Affection and friendship work hand in hand in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, and the higher the friendship level the better your Pokémon will listen to you in battle. You might find that newly acquired Pokémon will have low friendship and affection, making it difficult for you to tame them. But the more time you spend with them, the more the friendship between the two of you will grow. This could be a boon and a bane, and in this guide, we will see how affection bonuses work in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet – How Does Affection Bonus Work
There are several ways to raise or lower your Pokémon’s affection bonus, and having high affection can be an advantage as well as a disadvantage. Here we will see how the affection bonus works in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
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When your Pokémon has high friendship and affection levels, they can perform better in battle. They are also prone to landing more critical hits, have better health, and also get increased XP from battle. High affection can also help certain Pokémon evolve quickly, and they can also heal themselves from status effects much faster. Of course, the downside to all this is that they are extremely strong, and if you are looking to capture a certain Pokémon without making them faint, then having a Pokémon with high affection may not work.
There are several ways to increase the affection levels of a Pokémon. Walking with them is one of the most obvious choices, as well as feeding them berries and vitamins. Giving them XP candies and leveling them up will also increase their friendship. Using a Luxury Ball, giving them a Soothe Bell, or using the Picnic function to wash them can also help.
If you want to reduce their friendship levels, you will have to let them faint in battle. This will lower their affection a bit. Keep doing this repeatedly till their levels are lower than your liking. Another way to lower affection is to feed them Herbal Medicine. These two methods are effective in diminishing friendship levels with the Pokémon.
That’s all there is to know about how affection bonuses work in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. If you like this guide you can check out our other guides as well.