How Riolu Evolves in Pokemon Black 2
Riolu doesn't level up the normal way. You have to raise its friendship to a high level and then gain a level while the in-game clock shows daytime. That's it. Nothing dramatic, no weird items, just stats and timing. I know this sounds simple but most people mess it up because they don't check the clock or they level up Riolu at night without realizing it. I spent about twenty minutes frustrated one evening trying to figure out why my Riolu hadn't evolved after hitting friendship max. Turns out I'd been battling with it during nighttime hours the whole time. Switched to daytime, won one more fight, and it evolved immediately.
Riolu Evolution Guide When Does It Evolve In Black 2 Discover The Secret To Unleashing Its Power
Friendship is the hidden stat you need to raise. It ranges from 0 to 255, and Riolu needs a value of at least 220 before it'll even consider evolving. Daily Walk with Riolu in your party increases friendship by 1 point per 256 steps. Having it hold a Soothe Bell doubles that rate. Lather, massage, and berries all add to the total too, but walking is the most consistent method. The evolution trigger is specific: gain a level while friendship is 220+ AND the in-game time is between 10 AM and 6 PM. If either condition isn't met, nothing happens. No message, no animation, just a regular level up. I learned this the hard way after leveling Riolu up three times during the evening and wondering why it stayed a Riolu. Here's what most guides don't tell you. Riolu's base friendship starts at 70, not zero. So you actually need to gain about 150 points through your actions. With a Soothe Bell and normal walking, that's roughly 38,000 steps. If you're doing it barefoot with no items, plan on about 76,000 steps. Use the Pokémon Transfer gadget from Nimbasa City to move Riolu between games if you want to shortcut the process, but that only works if you've already maxed friendship in another title.
Another thing nobody mentions: using Rare Candy counts toward the level-up requirement. You can max out friendship first, then pop Rare Candies during the day and watch it evolve as soon as the next candy registers. This is way faster than grinding battles, especially if your team is already at high levels and you don't want to waste experience on Riolu prematurely. The downside of this system is timing. If you're playing during winter or in a region with shorter daylight hours in real life, you might accidentally miss the window more often. Also, if Riolu faints during battle, friendship drops by 2 points. Multiple faints in a row can set you back significantly. I once lost about 40 minutes of progress because my Riolu kept getting knocked out by wild Pokémon while I was farming steps. Had to reset and be more careful about which areas I walked through. If friendship raising feels like too much work, the other option is breeding. You can get a Riolu egg from Route 15 in White 2 by talking to the NPC near the pond. The egg hatches into a Riolu with slightly higher base friendship than a wild encounter, which saves you maybe two thousand steps. Not a game-changer but it's something.
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Bottom line: raise friendship past 220, level up between 10 AM and 6 PM in-game, and don't let it faint too often. The rest is just patience and a Soothe Bell.
