Are you aiming to add Espeon or Umbreon to your Pokémon SoulSilver team but want to do it as early and at as low a level as possible? Many trainers find the process of evolving Eevee into these specific evolutions a bit mysterious, and you might have heard it’s impossible to get them at a very low level. This guide will clarify exactly how to achieve a low-level Espeon or Umbreon in Pokémon SoulSilver by focusing on increasing Eevee’s happiness, also known as friendship.
Checking Eevee’s Happiness in Goldenrod City
The key to evolving Eevee into Espeon or Umbreon lies in its happiness level. To check your Eevee’s current happiness, head to Goldenrod City. North of the Bike Shop, you’ll find a Happiness Rater. Talk to her with Eevee in the first slot of your party, and she will give you an indication of your Pokémon’s happiness through her dialogue.
Here’s a breakdown of what she might say and the corresponding happiness points:
| Sentence | Happiness Points |
|---|---|
| “It looks really happy! It must love you a lot.” | 250-255 |
| “I get the feeling that it really trusts you.” | 200-249 |
| “It’s friendly toward you. It looks sort of happy.” | 150-199 |
| “It’s quite cute.” | 100-149 |
| “You should treat it better. It’s not used to you.” | 50-99 |
| “It doesn’t seem to like you at all. It looks mean.” | 0-49 |
To evolve into Espeon or Umbreon, Eevee needs to reach a high happiness level, specifically in the 200-249 or 250-255 range to be safe. If your Eevee isn’t there yet, don’t worry! There are several ways to boost its happiness.
Methods to Increase Eevee’s Happiness
Increasing happiness in Pokémon SoulSilver is achieved through various actions that show your Eevee you care! Here are effective methods:
- Walking: Taking steps with Eevee in your party gradually increases its happiness. For every 256 steps you take, Eevee’s happiness increases by 1 or 2 points.
- Massages: Treat your Eevee to massages!
- In Veilstone City in the Sinnoh region (accessible later in the game after defeating the Elite Four and getting the S.S. Aqua ticket), massages can increase happiness by 3 to 5 points.
- Alternatively, the Haircut Brothers in the Underground Path of Goldenrod City in Johto offer a similar service, effectively acting as massages and boosting happiness.
- The Ribbon Syndicate also offers massages that provide a significant happiness boost of 5 to 6 points, but this is a more end-game location.
- Using Vitamins: Items like Protein, Iron, HP Up, etc., will raise happiness by 2 to 6 points.
- Gaining Levels: Leveling up Eevee through battles also increases happiness by 2 to 6 points each level.
- Using EV Berries: Berries that reduce Effort Values (EVs) like Pomeg, Kelpsy, Qualot, Hondew, Grepa, and Tamato Berries also increase happiness by 2 to 6 points.
- Using Healing Items: Using Potions, Antidotes, and other healing items on Eevee when it’s injured will give a small happiness boost of 1 to 2 points.
Luxury Ball and Friend Ball Bonus:
- If you catch Eevee in a Luxury Ball, the happiness increase from all actions listed above is amplified, often gaining the higher value in the ranges mentioned (e.g., +2 to +6 becomes +6).
- If Eevee was caught in a Friend Ball, it starts with a base happiness of 200, significantly reducing the effort needed to evolve it.
Evolving into Espeon or Umbreon
Once Eevee’s happiness is high enough (the Happiness Rater says “It looks really happy! It must love you a lot.” or “I get the feeling that it really trusts you.”), the final step is to level it up during a specific time of day:
- Espeon: Level up Eevee during daytime. Daytime in Pokémon SoulSilver is from 4:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
- Umbreon: Level up Eevee during nighttime. Nighttime is from 6:00 PM to 4:00 AM.
Low-Level Espeon and Umbreon: Absolutely Possible!
As demonstrated, it’s entirely possible to obtain a very low-level Espeon or Umbreon. You can catch an Eevee at level 5 in Pokémon SoulSilver. By focusing on maximizing its happiness through walking, massages in Goldenrod City, and using items, you can evolve it into Espeon or Umbreon at level 6 or 7, or even level 5 if you are incredibly dedicated!
Start your journey to raise a happy Eevee and add these powerful Psychic and Dark-type evolutions to your Pokémon SoulSilver team today!
