Learn how Friendship works in Pokemon Sword and Shield, how to increase it, and the benefits it provides, including special evolutions and in-battle buffs.
Friendship is a measure of how much your Pokémon like you. In Pokémon Sword and Shield, the Affection stat from previous generations has been merged with Friendship. Generally, using your Pokémon in battle and other activities will increase their Friendship, while certain actions can decrease it.
You can check your Pokémon’s Friendship by visiting the house to the right of the first Hammerlocke Pokémon Centre and speaking to the young child in the corner. The table below shows the messages you might receive and their corresponding Friendship levels and hearts:
| Message | Friendship | Hearts |
|---|---|---|
| “Maybe you’re a bit too strict? It doesn’t seem like you’re friends at all…” | 0 | 0 |
| “I guess you two just met? It’s still getting used to things.” | 1 to 49 | 0 |
| “Seems like it likes you an average amount! Don’t worry–you two will get closer as time passes!” | 50 to 89 | 0 |
| Wow, I think you’re on your way to becoming real good friends!“ | 100 to 149 | 1 |
| “Seems like you’re pretty good friends! Still, I bet you could become even closer!” | 150 to 199 | 2 |
| “You two get along great! Together is always better–am I right?” | 200 to 229 | 3 |
| “You two are almost best friends! I can see you really care about each other!” | 230 to 254 | 4 |
| Oh wow, you’re best buddies! I can tell you’re so happy to be together!“ | 255 | 5 |
Improving Friendship
Friendship is influenced by certain actions both during and outside battles. Notably, you cannot exceed 199 Friendship using these methods alone.
Actions that Increase Friendship:
- When a Pokémon gains a Level.
- When you travel a large number of steps.
- Feeding a Pokémon an EV-lowering Berry or Vitamin.
Actions that Lower Friendship:
- When a Pokémon faints in battle.
- Feeding a Pokémon a bitter medicine.
To exceed 199 Friendship, you must interact with your Pokémon in Pokémon Camp. Speaking to your Pokémon, using a toy to play with them, or cooking a meal for them in Pokémon Camp can increase their Friendship further. Hearts may appear over their head during these interactions, correlating with their Friendship level.
Benefits of Friendship
Certain Pokémon require high Friendship to evolve, including most baby Pokémon, and Eevee into Umbreon, Espeon, or Sylveon. These evolutions can occur with Friendship up to 199, so interacting in Pokémon Camp is not strictly necessary for them.
After exceeding 199 Friendship, Pokémon will receive random buffs during single-player battles. These are similar to the Affection buffs from previous generations. They will also animate at the start of battle and have additional flavor text. The table below details the buffs based on Friendship level:
| Friendship | Hearts | Buff |
|---|---|---|
| 200 to 229 | 3 | Very small chance of surviving a KO. |
| 230 to 254 | 4 | Small chance of surviving a KO. Chance of recovering from a status condition. 20% experience boost. |
| 255 | 5 | OK chance of surviving a KO. Chance of recovering from a status condition. Chance of avoiding opponent’s move. Improved critical hit chance. 20% experience boost. |
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