How to raise Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Friendship Level fast: Where to find the Friendship Checker

A huge part of the Pokemon series’ theme and mythos is that of friendship between trainers and their cute little critters - they’re partners, after all. In Pokemon Scarlet & Violet friendship returns, both as a story staple and as a major mechanic that can have huge effects on your success in combat.

To be a little more specific, Pokemon Scarlet & Violet continue the series tradition of keeping a secret, hidden stat in the background of every Pokemon - their friendship with you, their trainer. This stat increases as you undertake activities that advance your friendship.

In turn, Friendship can cause certain Pokemon to Evolve, but it can also have some effects in battle - largely at random. The main thing to know is that the more friendship you have the better, basically.

• How to Check Friendship with the Friendship Checker NPC
• How to increase Friendship Level quickly
• Pokemon that Evolve via Friendship

How to check your Friendship: Friendship Checker Location

While Pokemon Scarlet & Violet has gone to great lengths to streamline some elements of the game, others have been left as they were - and sow hile the move reminder and deleter are no more, for instance, the Friendship Checker lives on.

The Friendship Checker is the NPC you can go to who’ll read where your relationship is with any one of your Pokemon. She’s the NPC pictured above.

Find the Friendship Checker in the town of Cascarrafa, near the fountain that’s a major landmark of the town. She’s standing with a Marill by her side. She can give you a few different rankings, from ‘worst’ to ‘best’:

• Oh my gosh! What happened between you two?! There's not even a smidge of friendship here!
• Are you two just starting to get to know each other? I'm sensing some awkwardness here…
• You two seem kinda neutral—like you don't mind each other. I hope you get closer!
• You're starting to get friendly. I bet you'll get along better soon!
• You're getting along well...but I'm sure you could get way friendlier!
• You're good friends, all right! You definitely enjoy each other's company!
• Wow, you're pretty great friends! You sure mean a lot to each other.
• Whoa, you're the best friends ever! I can tell just being together gives you warm fuzzies!

If you achieve that last rank with a Pokemon - probably first with your starter Pokemon, if you consistently use them - you'll be given the Best Friends Ribbon item by the Friendship Checker NPC to commemorate the occasion.

How to Raise Friendship Level quickly

Generally speaking, the easiest thing to do is simply not worry too much about the Friendship Stat in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet - just by normally playing the game, you will naturally raise the friendship level gradually for all of the Pokemon you’re focused on using.

However, if you’re particularly focused on raising friendship quickly for the purposes of evolution or just out of a desire to become best buds, here’s the best ways to do so:

• Make use of the Pokemon. Walking around while they’re in your party, battling with them, and leveling up all increase friendship levels passively.
• Use Let’s Go Mode. This is the mode where you press right trigger to let your lead Pokemon hang out alongside you outside their ball. Do this often as you walk around to boost friendship level.
• Picnics and Washing. Hanging out with a Pokemon at a picnic, or choosing to wash them will also raise friendship.
• Using a Friendship Ball. This only works as you initially catch a Pokemon, but if you use a Friendship Ball to catch them, they’ll begin with a higher friendship stat than otherwise.
• Using the Soothe Bell to speed things up. The Soothe Bell is a holdable Pokemon item found in the Delibird Presents stores for $5000 - and giving it to a Pokemon to hold increases the amount that the above methods raise friendship.

Beware of how you use Pokemon in battle - allowing a Pokemon to faint can have a small but negative effect on your friendship.

Pokemon that require Friendship to Evolve

As mentioned earlier, there’s a handful of Pokemon in Scarlet & Violet whose evolution can only be triggered if your Pokemon friendship is at a certain level. In the interests of being comprehensive, here they all are:

• Azurill (evolves into Marill based on Friendship Level)
• Chansey (evolves into Blissey based on Friendship Level)
• Igglybuff (evolves into Jigglypuff based on Friendship Level)
• Pichu (evolves into Pikachu based on Friendship Level)
• Riolu (evolves into Lucario when leveled up at night once a Friendship Level is reached)
• Eevee (evolves into Umbreon, Espeon, or Sylveon once a certain Friendship Level is reached)
  • Umbreon: level up at night, while having no fairy-type moves
  • Espeon: level up in the day, without a Fairy-type move learned
  • Sylveon: level up with a Fairy-type move in your move list