Even before Pokemon Go was released in 2016, Eevee had solidified itself as one of the most popular Pokemon. Its vast array of evolutionary paths makes it a unique Pokemon. An Eevee’s relationship with its trainer, environment, and encounters can influence which evolution you’ll get.
If you’re familiar with the mainline Pokemon games, you know that Eevee needs to evolve during a particular part of the day to become Umbreon or Espeon. This condition remains true for Pokemon Go’s case, but there are some extra quirks on how to evolve Eevee into Umbreon in the mobile game properly.
How to Evolve Eevee into Umbreon in Pokemon Go
To evolve your Eevee, you’ll need to feed it 25 Eevee candy, which can be obtained by catching other Eevees in the wild. You can get three candies at a time using this method, possibly even more if you have active catch bonuses. Once you have enough candies, you can leave it to chance and see if your Eevee will evolve into an Umbreon the old-fashioned way. If you want to guaranteed that you’ll get an Umbreon, though, there are several ways to achieve that.
Change Your Eevee’s Name
The easiest way to get an Umbreon in Pokemon Go is to change your Eevee’s name. Instead of leaving the Pokemon’s evolution up to chance and wasting 25 candies, you can perform this trick to ensure you’ll get an Umbreon.
You can add a nickname for your Pokemon in Pokemon Go, and in Eevee’s case, each potential evolutionary path involves a certain nickname that’ll immediately fit into the associated evolution. First, you should change the nickname of your Eevee you’d like to evolve to “Tamao.” Then, restart the application after you’ve changed the name. Once you’ve done that, give the 25 candies to your Eevee for it to evolve into an Umbreon.
This trick works because it pays homage to an episode where Ash meets the Eevee brothers. If you don’t want your Umbreon named Tamao, you can remove its nickname or change it again after the evolution happens. Remember that this method can only be used once per player for each of Eevee’s evolutions, so it won't work again if you’ve already done this before.
Use the Buddy System
If you’ve already used the abovementioned method, use the Buddy System instead. Pokemon Go’s Buddy System allows one of your Pokemon to follow your trainer around the map. It provides an avenue for interactions with your buddy Pokemon, some leading to bonuses and getting specific evolution.
In Pokemon’s lore, Eevee can only evolve into Umbreon if it has a strong friendship with its trainer. With that in mind, making Eevee your buddy in the game is a surefire way to evolve it into Umbreon. The best part is that, unlike other Pokemon who evolve through the Buddy mechanic, Umbreon doesn’t require its trainer to accumulate hearts. All you have to do is walk 10 kilometers, having Eevee as your buddy. While doing so, you must also acquire at least two candies.
When both conditions have been fulfilled, you can give your Eevee 25 candies to begin the evolution. Depending on the time of day you give it candy, Eevee could evolve into an Espeon or Umbreon. Naturally, you’ll want an Umbreon, so you must give the candies during nighttime.
Other Methods
The methods mentioned are the main ways of getting an Umbreon in Pokemon Go, but you can still try some other techniques. However, note that these don’t guarantee you the Pokemon. For starters, you can try to get an Umbreon through raids and special events. Pokemon Go often holds events in which specific Pokemon can be obtained. If various raid battles feature Umbreon around your area, we suggest joining in to have a chance to catch it.
Another solution is to try trading with other players through the Global Trading System. While Niantic has yet to add this feature to the mobile game, you can trade through the mainline Pokemon games. As long as you have access to the other Pokemon titles besides Pokemon Go, it should be possible for you to do some trading.
How to Get A Shiny Umbreon in Pokemon Go
Getting a Shiny version of Umbreon in Pokemon Go is challenging but possible. You can evolve a Shiny Eevee into a Shiny Umbreon if you have a Shiny Eevee. The process for getting a Shiny Umbreon is the same; either you change your Eevee’s nickname or take advantage of the Buddy System.
Is Umbreon Rare in Pokemon Go?
Umbreons aren’t rare in the sense that you can evolve your Eevee into them, but when it comes to catching one, that’s a different ballpark altogether. Catching an Umbreon in the wild is rare, but it can be found in certain areas at night (usually around 8 PM local time). You can also test your luck by hatching eggs found in Gyms and Pokestops.
