Updated at: 01-06-2022 - By: Leo Hall

Pokémon: Sword and Shield sees the return of friendship, which has appeared in every game as various aliases such as Affection or Happiness. Your Pokémon’s performance in combat can be influenced by Friendship, in addition to increasing the link between you and your Pokémon.

Learn about the benefits of Friendship stats and how to gain more friendship with each Pokémon in this tutorial. Check out our Beginner’s Guide for additional general advice on how to get started in Sword and Shield, including information on the Galar Region.

Pokémon Friendship Explained

Every Pokémon has a secret Friendship value that the player can’t access. Leveling up quickly, landing critical hits, and enduring assaults that would ordinarily send them to faint are all made possible by Pokémon with high Friendship values. Frustration and Return’s harm is also calculated using friendship.

How to get max Friendship and Happiness quickly in Pokémon Sword and Shield - Dot Esports

The higher your rating, the more evolutions your Pokémon will undergo. All of the Pokémon that can be evolved through friendship are listed here:

  • Golbat
  • Meowth Alolan
  • Chansey
  • Pichu
  • Cleffa
  • Igglybuff
  • Togepi
  • Azurill
  • Buneary
  • Munchlax
  • Woobat
  • Swadloon
  • Null
  • Eevee
  • Budew
  • Riolu
  • Chingling

How To Check Friendship Rating

Travel to Hammerlocke and enter the building to the right of the Pokémon Center to find out a Pokémon’s Friendship rating. A boy with blonde hair greets you when you enter and gives you an assessment on your Pokémon, saying one of the following:

  • That’s awesome that we’re great friends! (Max)
  • The two of you almost have a best friend status. (High)
  • They get along so well! (High)
  • It appears that you and your buddies are quite close. (Decent)
  • This is going to be a really great friendship! (Low)
  • It appears to have a fair bit of interest in you! (None)
  • The two of you just met, don’t you think? It’s taking some time to get adjusted to the new environment. (None)
  • What if you’re being a little too demanding? It doesn’t appear like you and I are pals… (None)

How To Raise Friendship

Having a high Friendship rating has several advantages, so you might want to spend some time strengthening your relationship with your favorite Pokémon. We propose combining as many approaches as possible to get the best results possible.

Items

Pokémon love you more when you give them gifts. Your greatest bet is the Soothe Bell, which boosts a Pokémon’s Friendship stat by 50% while it’s in your possession. Using a Luxury Ball to catch a Pokémon will also raise its Friendship level.

Berries and Iron Vitamins are two examples of things that can be fed to your Pokémon. The sole drawback to employing these is that they reduce a specific stat. The following are all of the Berries that promote goodwill:

  • I’m sorry, Grepa (Lowers Sp. Def)
  • I’m sorry, Hondew (Lowers Sp. Atk)
  • It’s Kelpsy time! (Lowers Atk)
  • The Pomeranian (Lowers HP)
  • Qualot is the name of the game (Lowers Def)
  • Japanese radish, or Tamato (Lowers Speed)

Battling

Having your Pokémon carry a Soothe Bell while you battle and level them up will boost their Friendship rating even further. Feeding your Pokémon Exp. Candy and Rare Candy can improve their level as well as their Friendship at the same time, if you don’t feel like fighting.

Poké Camp

Last but not least, you can use Poke Camp, a new feature in Sword and Shield, to improve your Friendship. Open the menu and choose ‘Pokémon Camp’ to get started. Make sure to interact with the Pokémon you want to increase their rating by playing with toys or feeding them Curries once you’ve arrived at your camp.

Friendship Affects

In Pokemon Sword and Shield, how do you build friendship?

  • Using a Luxury Ball or Friend Ball, catch the Pokemon
  • Vitamins can be applied to the Pokemon.
  • The Pokemon can be used in battle.
  • Allow the Pokemon to carry the item Soothe Bell around (which you can get from the Friendship Checker)
  • When you’re on the road, keep them close by.
  • Make Curry for Them at Pokemon Camp
  • Feed them berries with the label “increase friendliness” to see if it helps. Low effort values are also caused by these.
  • In Pokemon Camp, have fun with them. A Pokemon’s heart level can be raised significantly by playing with it in Pokemon Camp, although this method isn’t required to evolve it. During battles, critical hits will be more likely and Pokemon will be able to hold on to 1 HP “to not make you sad.”

