Pokemon Sword and Shield Friendship Guide

This pokemon sword and shield happiness guide will explain how to determine a Pokemon’s Happiness and how to raise it. In Pokemon Sword and Shield, Happiness (Friendship) is a hidden stat. Each species has a different base level. Pokemon’s Happiness level can decrease or increase depending on what things you do with them. Each Pokemon has a base level of happiness when it’s first captured (using a Luxury Ball will alter this).

A Pokemon’s Happiness level can affect many of its moves and is an important Stat that is needed to help your Pokemon evolve.

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How to Raise Friendship and Happiness in Pokemon Sword and Shield

Their are multiple methods you can use to raise your pokemon’s Happiness and in turn, increase its friendship with you.

  • Use Luxury Ball or Friend Ball to Catch the Pokemon
  • Give Vitamins to Pokemon
  • Use Pokemon in battle
  • Give items to Pokemon to hold (Soothe Bell which you can get from the Friendship Checker) Soothe Bell 2
  • Keep them in your party as you travel.
  • Feed them Curry in Camp
  • Feed them berries that say “raise friendliness.”
  • Play with them in Pokemon Camp.

Things that will Lower Friendship

  • Pokemon faints in battle
  • Use bitter items on the Pokemon
  • Keep the Pokemon stored in the PC
  • Trade the Pokemon (Trading a Pokemon reverts its Friendship to its base point)

How To Check Pokemon Friendship Level

  1. Go to Hammerlock
  2. Enter the building to the right of the Pokemon Center.
  3. Speak to the little boy on the right – The Friendship Checker (This boy will also give you the Soothe Bell).
  4. He will tell you a series of phrases depending on how friendly your Pokemon is.

You can also interact with your Pokemon while at Camp. If the Pokemon has affection, hearts will appear overhead. It will range between one and five hearts, but to get more than three hearts to appear, you must play with the Pokemon in Camp.
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Certain Pokemon can only evolve if their Friendship (happiness) is high enough. Sometimes Friendship is needed with an item or particular time or select location to evolve.
Here is a list of Pokemon that require Friendship to evolve.

How Happiness Affects Attacks
As mentioned earlier, a Pokemon’s Happiness level can affect certain attacks.
For example, the attack ‘Return’ is more powerful if the Pokemon is happier now the attack ‘Frustration’ is more powerful if your Pokemon is unhappy.
Your Pokemon can benefit from their current level of Happiness.

Bonus Effects of Increasing Happiness

Hint Level Hearts Bonus Effect
Maybe you’re a bit too strict? It doesn’t seem like you’re at all. 0 0 None
I guess you two just met? It’s still getting used to things. 1-49 0 None
Seems like it likes you an average amount! Don’t worry—you two will get closer as time passes! 50-99 0 None
Wow, I think you’re on your way to becoming real good friends! 100-149 1 None
Seems like you’re pretty good friends! Still, I bet you could become even closer! 150-199 2 None
You two get along great! Together is always better—am I right? 200-229 3 Pokemon bounces when sent into battle.
– Text boxes indicate what it’s doing in battle
– Slim chance of preventing itself from being knocked out from a move
You two are almost best friends! I can see you really care about each other! 230-254 4 All Prior Bonuses
– Increase of experience gained from battle of 20%.
– Chance of recovering from status conditions by itself.
Oh wow, you’re best buddies! I can tell you’re so happy to be together! 255 5 All Prior Bonuses
– Slim chance of avoiding opponents moves Critical Hit ratio increased by 1.
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