How to Evolve Golbat (Platinum): A Comprehensive Guide

So, you’re itching to unleash the fanged fury of a Crobat in your Pokémon Platinum adventure, are you? The key to evolving your Golbat lies in a simple yet often overlooked mechanic: Friendship, or what the game refers to as “high friendship”. Forget level grinding alone; this is all about building a bond with your batty companion.

Building a Bond: Achieving High Friendship

To evolve Golbat into Crobat in Pokémon Platinum, you need to raise its friendship to a sufficiently high level (220 or more). Once that condition is met, leveling up your Golbat even once will trigger the evolution. Here’s a breakdown of how to cultivate that crucial friendship:

• Walking: Simply keeping Golbat in your party and taking steps will gradually increase its friendship. It’s a slow burn, but every step counts.
• Battling: Engaging in battles with Golbat actively participating is a more effective method. Winning battles contributes more than losing, so strategize accordingly! Avoid letting Golbat faint, as fainting lowers Friendship.
• Using Items: Certain items are friendship boosters. Specifically, use Vitamins, such as HP Up, Protein, Iron, Calcium, Zinc, and Carbos. These provide a significant boost to your Pokémon’s friendship.
• Berries: There are berries that can both reduce specific EVs and increase friendship. The best ones to use are Pomeg Berry, Kelpsy Berry, Qualot Berry, Hondew Berry, Grepa Berry and Tamato Berry
• Grooming: Regular visits to the Pokémon Fan Club in Hearthome City are a must. Speak to the woman inside the Pokémon Fan Club. She can tell you how friendly a Pokémon is.
• Avoid Trading and the Bitter Herbs: Trading will reset friendship to its base level. Do not use bitter herbs like Energy Powder, Heal Powder, Energy Root, or Revival Herb, as they significantly decrease friendship.

Checking Golbat’s Friendship Level

Before you start throwing Rare Candies its way, you’ll want to gauge just how friendly your Golbat is. Platinum offers a couple of methods:

• Friendship Checker App: Once you’ve reached Eterna City, visit the Pokémon Center. Talk to the woman near the PC. She will give you the Friendship Checker App for your Pokétch. This app displays your Pokémon in your party, and you can tap on the Pokemon. The number of hearts appearing indicates the Pokémon’s Friendship level, with two large hearts indicating that it is ready to evolve.
• Pokémon Fan Club Assessment: As mentioned earlier, the woman inside the Pokémon Fan Club can provide a general assessment of your Pokémon’s friendship. While not as precise as the Pokétch app, it can give you a general idea of where you stand.

The Moment of Truth: Leveling Up to Evolve

Once your Friendship Checker App confirms two large hearts are displayed, or you have a high assessment of the Friendship, it’s evolution time! Simply level up your Golbat via battle, Rare Candy, or any other leveling method. If Golbat has reached the appropriate Friendship level, it will automatically evolve into the magnificent Crobat upon leveling up.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is the minimum level Golbat must be to evolve?

There is no minimum level requirement. As long as its friendship is high enough (220 or more), it will evolve upon leveling up, regardless of its current level. You could technically evolve a level 2 Golbat if you somehow managed to max out its friendship.

2. Does giving Golbat a Soothe Bell help?

Absolutely! The Soothe Bell, found in the Pokémon Mansion on Route 212, significantly increases the rate at which friendship grows. Equip it to Golbat, and it will receive an even bigger friendship boost from all the activities mentioned earlier.

3. Where can I find Golbat in Pokémon Platinum?

Golbat is most commonly found in caves. Specific locations include:

• Mt. Coronet: This is a prime location to find Golbat at various points in the game.
• Oreburgh Gate: Another good place to search early on.
• Iron Island: During and after the quest with Riley.
• Victory Road: Later in the game, Golbat is common here.
• Lost Cave

Keep in mind that Golbat’s encounter rate can vary depending on the specific location and time of day.

4. What happens if Golbat faints in battle?

Allowing Golbat to faint decreases its friendship. It’s best to avoid this if you are actively trying to evolve it into Crobat. Heal it promptly if it’s in danger!

5. Are there any specific times of day that are better for raising friendship?

No, the time of day does not directly impact friendship gain. However, some locations where Golbat can be found may have higher encounter rates at night, making it easier to battle with it.

6. Can I evolve a Golbat obtained through trading?

Yes, you can, but it’s important to note that when traded, the Pokémon’s friendship resets to its base value. This means you’ll need to start the friendship-building process from scratch.

7. Does the nature of Golbat affect its friendship gain?

Certain natures affect how much a Pokémon like or dislikes certain Flavors. For Golbat which is Poison/Flying, the natures are:

• Likes Dry (Spicy-Sour)
• Dislikes Sweet

8. Can using TMs or HMs affect Golbat’s friendship?

No, teaching Golbat TMs or HMs has no effect on its friendship level, positive or negative. Feel free to customize its moveset to your heart’s content.

9. Is there a limit to how much friendship I can raise in a single day?

While there isn’t a hard limit imposed by the game, the effectiveness of certain methods (like walking or battling) tends to diminish after a while. Focus on diversifying your methods to maximize friendship gains. Vitamins are often useful to reach that high level of friendship in a single day.

10. I’ve tried everything, and Golbat still won’t evolve. What could be wrong?

Double-check these points:

• Friendship Level: Are you absolutely certain that Golbat’s friendship is high enough? Use the Friendship Checker App to be sure. Two large hearts must be displayed.
• Level Up: Have you actually leveled up Golbat after achieving high friendship? It won’t evolve until it gains a level.
• Day vs. Night: Some evolutions are time-dependent, but Crobat’s evolution is not affected by the time of day.

11. Are there any glitches or bugs that could prevent Golbat from evolving?

While glitches are always a possibility in video games, there are no known widespread bugs in Pokémon Platinum that specifically prevent Golbat from evolving into Crobat if the friendship requirement is met. If you’re encountering a persistent issue, ensure your game is not a corrupted ROM and that you’re playing a legitimate copy.

12. Is Crobat worth the effort in Pokémon Platinum?

Absolutely! Crobat is a fantastic Pokémon in Platinum. Its incredible speed, coupled with decent attack stats, makes it a formidable offensive threat. It can learn a diverse range of moves, offering excellent type coverage. From a competitive standpoint and a gameplay standpoint, the evolution is worth your time.