Catch Assist, presents, and location-finding perks reduce friction while you play.
Battle value at the highest level
At the top Buddy Level, your buddy can get a CP boost (only while it’s set as your active buddy). This can matter for tight raid clears and PvP breakpoints.
A “buddy-first” mindset
If you treat your buddy as a daily routine (like spinning your first stop), your account steadily grows stronger over time—without requiring special events.
Buddy Levels Explained: Good, Great, Ultra, Best
Buddy Level vs Buddy Mood (don’t confuse them)
Buddy Level is permanent progress that never decays.
Buddy Mood changes during the day and can go up or down based on how often you interact.
The four Buddy Levels
Good Buddy
Unlocks basic Buddy Adventure features and lets you see your buddy’s mood properly.
Great Buddy
Unlocks Catch Assist and the ability for your buddy to bring you presents (items).
Ultra Buddy
Unlocks souvenirs and the “Find Locations” perk (your buddy points out a PokéStop it finds interesting).
Best Buddy
Unlocks the CP boost (while active as your buddy) and the Best Buddy ribbon.
Hearts needed for each Buddy Level (total hearts)
Many guides and tools use this standard progression:
- Good Buddy: 1 heart
- Great Buddy: 70 hearts
- Ultra Buddy: 150 hearts
- Best Buddy: 300 hearts
This is why “Best Buddy” is a real project: it’s not a one-day perk—it’s a routine.
Buddy Perks by Level: What You Actually Unlock
Good Buddy perks
Adventure with Buddy
Your buddy can appear on the map after you feed it enough to fill the hunger meter. While on the map, it can earn Candy at a reduced walking distance.
Readable Mood
You can see a clear mood indicator and work toward getting your buddy “Excited.”
Great Buddy perks
Catch Assist
If a Pokémon knocks a Poké Ball away during an encounter, there’s a chance your buddy bounces it back at the Pokémon. This saves throws and reduces wasted time.
Presents (items)
Your buddy can bring consumable items like berries and potions. When you open a present, it can grant a Bonus heart.
Ultra Buddy perks
Souvenirs
Your buddy can bring collectible souvenirs. They’re stored on the Buddy Profile screen and act like “memories” of places you’ve visited together. Receiving a souvenir can grant a Bonus heart.
Find Locations
Your buddy may point out a nearby PokéStop it finds interesting. If you visit and spin it while the indicator is active, you get bonus items and a Bonus heart.
Best Buddy perks
CP Boost (only while active as buddy)
Your Pokémon gains a CP boost while it’s set as your buddy, which helps in raids, gyms, Team GO Rocket battles, and trainer battles.
Best Buddy Ribbon
A visible ribbon shows you reached Best Buddy status with that Pokémon.
Affection Hearts: The Currency That Levels Your Buddy
Where hearts come from
On the Buddy Profile screen, you’ll see “Today’s Activities” with grey hearts. Each activity can award hearts. When the hearts turn pink, you’ve earned them for that day. The daily heart counter resets at midnight local time.
The main heart categories
Walk together
Walk with your buddy while it’s on the map (meaning it’s fed).
Give your buddy a treat
Feed your buddy berries (or a Poffin). When the hunger meter fills, you earn a heart in this category.
Play together
Interact with your buddy in AR mode (pet it for a few seconds until it reacts happily).
Battle together
Battle in gyms, raids, Team GO Rocket, or trainer battles while your buddy is on the map.
Take a snapshot
Take a photo of your buddy.
Visit a new place
Spin a PokéStop or gym you’ve never visited before (usually shown with a white ring).
Follow a Route together
Complete a Route with your buddy on the map.
Bonus
Bonus hearts happen when your buddy gives a present or souvenir, or when you visit the “interesting” PokéStop your buddy points out. Bonus hearts do not behave exactly like the other categories.
Buddy Mood and Excited: The Fastest Way to Speed Up Best Buddy Progress
What mood is
Buddy mood is a “how happy your buddy feels” meter that rises when you interact and falls over time.
What Excited does (the big deal)
When your buddy becomes Excited, two powerful things happen:
Double hearts appear for most activities (you can earn more hearts that day).
Candy distance is reduced while your buddy is Excited.
Important limitation
Bonus hearts are not increased by Excited mood. In other words, Excited helps your main heart categories, not the Bonus category.
How to get Excited
Using a Poffin
Poffins fill your buddy’s hunger meter automatically and boost its mood to Excited. If you give a Poffin, you automatically earn the maximum daily hearts in the “Give your buddy a treat” category, and your buddy stays full and Excited longer.
