Buddy guide
How the buddy system works — daily hearts, level requirements, walking distances, and what unlocks at each level. The end-game payoff is the +1 effective CP level for Best Buddies, which stacks with Lucky and weather boost.
Earn hearts daily (cap 12) — the daily limit refreshes at local midnight. Cumulative hearts unlock the next buddy tier. Best Buddy is the meaningful gameplay unlock; the others give items and flavor.
Heart icon · finds souvenirs · auto-collects items at hearts ≥ 1
Brings useful items back · catch assist (catches escaping mons sometimes)
CP shown next to it on the map · fetches a held ball as a gift
+1 effective level boost in all battles (only the active buddy) · gold heart icon · daily souvenir
Eight tasks total. Treats and walking can each give up to 3 hearts a day; the rest are 1-and-done. Hit all of them and you reach the 12 daily cap with seven moves to spare.
| Task | Hearts each | Daily cap |
|---|---|---|
| Give a treat (berry or Poffin) | +1 | 3 |
| Walk together (per km up to 3 km/day) | +1 | 3 |
| Play together (tap interaction) | +1 | 1 |
| Battle together (gym, raid, trainer) | +1 | 1 |
| Take a snapshot | +1 | 1 |
| Visit a new spot together | +1 | 1 |
| Open a gift together | +1 | 1 |
| Battle Team GO Rocket together | +1 | 1 |
| Daily total cap | 12 hearts / day | |
Distance varies by species rarity. With a Poffin active, walking distance is reduced by 75 % (so 5 km → 1.25 km per candy). Use that on 20 km Legendaries to keep your sanity.
Magikarp, Wailmer, most low-evolution starters
Mid-evolution mons, common species
Fully-evolved non-rare, most regional mons
Legendaries, Mythicals, ultra-rare species — bring snacks
Reaching Best Buddy gives a +1 effective level in all battles — Great League, Ultra League, Master League, raids, gym attacks, gym defense. The bonus only applies while that mon is your active buddy. See the medal page → for why this comes from the buddy STATUS, not the medal that tracks how many BBs you have.
- You can Best Buddy multiple mons, but only one is active at a time. Plan a roster of 1 PvP build per league plus your raid attackers.
- Daily quota of 12 hearts hits Best Buddy in 25 days minimum (300 ÷ 12). Miss days only delay; nothing rolls back.
- Adventure-Sync walking + a Poffin combo lets a 20 km Legendary earn candy in 5 km of background tracking. Pair with Adventure Effects events.
- Battle assist at Great Buddy can save a clinch raid catch — the buddy throws an extra Premier Ball if you miss.