2019, Buddy Adventure was launched to further expand features for Buddy Pokémon.
===Activities===
There are several activities players may partake in with their Buddy Pokémon. Interacting with a buddy may increase its Affection, which increases its Buddy Level, and reward Emotion Points (EP), which improves its Mood.
Each activity has a maximum daily limit of Affection hearts that can be earned, which is reset every day at midnight, local time. Accumulating enough Affection hearts will increase the Buddy Level, unlocking various Perks specific to that buddy. Without an Excited Mood or Bonuses, a buddy can earn up to 12 Affection hearts per day.
Every activity also has an associated amount of EP and a cooldown. After earning EP from an activity, the player must wait out a cooldown period before earning more EP from that same activity. If a buddy accumulates enough EP, it will temporarily reach an Excited Mood, during which the maximum daily Affection is doubled for all activity categories except "Bonus", and the buddy will earn double Affection per action; this effectively increases the total maximum possible Affection to 26 hearts per day, without Bonus activities.
The following lists all the Buddy Activities that can earn Affection hearts and EP. Activities in italics denote that the buddy must be walking in the overworld map to count towards points for Affection and Mood.
Activity 	Details 	Max Daily Affection	Emotion Points (EP)	EP Cooldown (minutes)
Walk together 	Walk 2 km with buddy 	 	4 	0
Give your buddy a treat	Feed buddy one treat 	 	2 	30
Play together 	Play with buddy by petting it in AR mode 	 	2 	30
Battle together 	Buddy participates in a , , , Training, or Team GO Rocket Battle.
* Buddy only has to have been present in the team that battled to count, even if it was never sent out.
* For Gym, Raid, and Trainer battles, the battle must be completed to count. For Team GO Rocket Battles, the user only has to attempt the battle; quitting it will still count. Prior to version 0.231.0 (labeled 1.197 in iOS), Battle Training also had to be completed to count, but as of this update, these battles only have to be attempted to count (the user can quit, as with Rocket battles).	 	2 	30
Take a snapshot 	Take a snapshot of buddy in AR mode 	 	2 	30
Visit a new place 	Spin a PokéStop that hasn't been visited before.	 	2 	30
Follow a Route together	Complete a .
* Buddy only needs to be walking at the time of Route completion to count.	 	3 	0
Bonus 	Each of the following earns one Affection heart (except for tracking sleep) and is not affected by an Excited Mood:
* Receive a Present from buddy
* Receive a Souvenir from buddy
* Spin a PokéStop found by buddy
* Track sleep in (2 Hearts)	 	4 	0
===Buddy Levels===
Similar to Friendship Levels, players can perform various related activities to increase a Buddy Pokémon's Buddy Level. As the Buddy Level increases, Perks are unlocked for having that same Pokémon as the Buddy. If a Pokémon that has been a buddy is traded, then its Affection and Buddy Levels will be reset.
Buddy Level	Affection	Unlocked Perks 	Perk Details
Buddy 	0 	Earn Candies 	Receive one per buddy distance walked.
Good Buddy 	1 	Adventuring Buddy	The buddy can walk with the player on the overworld map once fed full.
Good Buddy 	1 	Readable Mood 	The buddy view shows a face icon to indicate mood.
Great Buddy	70 	Catch Assist 	For any kind of wild encounter, if a wild Pokémon knocks away a thrown Poké Ball, the buddy has a 20% chance of knocking it back to the same spot it would have hit.
Great Buddy	70 	Find Presents 	The buddy may bring a bundle of Berries (, , or ), Hyper Potions, or Revives. Opening a present rewards affection.
Ultra Buddy	150 	Find Locations 	The buddy may draw attention to a nearby PokéStop it finds interesting. Spinning it rewards bonus items and affection.
Ultra Buddy	150 	Find Souvenirs 	The buddy may bring a Souvenir. Receiving a Souvenir rewards affection.
Best Buddy 	300 	CP Boost 	The buddy's CP is increased by one power up level (up to Lv. 51) if set as the current buddy.
Best Buddy 	300 	Best Buddy Ribbon	A Best Buddy Ribbon is placed onto the buddy's model. The ribbon can also be seen as an icon in the .
If a Pokémon with the Best Buddy Ribbon is sent over to Pokémon HOME or other games, the ribbon is not transferred with the Pokémon.
===Hunger===
A buddy's hunger can be gauged by its hunger meter, the circle around its icon at the lower-left corner of the map view. In order to walk with the buddy, it must be fed treats until the hunger meter is full. Each hunger point takes half an hour to fully decay; so once fully fed, a buddy will walk with the player for three hours. Once that meter depletes completely, the buddy will return to its Poké Ball.
The hunger meter is broken up into six segments, each representing one hunger point. The amount of hunger points satisfied depends on the treat. 