Without a Poffin (free method)
You can raise mood by doing repeated interactions throughout your play time (feed, play, snapshot, battle, walk). The key is consistency—small interactions spaced out work better than doing everything once and stopping.
Poffins: What They Do and When They’re Worth It
What a Poffin does
Instant hunger + Excited mood
A Poffin fills the hunger meter and boosts mood to Excited.
Maximum hearts for the treat category
You automatically earn the maximum daily hearts in “Give your buddy a treat.”
Longer uptime
Your buddy stays full, stays on the map, and stays Excited longer.
When Poffins are worth using
High-value Candy farming days
If you’re walking something rare and want candy faster, Excited mood (and reduced candy distance) can be worth it.
Best Buddy speed runs
If you want to push a buddy toward Best Buddy quickly, using Poffins strategically can shorten the time.
Busy days
If you can only play a short time, a Poffin can compress your progress into a smaller window.
When to save Poffins
If your goal is only “daily basic hearts,” you can often do that without spending Poffins. Save Poffins for rare buddies, legendary candy projects, or when you want to go all-in.
How to Get Buddy Hearts Fast: The Daily Speed Routine
The goal
Earn hearts quickly with minimal time, then move on with your day.
The fastest “minimum effort” heart set
Feed (Quick Treat)
Get your buddy on the map by filling the hunger meter.
Play
A quick AR interaction for the play heart.
Snapshot
Take a fast buddy photo.
Battle
Do one quick battle with your buddy on the team (gym battle, Rocket battle, or trainer battle).
Walk
Even a short walk contributes, especially if you’re going to be walking anyway.
Route (if easy)
If you already walk routes, this is “free value.”
A realistic daily routine (takes minutes)
Bold routine
- Feed your buddy enough to appear on the map
- Play with it (quick pet)
- Snapshot (one tap)
- Do one quick battle with buddy in party
- Keep the buddy on the map while you play normally (catches/spins/raids)
- If you pass a Route, do one Route completion
- If you see a new PokéStop you’ve never spun, spin it for the “new place” heart
This routine isn’t flashy—but done daily, it builds Best Buddies steadily.
Advanced Fast Progress: The “Excited Buddy” Routine Without Spending
Why this works
Excited mood rewards “frequent interaction.” You don’t have to do everything perfectly—you just have to keep checking in.
A simple spacing strategy
Bold strategy
Do a small bundle of interactions, then repeat later:
- Feed (or top up hunger)
- Play
- Snapshot
- Battle
- Repeat these during your normal play time rather than doing them once and stopping.
Walking helps because it adds interactions naturally
If you’re walking anyway, you’ll:
- gain walk hearts over time
- encounter Rocket battles/gyms/raids
- pass stops and routes
- This makes Excited mood easier to reach.
How to keep Excited going
Once your buddy is Excited, continue interacting enough that mood doesn’t drop. Think of it like keeping a “streak alive” during the day.
Buddy Swaps: How to Level Multiple Buddies Efficiently
The official swap limit
You can swap buddies multiple times per day, but there’s a daily cap: you can swap buddies up to 20 times per day.
Why swapping is powerful
You can earn quick hearts (feed/play/snapshot/battle) on several buddies in one day. This is how players build multiple Best Buddies over time instead of focusing on only one.
The “multi-buddy” strategy (beginner-friendly)
Bold plan
- Pick 1 main buddy (your current long-term project)
- Pick 2–5 side buddies (future projects)
- Each day, do your fast routine on all of them. Your main buddy gets the most walking time; side buddies get quick hearts.
The “rotation” strategy (high effort, high reward)
Use the daily swap cap to spread quick hearts across many buddies. This is best for players who want a big Best Buddy collection or are preparing multiple PvP/raid projects.
Important caution
Swapping buddies can reset progress toward the next walking heart for that day, and it can interrupt the hunger/map presence flow. If you rotate heavily, accept that you’re trading “walking efficiency” for “more buddies progressing.”
Buddy Candy: How It Works and How to Use It Smartly
How buddy candy works
Each Pokémon has a buddy candy walking distance requirement (commonly seen in categories like 1 km, 3 km, 5 km, or 20 km depending on the species). When you walk that distance with the buddy active, you earn Candy for that Pokémon family.
What changes candy efficiency
Buddy must be active and on the map
You generally want your buddy fed and walking with you.
Excited mood reduces candy distance
When Excited, the distance required to earn Candy is reduced. This is the biggest “Candy speed” lever in the buddy system.
Adventure Sync supports Candy farming
Adventure Sync can track distance even when the app isn’t open, letting you earn Candy and hatch eggs while your phone stays in your pocket.
