Pokemon Go has been full of events this December, and there’s one more big update to end the year. A brand new feature called Buddy Adventure will shake up the way you interact with your buddy Pokemon.
Currently you can choose a buddy to walk with you and earn candy, and the upcoming Buddy Adventure update will add plenty of new perks. This update will add an affection system to your buddy Pokemon that can be raised by feeding it berries, playing with it, and exploring the world with it.
The Pokemon Go blog has outlined what specific perks you will get for each level of affection (measured by hearts) that you have achieved with your buddy Pokemon:
- Good Buddy: Your buddy will begin to follow you on the overworld map and you can see how it is feeling on the buddy profile page.
- Great Buddy: Your buddy will start to help you while catching other Pokemon and bring you items during your journey.
- Ultra Buddy: Your buddy will tell you about interesting nearby locations and bring you souvenirs from them.
- Best Buddy: Your buddy will receive a “Best Buddy Ribbon” which gives it a CP boost while battling when they are your assigned buddy.
As your affection with your buddy Pokemon increases, its expressions and emotions will change when you interact with it. Reaching the highest affection will give you additional perks such as cutting the distance it takes to find candy in half.
Swapping your buddy to a new Pokemon will no longer reset progress, so you are free to change your buddy often without penalty. You will also be able to see a history of all of the Pokemon who have been your buddy.
After the initial Buddy Adventure update, you will eventually be able to meet other trainers’ buddies in a new shared AR+ mode. This will be a great way to show off your favorite Pokemon with your friends and take fun pictures together.
The Buddy Adventure update will begin rolling out to Pokemon Go players around the world by 2020. Check out the full trailer for the update below.
Until then, you can check out our guide on how to get an Unova Stone and what Pokemon you can evolve with it.
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