‘Pokemon Go’ is available now for iOS and Android devices. (Nintendo)
The Pokemon Go buddy system has been released.
In this new system, players can select a Pokemon from their Pokedex to be their “buddy.” These buddies will now walk around with the player throughout the game, appearing on the avatar screen at all times. For walking around in the real world with a buddy selected, you will receive candy related to that species.
But thankfully, your buddy selection is not permanent. You can switch your buddy Pokemon at any time, and that’s something you may want to do quite a bit throughout the game. Part of the reason to make a Pokemon your buddy is to stock up on its candy, which you can then use to evolve it. Once that evolution is complete, you may want to switch buddies and work towards evolving a different species.
One thing to keep in mind, though, is that when you switch buddy Pokemon, you will lose all progress on that buddy. In other words, if you’ve walked halfway the distance required to get a piece of candy, it might be worth finishing that off before making the change.
When you’re ready, though, here’s how you can change your buddy Pokemon:
- Click the button on the bottom left of the screen showing your character’s face.
- Hit the button on the bottom right of the screen with the three lines.
- Select “buddy.”
- Hit the button on the bottom right of the screen with the two arrows.
- You will be asked “Are you sure you want to swap your buddy?” Hit yes.
- Select the Pokemon you want to have as your new buddy.
In general, it’s best to choose as your buddy a Pokemon that is relatively rare; with a common Pokemon like Pidgey, getting its candy is an incredibly simple process, and therefore having it as your buddy would not be a great use of time.