Evolving Golbat into Crobat in SoulSilver: A Comprehensive Guide to Friendship
To evolve your Golbat into Crobat in Pokémon SoulSilver, you need to achieve a Friendship level of 220 or higher and then level it up. This means any level increase after meeting the friendship requirement will trigger the evolution. Forget about specific levels; it’s all about that friendship bond!
Understanding Friendship in SoulSilver
What Exactly is Friendship?
In Pokémon SoulSilver, Friendship, sometimes referred to as Happiness, is a hidden value that reflects how well your Pokémon likes you. It ranges from 0 to 255. Certain actions affect this value, either positively or negatively. In Golbat’s case, a high Friendship is the key to unlocking its evolution into the magnificent Crobat.
How to Check Golbat’s Friendship Level
Unlike visible stats, Friendship isn’t directly displayed. Fortunately, SoulSilver provides a way to gauge your Pokémon’s happiness. Head to Goldenrod City and find the woman just north of the Bike Shop. She’ll give you an approximate assessment of your Golbat’s Friendship level. Her comments will give you a clue:
- “It’s quite cute” or similar: Low Friendship. You have a long way to go.
- “It’s quite friendly towards you” or similar: Medium Friendship. You’re making progress!
- “It looks really happy! I wish my Pokémon was this affectionate!” or similar: High Friendship. You’re close!
- “It adores you! It can’t possibly love you more!” or similar: Maximum Friendship. You’re ready to evolve!
Remember, she doesn’t give the exact numerical value. Use her feedback to determine if you’re nearing the 220 threshold.
Methods to Increase Golbat’s Friendship
The Soothe Bell
Equipping your Golbat with a Soothe Bell is crucial. This item increases the Friendship bonus you receive from various actions by 50%. Find the Soothe Bell in the National Park by showing a Pokémon that is friendly to the trainer in the house by the entrance. Make sure you have it equipped on your Golbat while you are trying to evolve.
Walking Around
Simply keeping Golbat in your party and walking around is a passive but effective method. Every 256 steps, the game checks for Friendship increases.
Vitamins
Giving your Golbat Vitamins like HP Up, Protein, Iron, Calcium, Zinc, and Carbos significantly boosts its Friendship. These items also increase the respective stat of the Pokémon they are used on.
Haircuts
The Haircut Brothers in the Underground Path in Goldenrod City offer haircuts that raise Friendship. Do this daily for a boost to your Golbat’s friendship.
Leveling Up
Gaining levels naturally increases Friendship, especially with the Soothe Bell equipped.
Avoid Negative Actions
Certain actions lower Friendship:
- Letting Golbat faint in battle.
- Using bitter herbs
The Evolution Process
Once you are confident that your Golbat has reached a Friendship level of 220 or higher (ideally after the “It adores you!” comment), the next step is to level it up. This can be done by:
- Battling and gaining experience.
- Using a Rare Candy (use this at level 99 as you need to level up to evolve, and Pokemon do not level up to 101)
Upon leveling up, if the Friendship condition is met, your Golbat will evolve into the powerful Crobat! Congratulations!
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Evolving too early: Ensure the Friendship level is at least 220 before leveling up.
- Using bitter herbs: As mentioned earlier, these drastically decrease Friendship.
- Ignoring the Soothe Bell: This item significantly speeds up the process.
- Neglecting the Friendship Checker: Regularly check with the woman in Goldenrod City to monitor your progress.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Can a fainted Zubat/Golbat still evolve into Crobat?
Yes, but the Friendship reset will slow down evolution to Crobat. Focus on positive actions to rebuild the bond. Fainting reduces friendship, making reaching 220 harder.
2. Does the time of day affect Friendship?
No, the time of day doesn’t directly impact Friendship gains in SoulSilver.
3. What is the fastest way to raise Friendship?
Combining a Soothe Bell, Vitamins, Haircuts, and avoiding fainting is the most efficient method.
4. Can I check the exact Friendship number?
No, the game only offers approximations through the Friendship Checker in Goldenrod City.
5. Does trading affect Friendship?
Trading resets Friendship to a base value. Avoid trading if you’re trying to evolve Golbat.
6. What happens if I level up Golbat and it doesn’t evolve?
It means the Friendship level wasn’t high enough. Continue increasing Friendship and try again with the next level up.
7. Is there a level limit to evolving Golbat?
No, there is no level limit. Even a level 99 Golbat will evolve upon leveling up if Friendship is 220 or higher.
8. Where can I find a Soothe Bell?
The Soothe Bell can be found in the National Park by showing a friendly Pokémon to the trainer inside a house near the entrance.
9. Do critical hits affect Friendship?
No, critical hits do not impact Friendship levels.
10. Does the Pokémon’s nature affect how quickly it gains Friendship?
No, a Pokémon’s nature does not directly affect Friendship gains. The same methods apply regardless of the Pokémon’s nature.
11. Is it possible to evolve Golbat without the National Dex?
Yes, evolving Golbat into Crobat does not require obtaining the National Dex in SoulSilver.
12. Can I use Rare Candies to evolve Golbat?
Yes, using a Rare Candy to level up Golbat once it has sufficient Friendship will trigger the evolution.
13. Does letting a Pokémon hold an Everstone prevent evolution via Friendship?
No, an Everstone only prevents evolution by level up. The process occurs normally as friendship increases.
14. How do the footprints that pokemon leave in the wild relate to this?
The footprints have absolutely no bearing on the level of friendship you have with Golbat.
15. Where can I learn more about the intersection of games and education?
You can learn more about game-based learning and the role of games in education at the Games Learning Society website: https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/. The Games Learning Society is an organization dedicated to promoting and researching effective and engaging learning through games.