How to check and increase Friendship in Pokemon Legends: Arceus

ByAdam B Hours
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Friendship has been a mechanic in Pokemon games for some time, so of course, there’s a character to check your friendship levels with Pokemon in Legends: Arceus.

How and where to check your friendship levels in Pokemon Legends Arceus

In Pokemon Legends Arceus, the friendship check character can be found very easily, as he’s, located in the central hub area from very early in the game.

He can be seen in the distance, at the side of the Pokemon Pastures in Jubilife village. He’s also the only character in the area directly to the side of the Pokemon enclosures there, so he’s easy to spot throughout the day.

friendship rater NPC in pokemon legends arceus located near the farm pastures
Credit: TheClick.gg, the Pokemon Company

Run over and speak to Belamy, and he will offer to check the friendship compatibility between you and your Pokemon, as other NPC’s do in previous Pokemon games.

He’ll give you a statement based on your Pokemon Friendship score with whichever Pokemon you select to say him, though he won’t actually outright say the values, as those are hidden in the background of the game.

friendship check npc in arcerus
Credit: TheClick.gg, the Pokemon Company

These values range from 0 for no friendship progress to a maximum of 255, which is maxed out. Pokemon requiring a high friendship level to evolve can do so from 160 friendship or higher.

How to improve your friendship score with a Pokemon

Friendship is a very simple mechanic in Pokemon Legends: Arceus, as most of the methods to increase it are fairly obvious things you’re probably already doing, and most of the ways to reduce it are things people usually avoid doing anyway.

To improve a Pokemon’s friendship score, perform any action that gains an instance of experience points, such as;

  • Breaking Rocks, Shaking Trees
  • Using EXP candies, with each individual candy granting one point
  • Gaining experience from battle, even if they did not participate

In other words; use the Pokemon you want to improve friendship with as much as you can manage. But be careful with them, because that also opens them to the reduction methods, which include:

  • Letting the Pokemon faint
  • Using Herbal Medicine items on them (these are usually described as horrible tasting)

Leaving the Pokemon you want to increase friendship with in your party but not actually fielding them in battle seems to be the safest method here, as it removes any fainting risk while allowing you to farm experience via battles and overworld reactions such as gathering crafting items.