Pokémon Go’s Buddy Up event loosens up buddy reward requirements

The next Pokémon Go event will focus on your buddy Pokémon.

From April 21 at 8 a.m. until April 27 at 10 p.m. in your local time, certain Pokémon will be spawning more frequently, and buddy Pokémon will have their perks increased.

Illumise and Volbeat will both be spawning in abundance, with their Shiny forms added to the game. These Pokémon are usually migratory and only appear in specific regions, but they’ll be appearing everywhere during this event. They’ll also be hatching from eggs.

Woobat is also making its debut in the wild and in eggs, as it was only available from a monthly Field Research Breakthrough reward back in February. Alolan Meowth, Eevee, Lillipup, Feebas, and Joltik will also be spawning in the wild and appearing in five kilometer eggs more frequently. Chansey will also be spawning in the wild more frequently, so if you need a good gym defender, keep your eyes out for one.

Buddy Pokémon will bring items and Souvenirs more often during the event period. The distance that players will need to walk for their buddy Pokémon to reward candy will also be halved, and Berries and Poffins will last twice as long as usual.

While not related to buddy Pokémon, any Pokémon evolved during the event period will reward doubled XP.

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Prices taken at time of publishing.

Nintendo Switch consoles are often sold out, but you can still pick up the handheld-only Switch Lite, which is perfect for portable gaming.

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