M: In Pokémon GO, let’s say for the sake
of argument that I’ve decided to set an arbitrary challenge for myself
of him, crazing the friendship level of a creature as quickly as
possible to the highest level. Give me two breakdowns of what I would
need in order to do this: One in which I have unlimited resources, and
then the practical one where I’m trying not to use anything that doesn’t
come up while playing alone and without purchasing anything.
G: Here’s a breakdown of how to
raise a Pokémon’s friendship level to Best Buddy as
fast as possible in Pokémon GO, split into two scenarios:
1.
Unlimited Resources: Max Speed Best Buddy Strategy
Time to Best Buddy: ~13 days (absolute minimum)
Daily Friendship XP Cap: 20 hearts max per day
Required Hearts for Best Buddy: 300
Buddy Level Thresholds:
- Good Buddy: 1 heart
- Great Buddy: 70 hearts
- Ultra Buddy: 150 hearts
- Best Buddy: 300 hearts
Steps:
- Use Poffin daily: Instant full hunger, doubles
hearts from walking and gives mood boost (excited state).
- Keep buddy in Excited state constantly via Poffin
(boosts daily cap from 20 to 40 hearts).
- Maximize all interaction types daily:
- Walk 6 km (3 hearts, doubled to 6 if excited)
- Give treat (once for 3 hearts)
- Battle together (in gyms, raids, or training – up to 3 hearts)
- Take snapshot (1 heart)
- Visit new place (1 heart)
- Play (rub on screen) (1 heart)
- Bonus hearts (up to 10 when Excited)
- 1 Poffin per day (from shop or rare research rewards)
- Consistent gameplay effort
Estimated max hearts per day (with Poffin): 40
Total time: 300 ÷ 40 = 7.5 days, round up for realism:
8–13 days depending on execution
2. Practical,
Solo, Free-to-Play Strategy
Time to Best Buddy: ~60–90 days
No paid items, only what’s found during regular play (e.g.,
berries, snapshot, occasional battle).
Daily Plan Without
Poffin:
- Walk 2 km: +1 heart (3 km for 2nd heart, 6 km for 3rd)
- Feed buddy (berry): +1–3 hearts
- Play with buddy: +1 heart
- Take snapshot: +1 heart
- Battle together (Team Leader or Gym): +1–3 hearts
- Visit new place (if exploring): +1 heart
Without Excited state, hard cap: 20 hearts/day
Realistically sustainable without grinding: ~10–15
hearts/day
- Keep buddy on map by feeding berries regularly.
- Set frequent short walks to accumulate km faster.
- Switch buddies after hitting daily limit to rotate XP gains, but
return to main one if focused on speed.
Estimated average: 10–15 hearts/day
Total time: ~300 ÷ 15 = 20 days (best case), 300 ÷ 10 = 30 days
(realistic), + missed days = 60–90 days range
TLDR:
- With Poffins & effort: Best Buddy in ~8–13 days
- Free-to-play, solo: Realistically 30–90 days depending on
routine and consistency
M: What were you talking about with the
“bonus hearts” in the first scenario? What causes bonus hearts
G: The "bonus
hearts" only appear when your buddy is in the Excited
state, which temporarily raises the daily heart cap from
20 to 40. These bonus hearts come from
repeating actions you've already maxed for the day.
Here’s how it works:
When your buddy is Excited (via Poffin or natural
mood buildup), you can earn:
- 2x hearts from walk, battle, feeding, etc.,
and
- Up to 10 additional "bonus" hearts per day beyond
the normal 20-heart cap.
These bonus hearts are:
- Not tied to specific actions—you just keep doing
normal buddy activities, and after hitting the usual caps, hearts will
still be granted.
- Capped at +10 extra hearts per day, separate from
the doubled limits.
How to get your
buddy Excited without a Poffin:
Requires a hidden 32-point "mood" system:
- Playing, feeding, walking, etc., all raise the mood meter.
- Once high enough, the buddy gets a glowing aura and shows as
Excited.
- Natural Excited state is harder to trigger consistently, but
possible with frequent interaction.
Summary:
- Bonus hearts = up to 10 extra
hearts only when buddy is Excited.
- You get them by continuing to interact even after maxing out normal
categories.
- Most effective when using a Poffin to guarantee
Excited state.
M: So would you be able to just
constantly rub them in the interaction state to get them to the excited
mood?
G: Yes—rubbing
(playing) your buddy does help raise their mood and contributes
toward getting them Excited, but on its own, it's
not enough to reliably reach the Excited state
quickly.
Here’s how it works under the hood:
Buddy Mood
Point System (approximate values):
- Play (rub interaction): +1 point (once every 30
minutes)
- Feeding a berry: +1 per berry (up to 3 hearts = ~3
berries = +3 points)
- Walk 2 km: +3 points
- Take a snapshot: +2 points
- Battle with buddy: +2 points (per battle, once per
30 minutes)
You need 32 points to reach
Excited, and there’s decay over time
(points drop off if you don’t keep interacting).
So can you
spam rub-interact to get Excited?
- No, not spam. You can only get 1 mood point
from playing every 30 minutes.
- Even if you sat there rubbing for 10 minutes straight, it only
counts once.
Efficient
Natural Excited Strategy (No Poffin):
- Play (rub) your buddy once
- Feed 3 berries
- Take a snapshot
- Battle a Team Leader
- Walk 2 km
- Repeat a few of these every 30 minutes (especially battling or
snapshots)
You can get Excited naturally in a couple of hours with
consistent activity, but it takes coordination. Without a Poffin,
you won’t reach or maintain Excited just by
rubbing.
Conclusion:
You can’t "rub-spam" into Excited. You need to mix actions, ideally
spaced out, to stack mood points.