Pokemon Black and White
Pokemon Black and White

Friendship and Happiness Mechanics

Learn how Friendship and Happiness mechanics impact your Pokémon in Pokemon Black and White. Understand how to increase these stats for evolution and battle be.

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Friendship and Happiness Mechanics

In Pokémon Black and White, the bond between you and your Pokémon, often referred to as "Friendship" or "Happiness," is a crucial mechanic that influences several aspects of gameplay. Unlike previous generations where it was a hidden stat, Black and White make it slightly more transparent and impactful. High Friendship is required for certain Pokémon to evolve, unlocks special moves, and can even affect battle performance. This guide will walk you through how to raise and monitor your Pokémon's Friendship levels.

Monitoring Friendship

While there isn't a direct numerical display for Friendship, you can get a good indication of your Pokémon's current level:

  • Friendship Checker: Visit the woman in the house directly to the east of the Pokémon Center in Nimbasa City. She will give you a general idea of your lead Pokémon's Friendship level through her dialogue.
  • Return and Frustration: The power of the moves Return (gains power with high Friendship) and Frustration (gains power with low Friendship) can be a good indicator. If Return is strong, your Pokémon is happy; if Frustration is strong, it's not.

Raising Friendship Levels

There are numerous ways to increase your Pokémon's Friendship. Consistency and patience are key!

General Actions

  • Walking: Simply having a Pokémon in your party and walking around will slowly increase its Friendship. The more steps you take, the more it grows.
  • Leveling Up: Each time a Pokémon gains a level, its Friendship increases.
  • Using in Battle: Participating in battles, even if the Pokémon doesn't directly attack, contributes to Friendship. Winning battles provides a slightly larger boost.
  • Healing Status Conditions: Curing your Pokémon of status conditions like Poison, Paralysis, Burn, Sleep, or Freeze with items like an Antidote, Paralyze Heal, or Full Heal will increase Friendship.
  • Using Vitamins: Items such as HP Up, Protein, Iron, Calcium, Zinc, and Carbos not only boost stats but also provide a significant Friendship increase.
  • Using EV-Reducing Berries: Berries like Pomeg Berry, Kelpsy Berry, Qualot Berry, Hondew Berry, Grepa Berry, and Tamato Berry reduce Effort Values (EVs) but also increase Friendship. These are excellent for a quick boost.

Specific Items and Locations

  • Soothe Bell: This held item doubles the rate at which Friendship is gained. You can obtain the Soothe Bell from a woman in the house directly to the west of the Pokémon Center in Nimbasa City. Give it to the Pokémon you want to make friends with quickly.
  • Massage: In Castelia City, on the street directly to the west of the Pokémon Center, there's a building where a woman will give your Pokémon a massage once per day. This provides a substantial Friendship boost.
  • Luxury Ball: Pokémon caught in a Luxury Ball start with a higher base Friendship and gain Friendship at an accelerated rate. You can purchase Luxury Balls from the shop in Nimbasa City.

Actions That Decrease Friendship

Be mindful of these actions, as they will lower your Pokémon's Friendship:

  • Fainting in Battle: Each time a Pokémon faints, its Friendship decreases.
  • Using Bitter Medicine: Items like EnergyPowder, Heal Powder, Energy Root, and Revival Herb, while effective for healing, significantly lower Friendship due to their bitter taste. Avoid these if you're trying to maximize Friendship.
  • Trading: Trading a Pokémon to another trainer will reset its Friendship level to its base value for that species.

Friendship Evolutions

Several Pokémon in Black and White require high Friendship to evolve. Ensure your Pokémon is happy before attempting to level them up for evolution:

  • Chansey evolves into Blissey
  • Golbat evolves into Crobat
  • Pichu evolves into Pikachu
  • Cleffa evolves into Clefairy
  • Igglybuff evolves into Jigglypuff
  • Togepi evolves into Togetic
  • Azurill evolves into Marill
  • Buneary evolves into Lopunny
  • Munchlax evolves into Snorlax
  • Woobat evolves into Swoobat

To evolve these Pokémon, simply level them up once they have reached a sufficiently high Friendship level. The game will automatically trigger the evolution.