When a buddy is fed a Poffin, the hunger meter becomes yellow instead of pink, and the buddy will walk with the player for six hours instead. During this time, the Buddy remains excited regardless of any interactions. Feeding any Berries do not change the hunger meter, and feeding of Poffins is disallowed while a buddy has the yellow Poffin hunger meter active.
Treat	Hunger Points
 	2
 	6
 	6
===Mood===
A Buddy's Mood is determined by the amount of Emotion Points it has accumulated from engaging in activities. Players can check a Buddy's Mood by viewing the Buddy screen or tapping an Adventuring Buddy on the map. Feeding a Poffin instantly puts the Buddy in an Excited Mood. Mood can decay over time, and players can maintain or improve it by engaging their buddy in further activities. Mood decays by one EP every 25 minuteshttps://www.reddit.com/r/TheSilphRoad/comments/19dg0sf/verification_you_can_get_your_buddy_excited_with/ of non-interaction, regardless of whether that interaction was on an EP cooldown.
The following lists all the possible moods in increasing positivity, along with the minimum EP needed to maintain each mood.
 	 	 	 	
Neutral(2 EP)	Content(4 EP)	Happy(8 EP)	Delighted(16 EP)	Excited(32 EP)
If the Buddy Pokémon reaches an Excited Mood, it temporarily unlocks the following Perks:
* Half the walking distance required to find a 
* Double Affection hearts earned per action
* Double the daily limit for Affection hearts per action
===Souvenirs===
Once a Buddy Pokémon becomes an Ultra Buddy or higher, it may collect Souvenirs for the player, similar to gifts from a in Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!. However, these items are not placed into the player's Bag, but instead added to the Buddy Pokémon's information. A player may view the Souvenirs collected from a Buddy at the bottom of the Buddy screen.
Souvenir	Souvenir 	Description
 	Beach Glass 	Many Trainers like to carry a piece of beach glass like this as a lucky charm. Knowing this, some Pokémon like to collect pieces as gifts for their favorite Trainers.
 	Cactus Fruit 	A cactus fruit that bears some resemblance to fruit commonly found in the Desert Resort in the Unova region. A fun gift from a loving Pokémon.
 	Chalky Stone 	A small, whitish stone picked up at the edge of the road. Your buddy thought you'd like it!
 	Confetti 	A colorful memento often found at special events. This confetti celebrates Team Mystic, Team Instinct, and Team Valor by using their identifying colors.
 	Flower Fruits 	These fruits can't be eaten, but some Pokémon enjoy collecting them regardless.
 	Lone Earring 	A lone earring. Its sparkle probably inspired your Buddy Pokémon to gift it to you!
 	Marble 	A marble with colored glass inside. Your buddy was probably drawn to its intricate pattern.
 	Mushroom 	Mushrooms similar to these tend to grow on Mushroom Pokémon, such as Paras. Some Pokémon enjoy collecting these as gifts for their Trainers. (Don't eat them, though.)
 	Pikachu Visor 	A stylish accessory worn by Trainers at special events to show their love of Pikachu. Pika Pika!
 	Pretty Leaf 	Many Pokémon like to collect these pretty leaves and gift them to their favorite Trainers.
 	Skipping Stone 	A smooth stone that is the perfect shape for skipping on water. It appears to be a sentimental keepsake from your buddy!
 	Small Bouquet 	A small bouquet that was made with heart and soul for a single Trainer. It made your buddy think of you!
 	Snowy Pinecone 	A hefty pinecone that amuses some Pokémon. A surprisingly thoughtful gift from a friendly Pokémon.
 	Stretchy Spring	A thin, small spring that's totally stretched out.
 	Torn Ticket 	A ticket, torn from use and with faded text. Your buddy probably just thought it was neat!
 	Tropical Flower	This tropical flower looks similar to those found in the Alola region. Some Pokémon love to collect flowers!
 	Tropical Shell 	A beautiful white shell that may have drifted from a sea in a warm region. Your buddy was probably drawn to its beauty!
==Trivia==
* The Pikachu Visor souvenir is based on real paper hats that are given out during various Pokémon events.
* When a is on the map, it will always appear disguised as the player's Buddy Pokémon. Zorua can therefore be easily identified if the player's Buddy Pokémon is unavailable in the wild, such as Legendary Pokémon, if it is a Pokémon (since wild Pokémon will never appear Shiny on the map), or if it has a Best Buddy Ribbon.
==In other languages==
==External links==
* GO Help Center
* Buddy Adventure coming soon—even more ways to explore, grow, and bond with your buddy!
Category:Pokémon GO
Category:Game mechanics
de:Kumpel-Pokémon
es:Compañero Pokémon
it:Pokémon compagno
ja:相棒ポケモン (GO)
zh:夥伴寶可夢（Pokémon GO）