New Feature Incoming: Buddy Adventure
On December 17, 2019, Niantic officially announced the arrivial of a brand-new feature to the game coming "by 2020": Buddy Adventure!
Starting this month(hopefully!), the new Buddy Adventure feature will be a new way to interact with your favorite Pokemon. There is no official date of release for this feature.
The Buddy feature system has been in the game for as long as we've been walking our Eevees to turn them into Umbreons and Espeons, but this new feature adds levels to the friendship system, adds your buddy to the in-game screen, and allows players to interact with their buddy in new ways.
There are 4 levels of Buddy(like friendship):
- Good Buddy: Your buddy can join you on your map view! You’ll also see how your buddy feels on the buddy profile page.
- Great Buddy: Having a hard time catching a Pokémon? Your buddy may help you out in Pokémon encounters! It can also bring you items that can help you in your Pokémon GO journey.
- Ultra Buddy: Your buddy will help you explore the world around you by letting you know about interesting places nearby! Your buddy will also bring you Souvenirs, which you can keep track of on the buddy profile page.
- Best Buddy: Become Best Buddies, and your buddy will sport a Best Buddy Ribbon to show off to everyone just how close you two are! Pokémon that you’re Best Buddies with can get a CP boost in combat as long as they’re still assigned as your Buddy Pokémon.
Source: Pokemon GO
New Buddy Features
Raising your buddy's friendship level is done by earning affection; Affection can be earned by walking with your buddy, using it in battle, playing or feeding it, and taking snapshots of it.
At the highest level of Affection:
- 1/2 Distance Buddy Candy
- 2x Hearts Earned
- Bonus Heart Chance
In the upgraded buddy profile page, you'll see how many "hearts" you have earned through interactions with your buddy. You'll be able to switch buddies and also view your friendship level with your other Pokemon(progress toward Candy is no longer reset when switching!)
Full Announcement Text
Trainers,
Get ready to explore the world with your Buddy Pokémon! In the all-new Buddy Adventure feature, your buddy will be by your side in your Pokémon GO explorations like never before.
Buddy Adventure is an elevated bonding experience for Trainers and their buddies. You’ll get to know your Buddy Pokémon’s mood as you increase your Buddy Level by playing with your buddy, feeding your buddy treats, and battling and exploring with your buddy. In addition, swapping Buddy Pokémon no longer resets progress toward earning Candy. Like any great Pokémon Trainer, you’ll find that the world around you will become richer with Pokémon by your side as they grow with you and help you along your journey.
The Buddy Adventure feature set will roll out to Trainers around the world by 2020.
The Berry that blossomed into friendship
Kick off your buddy adventure by feeding your buddy Berries. This will increase your Buddy Level to Good Buddy, and you’ll see your buddy on the map, following right behind you! To feed your buddy, just head to the new buddy profile page, tap on Play!, and interact with your buddy. You can also give your buddy a quick treat directly from the buddy profile page.
Each Pokémon has different quirks and ways to express itself. Watch closely to see a diverse range of movements and expressions, whether you and your buddy are playing together or exploring the world around you!
Along with feeding your buddy, you can also play with it! Watch what your buddy does when you interact with it in AR+ mode. Different Pokémon react in different ways! Make sure you have AR+ turned on in your Settings.
Unlock exciting new Perks with Buddy Adventure
As you and your buddy get closer and your Buddy Level increases, you’ll get to unlock exciting new Perks together! The Buddy Levels are Good Buddy, Great Buddy, Ultra Buddy, and Best Buddy.
- Good Buddy: Your buddy can join you on your map view! You’ll also see how your buddy feels on the buddy profile page.
- Great Buddy: Having a hard time catching a Pokémon? Your buddy may help you out in Pokémon encounters! It can also bring you items that can help you in your Pokémon GO journey.
- Ultra Buddy: Your buddy will help you explore the world around you by letting you know about interesting places nearby! Your buddy will also bring you Souvenirs, which you can keep track of on the buddy profile page.
- Best Buddy: Become Best Buddies, and your buddy will sport a Best Buddy Ribbon to show off to everyone just how close you two are! Pokémon that you’re Best Buddies with can get a CP boost in combat as long as they’re still assigned as your Buddy Pokémon.
How to become better friends with your buddy
Become better friends with your buddy by earning affection. Affection is measured by hearts, and you can earn hearts with your buddy by exploring with your buddy on the map, battling with your buddy, playing with and feeding your buddy, and taking snapshots of your buddy. The more affection you earn, the better your buddy’s mood will be!
When you reach the highest mood (excited), you can unlock the following Perks:
- The distance it takes for your buddy to find Candy will be cut in half.
- The number of hearts earned per action will double.
- Trainers can earn bonus hearts!
With the upgraded buddy profile page, you’ll see your buddy’s progress toward finding Candy, your buddy’s current mood, a chart of daily activities you can do to earn affection with your buddy, and your Buddy Level! You’ll also be able to see the history of other Pokémon who have been your buddy and the adventures you’ve shared together. Remember: friendship is something you build together! So be sure to complete the daily activities with your buddy each day to earn more affection and become fast friends!
Coming soon: Meet your (real-world) buddy’s buddies, too!
After Buddy Adventure is available to Trainers around the world, there’ll be even more to look forward to. Soon, your buddy will be able to meet your fellow Trainers’ buddies in Shared AR Experience mode!
In the new Shared AR Experience mode, you can sync up with up to two other Trainers with AR+ to take a group photo with your buddies together! It’ll be the perfect chance to create your own epic Pokémon moments and capture new Pokémon memories with your friends!
We hope you have a blast discovering all the new ways you can bond with your Buddy Pokémon, Trainers! Be sure to share your favorite buddy moments and photos with #PokemonGOBuddy once the feature is released.
—The Pokémon GO team
