In preparation for the big update in Pokémon GO, the Friendship Event starts today, November 18th, and it is worth it!
When does the Friendship Event take place? As Niantic announced, the big Friendship Event will begin today, Wednesday, November 18th at 10 PM.
It is supposed to prepare you for the upcoming “Pokémon GO Beyond” update – and will last for 12 days accordingly. It ends on November 30th at 10 PM, just one day before the start of the big update.
During these 12 days, you can primarily work on two areas: Friendship levels and experience points. You can find out what the event entails here.
This is how the big Friendship Event goes
What does the event bring? As part of the GO Beyond update, a new level cap with level 50 will be introduced. But reaching level 40 can take quite a while. The event is the perfect time to earn experience points and make the path to level 40 a bit shorter.
Here you get more XP: Generally, during the event period and beyond, you will receive twice as much XP for catching Pokémon. That’s quite a boost that you can temporarily enhance with a lucky egg. And it even lasts until December 31st.
At the same time, you will receive more XP than usual after raid battles. You can also further assist with a lucky egg here.
Additionally, you can look forward to the following bonuses regarding your Pokémon GO friendships. The friendship level increases faster during the event if you:
- Open gifts. You can also open more gifts per day than usual
- Trade Pokémon
- Engage in raids, gyms, or battles with each other
Moreover, you will receive an attack bonus in raids with friends. This applies even if you use remote raid passes and act together. Therefore, you can also participate in the event from home without going out with friends.
Why the friendship level is important: Besides various bonuses, the friendship level is also a good XP source on the way to level 40. Because increases in friends’ level also grant you significant experience points. If you reach the “Ultra Friend” level while activating a lucky egg, you get a whopping 100,000 XP, and for “Best Friends” even 200,000.
Here’s how to find new friends for Pokémon GO.
Lastly, Niantic also announced a small bonus if you reach level 40 this year (before December 31st at 11:59 PM). You will then receive not only the level 40 medal but also a limited research task that rewards you with a Gyarados hat.
With the new event, you can prepare for the new level cap from the Beyond update. Do you want to plan which Pokémon you will catch first? Then you can find all the monsters that have already been announced from Gen 6 here.