How to Lower Friendship

  • Do not fight the Pokemon if it faints.
  • It’s best to use bitter materials on the Pokemon
  • Do not remove the Pokemon from the computer.
  • The Pokemon can be exchanged.

How to Check Friendship in Pokemon Sword and Shield

  • When put into combat, Pokemon tend to flop around.
  • The fight progress is shown in text boxes.
  • It has a slim chance of surviving a move that could have eliminated it.
  • When put into combat, Pokemon tend to flop around.
  • Its actions in battle are displayed in text boxes.
  • A slim possibility of avoiding a move that would knock it out.
  • 20 percent more experience gained in battle.
  • Chance of returning to a normal state on one’s own.
  • When put into combat, Pokemon tend to flop around.
  • Its actions in battle are displayed in text boxes.
  • The ability to avoid being knocked out by a move is decent.
  • 20 percent more experience gained in battle.
  • Chance of returning to a normal state on one’s own.
  • Only a slim probability of evading the attacks of your adversaries The critical hit percentage went up by a factor of 1.

How to Max Friendship/Happiness Fast in Pokémon Sword and Shield - YouTube

Pokemon That Evolve with Friendship

  • Eevee becomes Espeon (Day) / Umbreon after a mutation (Night)
  • Pichu => Pikachu
  • Cleffa => Clefairy
  • Togepi => Togetic
  • Azurell translates to Marill
  • Budew => Roselia (Day)
  • Munchlax => Snorlax
  • Riolu => Lucario
  • A swoobat is the same as a woobat
  • Alolan Persian Meowth => Alolan Meowth
  • Snom => Frosmoth
  • Type: Silvally => Null

RAISING POKÉMON FRIENDSHIP LEVELS

Five levels of friendship exist for Pokémon. As you go through the game, your companions will get distinct advantages in battle. In addition, a few of Pokémon can only develop if the player has reached happiness level three.

So, what can you do to boost this crucial, yet obscure, metric? The following are a few ideas:

  • Make sure to include a few of your favorite Pokémon in your fight party.
  • Have some fun at camp with them!
  • The greatest curry you can concoct will do
  • When you capture them, use a Friend or Luxury Ball.
  • You can let them hold the Soothe Bell.

WHERE TO GET THE SOOTHE BELL

You should go straight to the first house you see when you arrive to Hammerlocke’s central Pokémon Center after fast traveling there. All of your Pokémon’s buddies are here to aid you on your journey to become a better trainer.

Speak with the young woman in the rear to obtain the Soothe Bell. Allowing a Pokémon to hold this item will speed up the rate at which it develops friendship with other Pokémon.

HOW TO CHECK YOUR POKÉMON’S FRIENDSHIP LEVEL

There are two members of your family who can assist you in that same residence.

There are two people who can tell you how close you are to reaching a certain Pokémon’s maximum level of friendship: the young boy and the elderly woman.

If you’d like an easier way to see your Pokémon’s friendship level, you can just build up a tent. Hearts appear over the heads of any Pokémon that replies to the “Speak” command if you choose to do so.

Pokémon Sword & Shield: 10 Ways To Increase Friendship With Your Pokemon

FAQS:

What is the fastest way to increase friendship in Pokemon?

Pokémon’s friendship levels can be raised

  1. It is important to keep your Pokémon in your party and employ them in battle.
  2. At camp, have fun with them.
  3. The greatest curry you can concoct for them is what you should do.
  4. When you catch them, use either a Friend or Luxury Ball to your advantage.
  5. Allow them to ring the Soothe Bell.

How do you raise a Pokemon’s friendship?

Friendship with Pokemon can be improved

  1. Feed Your Pokemon Vitamins..
  2. Massages are a great way to help them relax.
  3. Go on a Walk With Your Pokemon!
  4. Soothe your Pokemon with a Bell of Comfort.
  5. Use a Luxury Ball to catch Pokemon.
  6. Berries can be fed to Pokemon.

What berries increase friendship?

Every one of these berries has the ability to change a person’s friendship. These Berries all boost the Pokémon’s friendship, but they also diminish several of its numbers in the process.