You'll Need to Max Out Your Friendship Levels to Evolve Some Pokémon in 'Legends: Arceus'

The new Pokémon Legends: Arceus employs many new features and tactics than previous Pokémon games have. The title is the closest experience to an open-world adventure that fans of the franchise have ever had. Battling and capturing Pokémon is different in the new title, and evolving your Pokémon also requires some extra steps.

For certain Pokémon, your friendship level with them is crucial when you want them to evolve. But how do you check your friendship with a Pokémon — and how do you increase it?

Some of the more recent games in the Pokémon franchise have given players new ways to interact with their Pokémon and build better bonds. Trainers can have a buddy follow them around in Pokémon GO, or make curries and play with their party in Sword and Shield.

While having a bond with your Pokémon has always been a part of gameplay, your friendship level with a Pokémon is especially essential in the new title.

The best way to build your friendship level with a specific Pokémon is to use them often in battle and when gathering resources. The more you reach for a specific Pokémon's PokéBall, the better your friendship level with them is.

Of course, you can't constantly use all six of the Pokémon in your party, so what about the other five slots? So long as your Pokémon is a part of your party, you will continue to raise their friendship level.

You'll also want to feed these Pokémon more candies and other items to further increase their friendship level. Again, the more time you spend with a specific Pokémon, the higher your friendship with them will likely be.

You'll also want to take good care of your Pokémon while you battle. The less your Pokémon faints during battle, the faster you'll build a friendship with them.

A Pokémon's friendship level only becomes stagnant when you leave them at the pastures. Even if you build a Pokémon's friendship level as high as it will go, if you leave them at the pasture for an extended period of time, they will return less happy.

Trainers can check their friendship levels with a specific Pokémon by talking with the NPC Bellamy in Jubilife Village. Unfortunately, though, you can't do this until you've begun Mission 8, so you'll have to make decent progress in-game first.

A better connection with your Pokémon has always made it perform better in battle — but in Legends: Arceus, your Pokémon's friendship level is essential for some of them to evolve.

Three of Eevee's evolutions (Espeon, Umbreon, and Sylveon) won't happen unless you've maxed out your friendship with the Eevee in question.

Golbat, Pichu, Buneary, Munchlax, Chansey, Togepi, Cleffa, Riolu, Chingling, and Budew also won't evolve if you don't have a high enough friendship level with them.

If you're determined to fill your PokéDex complete, then you'll want to spend plenty of time with these specific Pokémon to increase your friendship and evolve them.