Buddy Adventure in Pokémon GO will add more depth to the game's friendly Pokémon system. At the moment, you can assign a friend and they will earn Candy as you walk. The new Buddy Adventure systems will change this in many ways. A recent post on the Pokemon Go Live website stated that "the Buddy Adventure feature set will be coming to trainers around the world by 2020".
While this doesn't give us an exact date, it certainly implies that the feature will be live in the game by the end of this year. Buddy Adventure will allow you to level up your friend, opening up new benefits and features.
- Good friend: Your friend can join you in the map view. You will also see how your friend feels on the friend profile page.
- Big friend: Your friend could help you in Pokémon encounters, making it easier for you to catch Pokémon. He can also bring you items that can help you on your Pokémon GO journey.
- Ultra Buddy: Your friend will help you explore the world around you by introducing you to interesting places nearby! Your friend will also bring you Souvenirs, which you can track on the friends profile page.
- Best friend: Become the best friend and your friend will show off a best friend ribbon to show everyone how close you are! Pokémon that you are best friends with can gain CP boost in combat as long as they are still assigned as friendly Pokémon.
To raise your friend's level, you need to earn affection. Affection is measured in hearts and can be seen on the new friends profile page. Hearts can be acquired by exploring the map with your friend, fighting with them, playing with them in AR + mode and feeding them. You can even earn Hearts by taking pictures of your friend.
We will update this guide as soon as Niantic reveals the exact release date of the Buddy Adventure update.
