Pokémon Go’s newest update has already started rolling out on Android devices, with iOS sure to come by the end of the day. The new update adds the Buddy System, a way for trainers who don’t mind walking to gather more candy and experience. It’s a great way for players with rare Pokémon or ones they only found in eggs to earn candy to evolve or strengthen their precious Pokémon.
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You can make a Pokémon your buddy by clicking on your trainer icon and then on the bar in the bottom left where there should be a “buddy” option. From there, you click on whatever Pokémon you want to be your buddy. If you want to switch to another Pokémon, you do it from the same menu. Once you equip a buddy, they will either stand next to you, sit on your shoulder or fly behind you, depending on the type of Pokémon.
Every Pokémon requires a different amount of kilometers in order to get either one or two candies, depending on your luck. Each Pokémon is different; Pidgeys only require you to walk one kilometer for a candy spawn, while Dratinis take five kilometers just for the same thing. Right now there’s no concrete list for what Pokémon requires which distance, though reddit detectives have compiled one that seems fairly legit .
Pokémon Go really makes you choose which Pokémon to spend your time developing. Do you walk your Dratini for hours on end in hopes of it turning into a strong Dragonite, or do you walk around with your starter Pokémon and get the Charizard of your dreams? If you are still unsure, I recommend the starter, because no matter which Pokémon you picked, it has perfect IVs which means perfect stats. Walking your first Squirtle can earn you a Blastoise that even Gary would be jealous of.
You also get a fairly large amount of experience for walking your Pokémon. One reddit user got 500 experience when his Magikarp found a candy. Drop a Lucky Egg and walk around with your fish while hatching a 10 kilometer egg and you should be fast leveling in no time. Correction: You don't actually get experience from walking with your Buddy, the screenshot below shows an egg hatching on the walk.
There doesn't seem to be a daily limit on the amount of candies you can get, so farm as many candies as you want with your Buddy Pokémon.
Keep in mind, that you cannot stick your Buddy in a gym. A Snorlax can't be in two different places at once.
If you want to see the Buddy System in action, here’s a video:
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