How to Calculate Best Buddy Combat Power Boost in Pokemon Go

So you finally achieved Best Buddy status with your favorite Pokemon. But what does that CP boost actually mean and how much stronger will your Pokemon get? Let me break it down for you.

The CP boost you get from Best Buddy is equal to two extra power ups worth of CP gains. Or to put it simply, it‘s like having a Pokemon that‘s one level higher while its your active buddy!

Defining Key Concepts Upfront

First, let‘s quickly define what Best Buddy and CP boost are for those unfamiliar:

• Best Buddy: The highest friendship level in Pokemon Go achieved by interacting and walking with your buddy. Takes about 15 days of effort. Benefits include CP boost in combat.

• CP Boost: When a Best Buddy Pokemon is active, they get a combat power (CP) boost making them stronger in raids, gyms, rocket battles etc. Think of it as temporarily leveling up your Pokemon!

Here‘s a visualized example of a Best Buddy Tyranitar with and without CP boost:

As you can see, the boost is quite significant, allowing a maxed out Level 50 TTar to battle with the power of a Level 51.

Calculating Exact CP Boost Amount

The CP boost formula is simple:

• CP Boost = The CP gain of two(2) power ups worth of improvement
• Another way to think of it: My Level 50 BB battles like a Level 51 non-BB

Let‘s calculate and compare the CP boosts for different species:

The boost range varies based on base stats but is approximately 2 power ups worth across all species.

Tips to Maximize Your Gains

Now that you understand how Best Buddy CP boost is calculated, here are some tips to maximize it:

Choose Species with High CP Potential

Prioritize legendary and mythical Pokemon first as Best Buddies as they reach 4000+ CP regularly. Some good options are:

• Mewtwo – Highest CP and attack potential
• Kyogre/Groudon – Useful in raids and gyms
• Rayquaza – Strong dragon type attacker

Level Up Before Making Best Buddy

I highly advise fully powering up your Pokemon to their maximum level cap BEFORE swapping to Best Buddy. This allows you to benefit from the highest CP boost possible.

For example, a level 40 Tyranitar would only gain +60 CP versus the +141 CP for a level 50!

Pick Useful Species Like Tyranitar, Metagross

While you can make your favorite Pokemon a Best Buddy, I recommend prioritizing versatile attackers and raid counters like Tyranitar, Metagross, and legendaries. This makes sure your efforts directly improve your battle lineups!

Multiply Gains via Weather and Other Bonuses!

In addition to Best Buddy CP improvement, you can combine with:

• Weather Bonus – Boosts all Pokemon levels in battle (+5 levels)
• Trading – Gives IV floor boost; improves final CP
• Purification – Perfect purification gives +2 level 25 boost

If you haven‘t utilized these yet, read my guides!

The Future is Bright with Mega Evolution

Pokemon Go also has plans to release Mega Evolution in future updates. All species that mega evolve like Charizard are also perfect Best Buddy candidates since the CP gains will be tremendous!

I go into mega predictions in another article. But suffice to say, start preparing your Beedrill and Pidgeot for battle now!

In Conclusion

I hope this guide gives you a better grasp of how Best Buddy CP boost works and how much power it actually provides your Pokemon in combat. To recap:

• CP Boost = 2 extra power ups worth of CP gains
• Exact amount varies based on species stats
• Combine with weather etc for higher impact
• Pick legendaries and useful attackers as Buddies

Let me know if you have any other Pokemon Go questions! I‘m always happy to help new trainers understand battle mechanics and level up their teams.