Trying to figure out how to get Umbreon, Espeon, or another Eeveelution in Pokémon Go? It’s actually easier than you might think.
Eevee — the evolution Pokémon — was one of the most interesting pocket monsters in the Red and Blue games. Unlike other Generation One Pokémon, Eevee has a branched evolution pattern. In the Kanto games, trainers could evolve Eevee into the water-type Vaporeon, the electric-type Jolteon, or the fire-type Flareon if they exposed Eevee to radiation from evolution stones.
In later Pokémon generations, the Pokémon Company added to Eevee’s allure with even more Eeveelutions and new ways to evolve Eevee. As of Sword and Shield, there are eight known Eeveelutions.
Eevee evolves into Espeon, the psychic type, and Umbreon, the dark type, based on time of day and friendship levels; Eevee evolves into Leafeon, the leaf type, and Glaceon, the ice type, with stones, and Eevee evolves into the Fairy type Sylveon based on the affection and knowing a fairy-type move.
Pokémon Go handles Eevee’s evolutions a little differently. It’s all about giving them specific nicknames. (Don’t worry — you can change their nicknames later.)
What You’ll Need to Evolve Your Eevee
Before we get started, you’ll need an Eevee and at least 25 Eevee candies. You can get more candies by catching Eevees in the wild and transferring them back to the Professor.
When you capture an Eevee, you’ll receive three pieces of candy for catching it. If you trade your newly captured Eevee back to the Pokémon Professor, you’ll get an extra candy. If you use a Pinap Berry, you can even double your candies.
How to Get Vaporeon
To get Vaporeon, all you have to do is nickname your Eevee “Rainer” before you evolve it. Once you’ve nicknamed your Eevee, you should see Vaporeon in the “EVOLVE” button. Since Vaporeon is a water type, it’s obvious why “Rainer” fits.
How to Get Jolteon
To get Jolteon, nickname your Eevee “Sparky” before you evolve it. Again, it’s pretty obvious why “Sparky” makes sense for Jolteon, the electric-type Eeveelution.
How to Get Flareon
For Flareon, nickname your Eevee “Pyro.” Like “Rainer” and “Sparky,” “Pyro” has an obvious connection to fire.
How to Get Espeon
To make your Eevee evolve into Espeon, you’ll need to nickname it “Sakura” before evolving it.
Unlike the nicknames for Vaporeon, Jolteon, and Flareon, the connection between “Sakura” and the psychic-type Espeon might not be obvious.
In the Pokémon anime, there’s a famous Espeon that belongs to Sakura, one of the Kimono sisters in Johto’s Ecruteak City. “Sakura” is also the Japanese term for cherry blossoms, and is it just me or does Espeon’s color look like a Japanese cherry blossom?
There’s an alternative — but much more time-consuming — way to get Espeon in Pokémon Go, though. If you set Eevee as your partner Pokémon and walk with it at your side for 10 kilometers, if it’s during the day when you hit the 10-kilometer mark, your Eevee will evolve into Espeon.
How to Get Umbreon
To evolve your Eevee into Umbreon, nickname it “Tamao” before evolving it.
Like Espeon, the nickname “Tamao” comes from the Pokémon anime. Tamao is another one of the Kimono sisters in Ecruteak City, and her main Pokémon is Umbreon.
If, for some reason, you’d rather not nickname your Eevee to make it evolve into Umbreon, you can set Eevee as your partner Pokémon and have it walk at your side for 10 kilometers. At the ten-kilometer mark, if you’re walking at night, your Eevee will evolve into Umbreon.
How to Get Leafeon
To get a Leafeon, nickname your Eevee “Linnea” before you evolve it.
“Linnea” comes from the Pokémon anime as well. It’s the name of a Furisode Girl in Laverre City. “Linnea” also has Scandinavian origins, meaning “lime or linden tree,” a possible connection to Leafeon’s grass typing.
How to Get Glaceon
To get the ice-type Glaceon Eeveelution, nickname your Eevee “Rea” before evolving it.
“Rea” refers to a trainer in Sun and Moon who uses a Glaceon.
How to Get Sylveon
Sylveon is my favorite Fairy-type Pokémon, and to get this special Eeveelution, nickname your Eevee “Kira” before evolving it. Like all the other evolutions, evolving Eevee into Sylveon will cost you 25 Eevee candies.
