If you’ve noticed a trend where specific Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: Arceus only evolve after reaching a certain friendship level, you’re probably scratching your head over what that actually means. Basically, Pokémon has had a friendship mechanic that assesses your bonds with your ‘mons for as long as we can remember. It’s a bit different this time around, though.
One of the most important things to mention when discussing friendship in Pokémon Legends: Arceus is that with the lack of held items also comes the lack of the Soothe Bell, a beloved Pokémon item that has traditionally made increasing your friendship rank with individual ‘mons a breeze. Now, players have to get a bit more creative when it comes to befriending these magical creatures.
If you’re wondering how to raise your friendship with Pokémon in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, read on.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus – How to raise friendship
While it’s never really explained in the game, raising your friendship with Pokémon is actually pretty easy. There are a lot of Pokémon who only evolve when they have reached a sufficiently high friendship level — Riolu (pictured above), Eevee, Golbat, and Pichu are just a few well-known examples of that.
To raise the friendship levels of these Pokémon, your best bet is to do a number of things simultaneously.
Your friendship with a Pokémon will never be raised while they’re stuck in the Pastures, so make sure to keep them in your party while you’re out in the field. It’s also a good idea to keep them busy — have them smash rocks, headbutt trees, and battle other Pokémon to strengthen your bond with them. More so than anything else though, make sure you don’t let them faint — Pokémon don’t take kindly to being knocked out after being blasted with a massive fireball.
If you keep your Pokémon active but healthy, its friendship level should skyrocket before you know it. You can also take them out of their Poké Ball and press A to “speak” with them, which is similar to playing with them in a camp in Pokémon Sword & Shield.
When your Pokémon is ready to evolve, you should be able to see the “Can Evolve” notification next to their name in the active party. You won’t be able to trigger the evolution until that’s there, but you can check how close you are by chatting to Belamy next to the Pastures in Jubilife Village.
If you’re interested in more advice, don’t forget to check out our Pokémon Legends: Arceus tips and tricks guide. Also make sure you remember to mass release your Pokémon — if you don’t, you’ll be missing out on some pretty great items.
Written by Cian Maher on behalf of GLHF.
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