Here’s how you can level up your Pokemon’s buddy hearts quickly in Pokemon GO!
Releasing back in 2016, Pokemon GO allowed players to make Pokemon their buddies. Then, in 2019, an update was released meaning players can now earn buddy hearts, getting bonuses for bonding with their Pokemon.
After reaching level 2 players gain access to buddy adventure, opening up new opportunities to bond with Pokemon and earn buddy hearts.
But before you find out the fastest way to earn buddy hearts, there’s something you should do first. Here’s how to set up the Pokemon GO Buddy Widget to track your progress much easier!
How To Earn Buddy Hearts in Pokemon GO
You can earn hearts for your buddy in Pokemon GO by completing specific activities while you adventure with them.
These are the buddy activities that let you earn hearts:
- Walk together
- Give your buddy a treat
- Battle together
- Play together
- Take a snapshot
- Visit a new place
- Bonus hearts
Completing activities allows players to earn up to 12 hearts per day.
The rarest Pokemon in Pokemon GO are some of the best to have as your buddy. This is because earning Candy for them can be tough!
How to Double Hearts Daily Limit in Pokemon GO
By getting a Pokemon excited, you can increase the daily heart limit by double in Pokemon GO.
You can get a Pokemon excited by either:
- Feeding it a Poffin
- Completing many buddy activities in a short space of time until your buddy reaches 32 ‘excited’ points.
- Each activity has a 30-minute cooldown (apart from walk 2km) and the amount of ‘excited’ points for each activity is included in brackets in the guide below.
- The amount of ‘excited’ points your buddy has is hidden, so try your best to keep track of it.
Once either of these are done, the number will double.
How to Complete Pokemon GO Buddy Activities
- Walk Together (3 Points)
- One heart is earned for each 2km you walk with your buddy. To earn all 3 hearts, players need to walk a total of 6km.
- Give Your Buddy a treat (1 Point)
- Feed 3 your buddy berries to earn a heart. Alternatively, players can earn all 3 hearts by feeding the buddy Pokemon one Poffin.
- Feeding your buddy a Poffin also makes them excited, letting you earn more buddy hearts.
- Battle Together (1 Point)
- Have your buddy in the party when battling a Gym, Team GO Rocket member, a Raid battle, or Trainer battles.
- Take A Snapshot (1 Point)
- Take a photo of your buddy Pokemon.
- Visit A New Place (1 Point)
- Visit a new Pokestop or Gym you haven’t visited before while walking with your buddy.
- Play Together (1 Point)
- Play with your buddy Pokemon in AR Mode until heart bubbles float around it.
- Bonus (3 Points)
- You can get a bonus heart in specific situations if you’re lucky. This can happen when your buddy gives you a present or souvenir, if it finds a new location for you to visit or if you spin a fully powered-up PokeStop.
How to Quickly Earn Buddy Hearts in Pokemon GO
The quickest way for players to earn hearts for just one buddy is by feeding it a Poffin to make it excited. This doubles the amount of buddy hearts you can earn in a day, making the process twice as quick.
Make sure to find out the fastest way to earn PokeCoins in Pokemon GO if you want to buy more Poffins.
Additionally, changing which Pokemon is your buddy during the day is a great way of maximizing how many hearts you can get with more than one buddy. Pokemon GO buddies can be switched up to 20 times per day, which is way more than enough to take advantage of this.
By completing the daily activities for one Pokemon and then switching to another, players are able to get the maximum number of hearts with more than one buddy every day.
Pokemon GO Buddy Levels & Bonuses
Earning hearts with a buddy increases their buddy level. There are four buddy levels to progress through and each of these levels also comes with bonuses for players.
Good Buddy (1 Heart)
- Adventuring Buddy: Your buddy appears on the map screen
- Readable Mood: You can see your buddy’s level of excitement
Great Buddy (70 Hearts)
- Catch Assist: Your buddy may assist you in catching a Pokemon
- Find Gifts: Your buddy can give you gifts that would normally be found at a PokeStop, whenever you’re running low
Ultra Buddy (150 Hearts)
- Finding Souvenirs: Your buddy can find a souvenir that counts towards a bonus heart.
- Find Locations: A buddy may draw a player’s attention to a PokeStop. When spun it will grant additional items as well as a bonus heart.
Best Buddy (300 Hearts)
- CP Boost: Buddies gain a power boost in battles. The CP boost is equivalent to the Pokemon’s CP after two extra power-ups. If the Pokemon is level 40 it will have its CP boosted as though it was level 41.
- Best Buddy Ribbon: The Pokemon gains a special ribbon to wear.
With so many bonuses it’s important to level up your friendship with your buddy as quickly as possible. However, that isn’t the only reason: many Pokemon such as Sylveon also evolve with buddy hearts.
