Pokemon Go: How to Earn Candy Exploring with Your Buddy Pokemon

If you want to earn free candy for your favorite Pokemon in Pokemon Go, you’re in luck because now it’s easier than ever thanks to the buddy feature in the game.

I am here to tell you all you need to know on how to earn free candy while exploring with your buddy in Pokemon Go. It’s easy if you’re ready to put in a bit of work (read: walking).

After choosing your Buddy in Pokemon Go and seeing their face in the bottom left corner of your screen, you must start walking a set distance in order to earn your free Candy.

pokemon go buddy selection

It doesn’t really matter if you choose to have your buddy displayed on your map, walking alongside you or not.

As long as you have a Pokemon selected as your Buddy and you can see their face on the screen (as I said, look at the bottom left corner of the screen), any distance you walk will be recorded.

Each Pokemon will require you to walk a set number of kilometers before earning free Candy. Here are some examples of the distances you need to walk for specific Pokemon:

  • 1 km: Common Pokémon like Pikachu,Wailmer, Purrloin, Magikarp or Fletchling.
  • 3 km: Pokémon like Squirtle, Charmander, Bulbasaur, Slowpoke, Ponyta or Vulpix.
  • 5 km: Rare Pokémon like Beldum, Snorlax, Eevee, Litwick, Noibat or Larvitar.
  • 20 km: Mythical and Legendary Pokémon.

And this is all that you need to do in order to earn free Candy from your Pokemon! Select the one you want to earn a Candy for as your Buddy, then start walking.

Make sure to always select a fellow Pokemon as your Buddy in order to take advantage of this new feature. Ideally, plan out your days and switch buddies in order to earn Candy for more as you walk.

TIP: If you want to reduce your walking distance in half, you can give your Buddy Pokemon a Poffin. This makes more choice for the ones requiring you to walk 20km or 5km.

In the end, it’s up for you to decide which is the best route to follow. Just know that it is possible to reduce the distance in half.

How to set a Pokemon as your Buddy

pokemon buddy to earn free candy

In case you don’t know how to do that yet, here is a quick guide that will ensure you never miss out on new candy:

  • Tap your character’s icon in the bottom left corner of the screen to bring up the menu
  • Tap the icon that looks like two smiling faces (that’s the “Choose buddy” option).
  • Select any Pokemon from the list of ones you have captured to be your Buddy. That’s it!

If you want to, you can change your buddy in the game – up to 20 times per day. In order to swap buddies, tap your current Buddy’s portrait in the bottom left corner, and scroll down to the bottom of the new screen until you will see the “Swap Buddies” option.

Wrapping up

Now you know everything there is to be known about earning free candy in Pokemon Go by choosing a Buddy Pokemon.

It’s a feature you should always have active as long as you play the game because, well… free candy is really amazing!

If you have additional questions, comments or tips for earning free candy faster, don’t hesitate to let us all know by leaving a reply below.

Calin Ciabai

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