Summary

A loyalPokemon GOplayer has kept the same buddy Pokemon, the bug-type Pokemon Wurmple, for four years. WhenPokemon GOfirst launched in the summer of 2016, it was a fairly barebones release. At the time, there was little one could do in the game besides catch wild Pokemon, battle in gyms, and hatch eggs.Pokemon GOhas come a long way since its initial release, with Niantic releasing numerous updates that have introduced substantial new features.

WhenPokemon GOfirst launched, the only way players couldearn candy for a Pokemonwas by catching it or hatching it out of an egg. Then in September 2016, Niantic released an update that introduced the concept of buddy Pokemon. Buddy Pokemon dole out candy for that specific Pokemon species wheneverPokemon GOplayers meet a certain distance-walked goal, giving players yet another way to earn candy to evolve and power-up their Pokemon.

Pokémon GO Tag Page Cover Art

Reddit user RemixHydra43, who started playingPokemon GOduring the Halloween 2020 event, has kept theGeneration 3 Bug-type Wurmpleas their buddy Pokemon for four years. At the time that they shared this information with their fellow Reddit users, they had 1,232 days with Wurmple and counting. Their time with Wurmple has seen them amass 356 Wurmple candy, but that number would be a lot higher had they played the game consistently. RemixHydra43 explained in the comments that they have taken multiple extended breaks fromPokemon GOover the years.

It’s highly unusual for aPokemon GOplayer to keep the samebuddy Pokemonfor such an extended period of time. ManyPokemon GOplayers swap out their buddy Pokemon for a variety of reasons, like completing Field Research tasks, showing off their rarest Pokemon to their friends, and getting candy to power-up or evolve one of their favorites. However, there is one big advantage to having a Pokemon like Wurmple selected as a buddy.

Why Pokemon GO Players Might Want Wurmple as Their Buddy

Wurmple is one of the Pokemon inPokemon GOthat only require 1 km walking distance to earn a candy. There have been variousSpecial Research questsand Field Research tasks over the years that have tasked players with earning candy while walking with their buddy Pokemon. Since Wurmple only requires 1 km, it’s one of the easiest Pokemon to achieve that goal with, making it an ideal buddy Pokemon for players in certain situations.

This isn’t the first time a Bug-type Pokemon found itself reaching a ridiculous milestone inPokemon GO. In another instance, aWeedle had defended a Gym in the game for over six years.