Tips for maxing out Friendship in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Becoming BFFs in the shortest time possible

Friendship may not be the most visible statistic in your box full of monsters. But the Friendship value plays a significant role in evolution for several Pokemon in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.

Whether it’s a Pichu or one of several Eevee evolutions, there are reasons to check in on this number. But Friendship is often an obfuscated statistic, without clear metrics. So we’ve put together a little guide on knowing where to go and what to do, to ensure your Pokemon is friendly enough to evolve.

Friendship is, in essence, how much your Pokemon likes you. This makes it every bit as ethereal, fickle, and difficult to quantify as actual human affection. But through the power of Game Freak’s code, we can make our Pokemon like us, by finding and repeating effective actions like we’re Nathan Fielder.

The measure of a friend (literally)

We start with Cascaraffa, a city to the north-west of Mesagoza and one you’ll stop in at on your Pokemon journey. It houses the Water Type gym for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, as well as some gorgeous water walls and constant dust storms.

At the center of the town near the fountain, you’ll find a Trainer hanging out with their Marill. This is the NPC you’re looking for: they are the Friendship gauge for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, and will assess the relationship you have with your Pokemon.

Now, they don’t really quantify this, but they do qualify it. You’ll get a statement about your relationship with the chosen ‘mon, with a vague platitude about how the Friendship is going. If it leaves any room for improvement, we’ll need to get to work.

Building up Friendship in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Now, if you need Friendship, it’s time to build some. There are a few ways we can do this:

• Letting your Pokemon run around
• Autobattling or having it fight in battles
• Not letting it faint
• Having a picnic
• Washing them at said picnic
• Feeding them things

All of this should help, and if you need an extra boost, you can pick up a Soothe Bell. This is a Held Item that Pokemon can carry that boosts their Friendship. And good news: the Delibird Presents in Cascaraffa sells it!

With all these tips in mind, it took very little time to take an Eevee I’d just caught up to the point where it evolved into Umbreon. Friendship may not be easy to read, but it’s not that hard to manufacture in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.