What is a Buddy Pokémon?
It is now possible to designate one of our Pokémon as our "Buddy" in Pokemon GO!
Once we have done so, this Pokémon then accompanies us on our journey — and even if we don't see alongside us as in Gold and Silver, we will obtain Candy!
This greatly facilitates the evolution of this Pokémon, or contribute towards increasing that Pokémon's CP —something that consumes both Stardust and Candy.
Special Conditions
It also appears that sometimes you can earn two Candies instead of one when you have covered the necessary distance.
The community has been investigating secret conditions that earn you double the reward, and it appears you have a 3% chance of obtaining two candies instead of one, once the required distance has been covered.
How much Candy will I earn?
Be aware that hatching Eggs and the Buddy Pokémon system use the GPS function of your smartphone.
This can differ from one phone to another, and can be faulty depending on the speed and direction of the player.
You can find handy tips on how to correctly earn the kilometers in our guide to hatching Eggs.
This table gives some examples of how much Candy you will earn, alongside basic Pokémon data.
|
Pokédex # |
Pokémon |
Type |
Evolution Requirement |
Distance Required for 1 Candy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
001 |
 Bulbasaur |
Grass |
25 Bulbasaur Candy |
3 km |
|
004 |
 Charmander |
Fire |
25 Charmander Candy |
3 km |
|
007 |
 Squirtle |
Water |
25 Squirtle Candy |
3 km |
|
016 |
 Pidgey |
Normal Flying |
12 Pidgey Candy |
1 km |
|
025 |
 Pikachu |
Electric |
50 Pikachu Candy |
1 km |
|
143 |
 Snorlax |
Normal |
N/A |
5 km |
|
151 |
 Mew |
Psychic |
N/A |
20 km |
|
196 |
 Espeon |
Psychic |
N/A |
5 km |
|
246 |
 Larvitar |
Rock Ground |
25 Larvitar Candy |
5 km |
|
249 |
 Lugia |
Psychic Flying |
N/A |
20 km |
|
251 |
 Celebi |
Psychic Grass |
N/A |
20 km |
As you can see, there are some common themes in the walking requirements of Buddy Pokémon:
- Common Pokémon and their families: 1 km
- Most Pokémon and their families: 3 km
- Rare Pokémon and their families: 5 km
- Legendary and Mythical Pokémon: 20 km
For information on the distance requirement of all Pokémon, check out our complete Pokédex.
We don't yet have a complete list of Pokémon that can appear the avatar's shoulder, but the latter three are available upon activation, while Pikachu only appears there after you've walked 10 kilometers with it!
Which Pokémon are you going to choose as your Buddy?
Translated from the French by Millenium.