Practical Candy advice
If your buddy is a rare project (legendary, pseudo-legendary, hard-to-find), don’t bounce between buddies constantly. Keep that buddy active during your real walking time so Candy steadily stacks.
Best Buddy Targets: Which Pokémon Are Actually Worth Best Buddy
Best Buddy is a resource investment (time + hearts). Not every Pokémon deserves it. Choose buddies based on the value you’ll get back.
Best Buddies for raids
Bold guideline
Best Buddy is most valuable on Pokémon you actually use frequently in raids, especially when the CP boost helps you hit damage breakpoints or survive a bit longer.
Great raid candidates often include
- Top attackers you bring repeatedly across many raid bosses
- Megas you use often (even though Megas are temporary, the buddy system still helps your routine and candy projects)
- “Anchor Pokémon” you always rely on when raiding is tough
Best Buddies for PvP
Bold guideline
PvP is where small stat changes can matter. The Best Buddy CP boost can help a Pokémon hit certain CP thresholds or stat breakpoints in some formats.
Practical PvP tip
If you’re building for CP-capped leagues, Best Buddy can sometimes push a Pokémon above a cap (making it unusable for that league). So for Great League and Ultra League projects, be careful. For higher formats, it can be more helpful.
Best Buddies for Candy and rare evolutions
Bold guideline
If you’re walking a rare Pokémon mainly for Candy, you don’t always need Best Buddy. Sometimes your real goal is:
- Excited mood for reduced Candy distance
- consistent Adventure Sync distance
- steady long-term Candy farming
That said, Best Buddy is still a strong “long-term companion” choice for rare projects you’ll walk for weeks.
Best Buddies for quality-of-life
Some buddies are worth Best Buddy just because you enjoy seeing them, using them in battles, or showing them off. That’s valid. Motivation matters—if you love the buddy, you’ll actually stick to the routine.
Catch Assist: How to Benefit From It More Often
What Catch Assist helps with
Catch Assist triggers when a Pokémon knocks your Poké Ball away. Your buddy can bounce it back, saving that throw.
Why Catch Assist is a real perk
It prevents wasted time and wasted rhythm, especially during:
- fast catching sessions
- event grind sessions where missing throws slows you down
- catching more aggressive Pokémon that smack balls away frequently
How to “get value” from Catch Assist
You don’t need to change your entire catching style. Just know that:
- Great Buddy is the minimum level for Catch Assist
- Keeping your buddy fed and on the map helps you benefit more consistently
Buddy Presents, Gifts, and Souvenirs: What to Expect
Buddy Gifts (separate from presents)
Your buddy may bring Gifts from nearby PokéStops at any Buddy Level. If you already have a lot of Gifts in your bag (commonly at or above a limit), your buddy may stop bringing more.
Presents (Great Buddy perk)
Presents contain items like berries and potions and can award Bonus hearts when opened.
Souvenirs (Ultra Buddy perk)
Souvenirs are collectible items shown on your Buddy Profile. They’re mostly for collection and memories, but they can also tie into certain progression requirements and Bonus hearts.
Find Locations (Ultra Buddy perk)
Your buddy may mark a PokéStop it finds interesting. If you go there and spin it while marked, you get bonus items and a Bonus heart.
How to treat these perks
These perks are “nice extras,” not your main reason to Best Buddy. Your main Buddy value still comes from: Candy, hearts, Excited mood, and CP boost.
Routes, New Places, and Exploration Hearts
Visit a new place
If your buddy is on the map and you spin a PokéStop or gym you’ve never visited before, you can earn a heart for visiting a new place. This is easiest when traveling to a new neighborhood or when you deliberately seek out stops with the “new” ring.
Follow a Route together
If Routes exist in your area, this is one of the best “double-value” buddy actions because it encourages movement and can fit naturally into your daily walk.
Practical exploration strategy
Bold tip
Choose one short Route and do it regularly. It becomes part of your buddy routine, not a separate chore.
Battle Hearts: Fast Ways to Earn Them
What counts as a battle
Battles can include gyms, raids, Team GO Rocket, and trainer battles as long as your buddy is with you on the map.
Fast battle heart ideas
One quick Rocket battle
If you see a balloon or a nearby Rocket stop, this is often the fastest battle option.
One quick gym battle
If a gym is nearby, a single battle can be a quick heart—especially if you’re already walking a loop.
One trainer battle
Trainer battles can be a fast option if you want a controlled environment. You don’t need to “go hard”—you just need to complete the battle with your buddy included.
Battle heart mistake to avoid
Don’t wait until you’re tired and then skip battles every day. If battle hearts are your weak spot, make them the first thing you do after feeding your buddy.
