How to increase Friendship fast in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl

Increasing your Friendship level fast in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl has loads of benefits, and it can even help you evolve certain species like Togepi and Riolu.

Winning battles is the goal in most Pokemon games, but it’s also important to nurture a good Friendship level with your team, as this can lead to benefits like your Pokemon curing themselves of status ailments.

There are also some species that require a high Friendship level to evolve, such as Eevee and Budew, which is usually the main reason Trainers will be looking to increase their Friendship level in a hurry.

The good news is that your Friendship level with a Pokemon will automatically increase as you journey alongside it, but this can happen quite slowly, so we’ve got tips to get a high Friendship level fast.

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Contents

• How to increase Friendship fast
• How to check your Friendship level
• Which Pokemon need a high Friendship to evolve?

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How to increase Friendship in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl

There are a number of ways to increase your Friendship level in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, from winning Super Contests to giving massages, which we’re going to explore below:

1. Capture a Pokemon with a Friend Ball or Luxury Ball

If you capture a Pokemon with a Friend Ball or a Luxury Ball instead of a regular Poke Ball, its Friendship level will be automatically raised. For Pokemon that require a high Friendship level to evolve, this is incredibly helpful.

Of course, this method only works if you haven’t already caught the Pokemon you want to increase your Friendship level with, but it might be worth seeking out another of the same species if you’re not too attached to them.

2. Give your Pokemon a Soothe Bell to hold

The Soothe Bell is a really useful held item in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, as it will double the number of Friendship points a Pokemon earns for any of the Friendship-boosting activities listed in this guide.

You can get the Soothe Bell by paying a visit to The Pokemon Mansion on Route 212 and speaking to the maid in the second room on the left. She’ll hand over the Soothe Bell, which can then be given to your Pokemon to hold.

3. Give your Pokemon a massage at Veilstone City

A simple way to instantly increase your Friendship level with a Pokemon is to give them a massage. You can do this at Veilstone City by paying a visit to the masseur, who lives in a simple house west of the city.

The masseur only gives one massage per day, so this is a relatively slow way to increase your Friendship level, but if you combine this method with the other tips in our guide you’ll be best buddies in no time.

4. Compete in Super Contests at Hearthome City

It’s not just fancy Ribbons on offer as a reward for doing well in Super Contests, as you’ll also be able to increase your Friendship level if your Pokemon wins, so make sure you take part when you visit Hearthome City.

Performing well in Super Contests requires quite a bit of effort and planning, as you’ll need to cook Poffins to raise your Pokemon’s attributes, decorate Ball Capsules with Stickers, and practice your rhythm skills for the Dance segment.

We’ve got a handy guide to winning Super Contests in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, which should help you boost your Friendship level in no time, so check that out.

5. Battle with your Pokemon (and make sure you win!)

The most passive way to increase your Friendship level is to win battles with your Pokemon. You’ll be doing this as you progress through the game anyway, so it’s a pretty simple way to improve your bond.

Make sure you don’t lose battles, though, as doing this will actually reduce your Friendship level. If the Pokemon you want to get more friendly with is on low health, switch it out for another before it faints.

How to check your Friendship level in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl

Before you can check your Friendship level in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, you’ll need to unlock the Friendship app for your Poketch by speaking to an NPC in Eterna City’s Pokemon Center.

Here’s how to check your Friendship level using the Poketch:

1. Open your Poketch by pressing the ‘R’ button.
2. Scroll through the apps until you see your Pokemon floating across the screen.
3. Tap on an individual Pokemon to check its Friendship level.
4. You can also hold your finger on the screen and friendly Pokemon will move towards you.

If your Pokemon has two hearts when you tap it, that means you’ve reached high Friendship. Any species that require this to evolve will now be able to evolve when you next level them up – congratulations!

Don’t worry too much if a Pokemon doesn’t display any hearts when you tap it, as this just means you need to put in some more work to increase its Friendship level using our tips above.

Which Pokemon need a high Friendship level to evolve?

The following Pokemon require a high Friendship level to evolve in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl:

Level up any of the Pokemon listed above once you’ve reached high Friendship with them and they’ll evolve. There are no level requirements for them, but some do need to level up at a certain time of the day.

Use the tips we’ve listed throughout this guide to reach high Friendship level, and you’ll be evolving these Pokemon in no time!

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That’s everything you need to know about increasing your Friendship level! Check out our other Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl guides below:

All Rare Candy locations | Where to find Cresselia | How to get the National Pokedex | Best starter to pick | Beating all Gym Leaders | How to get all Sinnoh starters | Best ways to make money | How to unlock Mystery Gifts | How to get Eevee | How to get Leafeon | How to get Glaceon | How to get Umbreon & Espeon | Where to catch Spiritomb | How to get Riolu & Lucario | Where to find Gible & Garchomp | How to unlock the Bike | All trade evolutions