Each Pokemon Go trainer must have a set of friends in the game. They unlock synergy bonuses by teaming in Raids or assisting in Gym battles, increasing the friendship levels in the process. The higher the friendship level, the more perks affect both players until they get the heavily desired Pokemon Go Lucky Friends status.
Making friends in Pokemon Go is simple. Follow these steps to add a buddy to your adventures, a Brock or Misty to that of Ash Ketchum.
- While in Map View, navigate to your Trainer Profile by clicking on the portrait.
- Tap the Friends tab at the top of the screen to open your Friend List.
- Tap the Add Friend button.
- You can add a friend by either typing their Trainer Code or scanning their QR code.
This guide will explain how to raise friendship to get the Pokemon Go Lucky Friend status and make the most of your gains.
Raising Friendship Levels in Pokemon Go & its perks
There are four levels of friendship in Pokemon Go: Good Friends, Great Friends, Ultra Friends, and Best Friends. Increasing the level will unlock better perks. Friends will be able to trade Pokemon for less Stardust, deal increased damage in Raids and even get bonus Premier Balls. Then comes the Lucky Pokemon feature which we will discuss later.
There are five ways to increase friendship levels in Pokemon Go:-
- Participate in Raids together – Invites can be sent from the Friends menu
- Sending and Opening Gifts – Gifts can be found by spinning Pokestops
- Trading Pokemon – Better friendship levels require less distance for trading
- Battling in Gyms together
- Battling each other – Pokemon don’t lose HP after a fight
The option for sending gifts, trading, or PvP battling can be found in the Friends tab. Note that friendship levels can be increased once per day. In order to check whether the level has increased or not, tap your friend’s portrait on the friend screen. A thin blue circle encompasses the portrait of anyone whose friendship level increased that day.
Pokemon Go Lucky Friends feature
The Friends tab was introduced two years after the debut of Pokemon Go. Apart from the various ranks ending at Best Friends, the actual ultimate level that can be achieved is Lucky Friends.
Once two trainers become Best Friends, all subsequent friendship interactions have a chance to make them Lucky Friends in Pokemon Go. This can be seen in the Friend List and Friend Profile page although an in-app notification will remind both of them.
Lucky Friends is a temporary status. It is removed the next time two trainers trade Pokemon. The benefit of Lucky Friends in Pokemon Go is that the next time a trade occurs, both traded pocket monsters are guaranteed to become Lucky Pokemon.
What is a Lucky Pokemon?
Lucky Pokemon need half the Stardust to upgrade. Moreover, they are guaranteed to have more than 80 IV with 12s in their three main stats. These make them the perfect ‘mons to be used in Raids or PvP, considering that the trainer has an idea of how to build the Pokemon and is satisfied by its abilities.
Lucky Pokemon have a shimmery appearance in the Pokedex and in the Pokemon Summary page. There is also a tag below its name, indicating it to be ‘Lucky.’
Pokemon Go 7th Anniversary Friendship perks
Trainers looking forward to increasing their friendship levels can capitalize on the ongoing limited-time bonus part of the Pokemon Go 7th Anniversary celebrations. Starting from 12:00 A.M. until 11:59 P.M. Local Time on July 10, friendship levels will increase twice as fast. The 2X bonus can be obtained via trading, gifting, or battling together. There is also an increased chance to become Lucky Friends.
Those interested in befriending Pokemon Go trainers from all around the world can find friend codes on PoGo Guide.
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