Pokemon Scarlet & Violet introduces Generation IX, 105 new Pokemon to catch and evolve.
Traditionally Pokemon evolve when they reach a certain level, and they evolve to their respective new form.
Other times there is a need to trade the Pokemon like Gengar or Slowpoke to trigger an evolution.
In specific cases, you need to reach a level of friendship with your Pokemon to trigger an evolution.
If ever you are intending to evolve a Pokemon with a friendship level requirement, we will show you how to check friendship level in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet.
What is Friendship Level?
Friendship level is a secondary Pokemon statistic that tells the Pokemon’s relationship towards you. They can either be friendly, best buds, or completely neutral towards you.
So, what is the use of friendship levels in Pokemon? It is purely for evolving certain types of Pokemons.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet has a wide variety of Pokemon that utilizes high friendship level to trigger their evolutions.
| Pokemon | Evolution |
| Eevee | Espeon (when leveled during the day) |
| Eevee | Umbreon (when leveled during the night) |
| Eevee | Sylveon (if at least one of the moves is fairy-type) |
| Igglypuff | Jigglypuff |
| Chansey | Blissey |
| Pichu | Pikachu |
| Azumarill | Marill |
| Riolu | Lucario |
How to Increase Friendship Level
Since the introduction of friendship levels, the most basic way to increase a Pokemon’s friendship level is by keeping the Pokemon in the party and using said Pokemon. However, when the Pokemon faints, the friendship level decreases.
Pokemon that are caught using the Friend Ball make the wild Pokemon more friendly after it is caught.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet introduced the Picnic feature, where there is an option to wash your Pokemon, which not only restores their HP but also increases friendship levels.
To start a Picnic, you just need to press ‘Y’ and look for the Picnic. It will automatically start a Picnic where your player is located.
However, you cannot start a Picnic if there are other players near you or if you are near a town.
If you are playing with your friends in a Union Circle, they can also join your Picnic by interacting with it.
The player may also opt to have the Pokemon hold a Soothe bell. The Soothe Bell is an item introduced way back in Generation III.
A Pokemon holding a Soothe bell amplifies the friendship level with its owner. The Soothe Bell can be bought for 5000 Pokedollars at the Delibird Presents Store.
If you remember, when Nintendo announced an exclusive Let’s Go bundle for their Pokemon game, they offered a free Pokeball accessory.
The Pokeball accessory acts both as a controller and a supplementary tool in the game. You can level up your Pokemon by just keeping them inside the Pokeball and taking a walk.
Their friendship level increases as well, but this accessory hasn’t been supported since Pokemon Sword & Shield. If they ever introduce the feature again, you can also use this method to increase your Pokemon’s friendship level.
It was quite an expensive accessory that they just hung up.
How to Check Friendship Level of a Pokemon
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet gives the player aid in determining the level of friendship a Pokemon has with its owner.
In Cascarrafa, near the fountain at the center of the town, a woman wearing yellow beside a Marill will be your Friendship checker. Determining the level of friendship you have with your Pokemon is as easy as just interacting with an NPC.
She is hard to miss as she has a yellow dialogue which signals that the NPC has something substantial to say.
The Chart below should further help determine the level of your friendship based on the response.
| NPC Response | Meaning |
| Whoa, you’re the best friends ever! I can tell just being together gives you warm fuzzies | – Best of friends – Highest level of friendship |
| You’re good friends, all right! You definitely enjoy each other’s company | – Well-developed friendship – High-tier friendship |
| You’re getting along well, but I’m sure you could get way friendlier | – Developed friendship – Middle-tier friendship |
| You’re starting to get friendly. I bet you’ll get along better soon | – Slightly developed friendship – low-level friendship |
| You two seem kinda neutral like you don’t mind each other. I hope you get closer | – Newly captured Pokemon – Lowest level of friendship |
Those whose aim is to evolve the Pokemon must at least aim for the middle tier, as it is the earliest possible friendship level the Pokemon must have to trigger their evolutions.
Triggering the highest level of friendship will make the NPC give you the Best Friends Ribbon.
What to Check Out Next
Friendship is an important factor to consider in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, but there are other important stats to get to grips with in Pokemon too. Make sure to check out how IVs work and why they’re relevant, especially if you want to play competitively.
It’s also useful to understand how type strengths and weaknesses work in Pokemon. These don’t change too often from generation to generation, but Pokemon Scarlet & Violet introduced a lot of new Pokemon and some of them have some odd type combos.
