Buneary, who has held a special place in the fanbase’s heart since its introduction in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, has made a triumphant reappearance in Pokémon Sword and Shield’s Isle of Armor DLC.
Unfortunately, while Buneary and Lopunny are very cute, their battle viability—especially in the competitive scene—is best described as nonexistent. However, because their Normal typing allows them to learn a wide variety of moves, Buneary and Lopunny can still have a place on niche teams; or failing that, your camp!
Here’s how to find and catch Buneary in Isle of Armor.
Where To Find Buneary
Buneary is an extremely common find in Isle of Armor. It can be found in the Fields Of Honor and on Challenge Beach during all weather conditions, and you can even see it running around and having a good time in the overworld.
How To Evolve Buneary
Buneary is one of several Pokémon that evolve via friendship, a hidden stat that can be checked by setting up camp and then having the Pokémon whose friendship value you want to check “Speak”. Up to five hearts will appear above the Pokémon’s head, indicating how high their friendship stat is.
Buneary evolves into Lopunny when its friendship level is considered “high”, which is a value of 220 or higher. Considering that Buneary’s friendship level starts at a miserable zero when caught, players have a long way to go before Buneary is ready to evolve.
The best way of keeping track of your Pokémon’s friendship level is to visit Hammerlocke. The NPCs in a house by Hammerlocke’s central Pokémon Center are all about keeping track of and helping you raise your Pokémon’s friendship level. Talking to the young boy will give a rough estimate of what level of friendship you’re at with your Pokémon.
Visiting these NPCs in Hammerlock prior to catching your Buneary will be invaluable for acquiring Lopunny, because talking with the young woman in the back of the house will reward you with a Soothe Bell. Giving the Soothe Bell to a Pokémon will increase its friendship gain, so going through activities that typically reward friendship such as keeping your Pokémon in your party and using them in battle, playing with them in camp, and making them really good curry will see an added bonus when your Pokémon have the Soothe Bell equipped.
What Lopunny Does In Battle
Not much! Again, Buneary and Lopunny aren’t exactly going to be great picks for competitive play or high-intensity battles, but they do have the run of Normal-type moves. Give them whatever moves that spark joy, and watch them rip up the field! A lower-level field, that is.
