How to raise friendship level fast in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Friendship levels have been an integral part of the Pokémon franchise for many generations now. And for certain Pokémon species, high Friendship is necessary to trigger an evolution. This is the case with many Pokémon from Scarlet and Violet, including Chingling, Munchlax, and Swadloon from The Teal Mask DLC.

Friendship measures how close you are to your respective Pokémon. The most basic way to level up your Pokémon’s friendship is to use them in battles against fellow trainers and wild Pokémon. Likewise, walking your Pokémon outside of their Poké Ball will also boost their friendship as you travel around.

These options are nice and effortless if you’re just playing through the game at your own pace. However, if you’re looking to increase a Pokémon’s friendship to evolve it as quickly as possible, there are multiple ways you can speed up the process in the Gen IX games and the DLC.

Increasing friendship levels fast in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

The first thing you’ll want to do to boost friendship is catch the Pokémon in a Luxury Ball. This automatically gives it a friendship boost right from the get-go. However, if you’ve already caught your Pokémon in a different ball, it’s not the end of the world, either.

Next, purchase a Soothe Bell from a Delibird Presents shop in one of the larger cities in Paldea. Giving the Soothe Bell to your chosen Pokémon will drastically reduce the amount of time it takes to reach the maximum friendship level.

Related: All version exclusives in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet The Teal Mask DLC

From there, check your bag for any berries that increase friendship. These berries include Pomeg, Kelpsy, Qualot, Hondew, Grepa, and Tamato, all of which can be found as sparkling items on the ground or from Tera Raids. Feed a bunch of these to any Pokémon with a friendship evolution. The only thing you need to be aware of is that these berries will also lower your Pokémon’s EVs if they have any.

How to check the friendship level of your Pokémon in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

To check your friendship level progress, you will need to talk to a specific NPC in Cascarrafa. This NPC can be found on the middle level of the city to the left of the large fountain, standing next to a Marill.

By talking to her, you’ll have a better idea of how high a Pokémon’s friendship level is.

You won’t know the exact number value for the friendship level, but the lady will make one of the following comments based on the Pokémon you show her (from highest to lowest friendship):

• “Whoa, you’re the best friends ever! I can tell just being together gives you warm fuzzies!”
• “Wow, you’re pretty great friends! You sure mean a lot to each other.”
• “You’re good friends, all right! You definitely enjoy each other’s company!”
• “You’re getting along well…but I’m sure you could get way friendlier!”
• “You’re starting to get friendly. I bet you’ll get along better soon!”
• “You two seem kinda neutral—like you don’t mind each other. I hope you get closer!”
• “Are you two just starting to get to know each other? I’m sensing some awkwardness here…”
• “Oh my gosh! What happened between you two?! There’s not even a smidge of friendship here!”