The Buddy Pokemon system for Pokemon Go is finally here. With this system you can select a Pokemon to appear alongside your trainer’s avatar on your profile screen. As you walk with your buddy, they will find candy that can be used to power up or evolve the Pokemon.
Does the Buddy Pokemon actually walk beside your avatar on the map? No. They appear by your avatar’s face icon at the bottom of the screen and on your avatar information screen.
Choose your favorite Pokemon, walk your buddy and get candy, right? Not so fast! Cnet pulled what you need to know about the Buddy Pokemon system.
Choosing your Buddy
You can choose any Pokemon you like to be your buddy, but choose carefully. Make sure you pick a Pokemon you actually need candy for, not just because it would be cute to walk with them.
For example, if your Pokemon is topped out in the power up department and can’t be evolved, you really don’t need candy for it. Making it a buddy wouldn’t make sense. On the other hand, if you have a Pokemon that just needs a few more candies to evolve, it would be a good choice for a buddy.
Once you’ve decided which Pokemon will be your buddy, follow these directions:
01 Tap on the photo of your trainer avatar in the lower left-hand side of the screen
o2 Tap on the Menu button
03 Tap on the Buddy option found between Journal and Customize
04 Tap on the Pokemon you choose as your buddy
How to get your candy
Just like when hatching eggs, you need to keep the game’s screen open and in the foreground while you walk to get candy.
Different Pokemon have different distances they need to walk to find candy. Common Pokemon need to be walked less to get candy while rare Pokemon must be walked further for candy. For example, you need to walk a Pidgey only 1 kilometer, an Ivysaur 3km and a Lapras 5km. No matter the distance, it seems you only get one candy after walking that specific distance.
Notification will pop up on screen
By tapping on the Buddy option again, you can check on your candy finding progress. At the top of the screen you can see how far you’ve walked your buddy and underneath the Pokemon’s avatar you can see the kilometers walked compared to how far you still need to go.
There’s also a gauge around the buddy’s avatar that is located next to your trainer’s avatar on the map screen that shows your progress.
Once you walk the right amount, a notification will pop up on your screen to let you know your buddy found candy.
Changing buddies
When you’re ready for a new walking buddy, be careful. Switching to a new buddy will delete any progress you made with your old buddy. The best time to choose a new buddy is when you just found a candy with your current buddy.
To get a different buddy, tap on the arrow button at the bottom right-hand side of the Buddy screen and tap on the Pokemon of your choice. A screen will pop up and ask you if you’re sure. Tap Yes.
