One of the primary messages of the Pokémon anime was that humans and Pokémon can be more than just two living creatures occupying the same zip code; they can be true, lifelong friends and allies. Ash literally refused to evolve his Pikachu because he valued his friendship with him too much. That’s also one of the appeals of Pokémon GO; being able to travel around to meet and befriend new Pokémon. In honor of that appeal, here’s a guide for Pokémon GO’s Friendship Day event.
Starting at 11:00 AM today, and lasting until 2:00 PM, both in your local timezone, Friendship Day will drastically raise the spawn rate of Grass type Pokémon in the wild. The following Pokémon will be occurring much more frequently during the event:
- Bulbasuar
- Oddish
- Bellsprout
- Alolan Exeggutor
- Tangela
- Chikorita
- Sunkern
- Treecko
- Shroomish
- Breloom
- Cacnea
- Cacturne
- Turtwig
- Snivy
- Sewaddle
- Cottonee
- Petilil
- Foongus
- Ferroseed
- Chespin
If you can catch at least one of all of these Pokémon, you’ll get a free bonus of 175,000 XP, and that’s on top of the 3X XP each catch during the event will net you. Additionally, of these Pokémon, the following will also have a chance to spawn as Shinies:
- Bulbasuar
- Oddish
- Bellsprout
- Alolan Exeggutor
- Tangela
- Chikorita
- Sunkern
- Treecko
- Turtwig
- Snivy
- Ferroseed
Pokémon GO Friendship Day Event Guide
In addition to befriending Pokémon, Friendship Day is all about getting closer with your fellow players. Metaphorically speaking, I mean. Please respect local health mandates regarding social distancing.
During the event, the maximum trade distance limit will be extended to 40km, and any Pokémon traded will have an increased chance to become Lucky Pokémon. While the event ends at 2:00 PM, the Lucky Pokémon percentage increase will last until 5:00 PM. Also, any Incense or Lures you deploy after the event starts will last a boosted three hours, so if you’re playing with friends, you can pop one and bring in the Pokémon all afternoon! Finally, just for a little bit of Grass type whimsy, for the duration of the event, green confetti will be sprinkled around on the map. It’s festive!
