Setting a Buddy in Pokemon Go has great bonuses and incentives. Chief among them is getting Candies by completing various missions, which range from feeding berries to ‘walking’ with your buddy for a certain amount of kilometres. Candy helps in upgrading a Pokemon’s CP levels or evolving them.
Additionally, there are different Pokémon Buddy Levels. Maximizing it, meaning completing five hearts, means the chosen one is now your ‘Best Buddy.’ A Trainer’s Best Buddy Pokemon gets a small CP boost in Go Battle Leagues and the synchronization is beneficial for those aspiring to conquer Master League.
Pokemon Go 1 KM Buddy List
As aforementioned, trainers can obtain Candies by walking on the map with their Buddy. Different Pokémon require different distances to earn Candy, ranging from 1 KM, 3 KM, 5 KM, and even 20 KM. The latter category belongs to the legendaries like Zapdos, Mewtwo, and Darkrai.
Trainers equipped with certain Buddies can also get Pokemon Candies by strolling just a kilometer. Below are the 10 units that are part of the Pokemon Go 1 KM Buddy List.
- Pikachu
- Caterpie
- Magikarp
- Aron
- Wailmer
- Bidoof
- Purrloin
- Sewaddle
- Fletchling
- Skwovet.
Pokemon Go Buddy Levels
Niantic has recreated the Ash Ketchum-Pikachu bond in Pokemon Go. The better the friendship, the more the chances of acquiring bonus items, souvenirs, and potions. Given below is a whole breakdown of Pokemon Go Buddy Levels and their benefits.
- Good Buddy (earn 1 heart together): A Good Buddy Pokemon develops the ‘Readable Mood’ ability, which gives trainers the power to see a wild Pokemon’s mood via different smiling faces.
- Great Buddy (earn 70 hearts together): Trainers will get the ‘Catch Assist’ ability. When a wild Pokemon hits the Pokeball back, there’s a chance that your Buddy catches it, thereby retaining the Pokeball. A Great Buddy will also find random presents on the Map like Berries and Potions, which increases one heart.
- Ultra Buddy (earn 150 hearts together): At this level, the Pokemon Go Buddy helps the trainer search for PokeStops and Souvenirs. Spinning the Photo Discs provides extra rewards. Your buddy will often bring you a Souvenir, which could include evolutionary items or props like a Lone Earring, a Marble, or a Chalky Stone.
- Best Buddy (earn 300 hearts together): In the last stage, the Buddy Pokemon will receive a CP boost as well as a Best Buddy Blue Ribbon to highlight its status.
How to Choose Buddy in Pokemon Go?
The Buddy system is for those trainers interested in upgrading a particular Pokemon. Follow some simple steps to get an adventure partner ‘backing’ you at all times.
- Tap on the Trainer icon at the bottom-left corner of the map.
- Tap the Choose Buddy icon which is on the left. It appears to be two smiling faces.
- Click the Pokemon to be set as the Buddy.
- Feed three Berries, preferably Rasp Berry, to activate the Buddy missions.
Pokemon Go Buddies can be swapped 20 times per day. To swap, tap the circle which shows the Buddy Pokémon’s face at the bottom-left corner of your screen. The Swap Buddies option is at the bottom
There are also certain Pokemon that cannot be evolved unless they are set as a Trainer’s Buddy. More on that on Pokemon.com.