Adventure Sync: The Buddy System Multiplier
What Adventure Sync does
Adventure Sync tracks your distance even when the app isn’t open, so you can:
- earn Buddy Candy
- hatch eggs
- get weekly fitness reports and rewards
Why it’s a big deal for buddy progress
Buddy progress is time-based and distance-based. Adventure Sync turns real-life movement into game progress without needing the app open the entire time.
How to get the most value
Bold habit
Keep your main Candy project buddy active during your normal walking day (school, errands, commuting). Then do your hearts routine when you open the app.
How Long Does Best Buddy Take? Realistic Timelines
The honest answer
Best Buddy progress depends on how many hearts you consistently earn per day and how often you reach Excited mood.
A realistic expectation
If you only do a few interactions daily, Best Buddy takes longer—but it still happens over time. Consistency beats intensity.
A practical timeline mindset
- Casual: slow but steady progress
- Focused daily routine: noticeably faster
- Excited + full routine: fastest progression (but requires more attention)
The best long-term approach
Pick one “main buddy” and keep it consistent until Best Buddy. Rotating too often can make you feel like nothing is finishing.
Common Buddy Mistakes That Slow Progress
Mistake: not feeding your buddy
If your buddy isn’t on the map, you lose walking-related value and many easy hearts.
Mistake: doing everything once and never again
Mood decays over time. Spacing out interactions is what helps you reach (and maintain) Excited.
Mistake: chasing “perfect optimization” and burning out
Buddy progress is a marathon. A simple routine you can actually repeat is better than a complicated plan you quit after three days.
Mistake: choosing a buddy you don’t care about
Motivation matters. If you hate seeing the buddy, you’ll skip the routine.
Mistake: risky movement habits
Never play in a way that makes walking unsafe. Buddy systems reward movement, but safety is always more important.
What to Avoid: Safe and Clean Progress Only
Avoid cheating or “fake walking” tools
Anything that fakes distance, manipulates GPS, or uses unauthorized apps can risk your account and can create unhealthy habits. The best buddy progress is built on real movement and consistent routine.
Avoid unsafe play
Don’t stare at the screen while crossing streets. If you need to do buddy interactions, step aside somewhere safe and finish quickly.
Avoid wasting Stardust
Buddy leveling doesn’t require Stardust. Don’t power up random Pokémon just because you’re walking them—power up only when you have a clear raid or PvP plan.
A Simple Buddy Plan You Can Follow
The 5-minute daily buddy plan
Bold plan
- Feed to put buddy on the map
- Play (pet)
- Snapshot
- One quick battle
- Keep buddy active while you walk normally
The “serious Best Buddy” plan
Bold plan
- Do the 5-minute plan
- Add a Route completion when possible
- Space interactions to push toward Excited mood
- Use a Poffin only on days you’ll walk a lot or want maximum progress
The “multi-buddy collector” plan
Bold plan
- Main buddy: gets walking time + routine
- Side buddies: get quick hearts via swaps
- Don’t rotate your main buddy too often—finish projects
How BoostRoom Helps You Build Best Buddies Faster
If you want buddy progress to feel simple instead of messy, BoostRoom can turn it into a clean plan.
How BoostRoom supports buddy progress
Buddy goal planning
Choose the right buddy for your real goal: raids, PvP, candy projects, or collection.
Fast routine design
A daily routine that fits your schedule (short, realistic, repeatable).
Excited mood strategy
How to reach Excited more consistently using simple interaction timing (with or without Poffins).
Project roadmaps
Turn Best Buddy projects into real teams: which Pokémon to power up, what to build next, and how to avoid wasting resources.
If you want your buddy system to produce real account power (not just a cute companion), BoostRoom helps you do it with less guesswork.
FAQ
What are the Buddy Levels in Pokémon GO?
The main Buddy Levels are Good Buddy, Great Buddy, Ultra Buddy, and Best Buddy. Each level unlocks perks like Catch Assist, presents, souvenirs, and a CP boost at Best Buddy.
How do I get hearts with my buddy?
Hearts come from daily activities like walking together, feeding treats, playing, snapshots, battling, visiting new places, following Routes, and bonus hearts from presents/souvenirs or buddy-selected locations.
What does Excited mood do?
Excited mood increases the number of hearts you can earn for most activities (double heart icons appear) and reduces the walking distance needed to earn Candy while your buddy is Excited.
What is the Best Buddy CP boost?
When your Pokémon reaches Best Buddy, it gets a CP boost while it’s currently set as your active buddy. If you switch buddies, the boost only applies to whichever Best Buddy is active.
How many times can I switch buddies per day?
You can swap buddies multiple times per day, up to a daily limit (commonly 20 swaps).
