Eevee and Its Eight Evolutions: The Eeveelution Guide

Eight destinies for a single Pokémon: no other creature in the series offers as many paths as Eevee. A stone, a time of day, a moss-covered rock or a single Fairy-type move is all it takes to decide what it will become. And since the conditions can stack, getting the right evolution takes a little more than luck — here is the exact method for each of the eight.

Contents

• Eevee, the Pokémon that refuses to choose
• Vaporeon, Jolteon, Flareon: the three stones of Kanto
• Espeon and Umbreon: friendship, and what time it is
• Leafeon and Glaceon: from the rock to the stone
• Sylveon: affection, then friendship
• When several conditions overlap
• 525 across the board: the same total, eight distributions
• "Eeveelution", a fan word made official
• Eevee elsewhere: Gigantamax, Pokémon GO and nicknames
• The eight Eeveelutions and their exact methods
• Frequently Asked Questions

Eevee, the Pokémon that refuses to choose

Eevee is number 133 in the National Pokédex and is, on paper, an ordinary Normal-type Pokémon, with 325 points in base stats. What makes it unique lies entirely in its genetic instability: it can evolve into eight Pokémon of different types, a record no one has ever come close to.

Its Abilities already tell the same story. Run Away lets it escape from any wild Pokémon, Adaptability raises its same-type bonus to ×2 instead of ×1.5, and Anticipation, its hidden Ability, lets it sense whether the opponent knows a move that's dangerous to it.

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Finally, its French name gives the game away. "Évoli" comes from evolution and the suffix "-li", shared by its eight descendants in French and borrowed from the Greek "-lithe", which means stone. It was all there from the moment it was named.

The designs follow the same family rule. All eight Eeveelutions share very large ears, big eyes and a long tail — Jolteon excepted — plus a visible marker of their type every time: Vaporeon's fins, Espeon's gem, Umbreon's rings, Leafeon's leaves or Sylveon's ribbons.

Vaporeon, Jolteon, Flareon: the three stones of Kanto

The three original evolutions haven't changed method since the first generation, and they're the easiest to get: all you need is an evolution stone. A Water Stone produces Vaporeon, the Water type.

A Thunder Stone produces Jolteon, the Electric type, and a Fire Stone produces Flareon, the Fire type. No friendship, time or location condition: the item alone does it, and the evolution is immediate.

🚿 Of the three Kanto stones, it's the Water Stone that turns Eevee into Vaporeon, no questions asked. The water in your bathroom won't evolve anyone, but it lands better on one of our Pokémon shower mats.

An artist's detail: they're also the only three Eeveelutions to keep the fur collar inherited from Eevee. The five that followed lost it, which makes the Kanto trio instantly recognizable as the original generation of the family.

Espeon and Umbreon: friendship, and what time it is

Introduced in the second generation, these two evolutions rely on friendship. You need to level Eevee up while its friendship is high: during the day for Espeon, the Psychic type, and at night for Umbreon, the Dark type.

An extra condition has applied since Pokémon Sword and Shield, and it's the classic trap: Eevee must not know any Fairy-type move. If it knows one, it becomes Sylveon, whatever the time of day. Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, for their part, keep the old rule.

There's also a variant outside the main series. In Pokémon XD, Eevee becomes Espeon with a Sun Shard and Umbreon with a Moon Shard, as long as the item is in the bag, Eevee is happy and it gains a level. In Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, it's a Sun Ribbon or a Lunar Ribbon that plays this role.

Leafeon and Glaceon: from the rock to the stone

For a long time, these two were the most tedious to get. Introduced in the fourth generation, they required leveling Eevee up near a specific spot on the map: a Moss Rock for Leafeon, the Grass type, and an Ice Rock for Glaceon, the Ice type.

Pokémon Sword and Shield put an end to the pilgrimage. Since those games, a Leaf Stone is enough to get Leafeon and an Ice Stone to get Glaceon, exactly as with the Kanto trio. Here again, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl stay true to the old method.

❄️ An Ice Rock to track down on the map and a level to gain right next to it: that's what Glaceon cost before Sword and Shield. As for frozen places, you'll get through them better with a Pokémon beanie over your ears.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus goes its own way and returns to geography: you need to be near the Moss Rock for Leafeon, and near the Ice Rock for Glaceon. A way of reconnecting with the spirit of exploration of the fourth generation, whose past the game happens to tell.

Sylveon: affection, then friendship

The eighth and last Eeveelution arrived with the sixth generation, at the same time as the Fairy type. At launch, Sylveon required a brand-new procedure: earning at least two hearts of affection in Pokémon-Amie, and later in Pokémon Refresh, before leveling Eevee up once it had learned a Fairy-type move.

Since Pokémon Sword and Shield, the procedure is much clearer: all it takes is high friendship and at least one Fairy-type move in its moveset when it levels up. Eevee even learns Charm on its own by leveling up, which settles the question without a TM.

One exception to keep in mind, though: Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, faithful remakes of the fourth generation, don't follow this rule. There, Sylveon is still tied to the old affection method, which regularly catches out players coming from Sword and Shield.

When several conditions overlap

It's the point most guides forget, and the number one cause of failed evolutions. There's nothing stopping an Eevee from being very happy, leveling up at night and knowing a Fairy-type move all at once. So the game has to decide, and it does so in a fixed order.

The rule fits in one sentence: Leafeon and Glaceon take priority over Sylveon, and Sylveon takes priority over Espeon and Umbreon. An Eevee that levels up near a Moss Rock will therefore become Leafeon even if it ticks every other box.

That's also what explains the condition added in Sword and Shield. If you're aiming for Espeon or Umbreon, first make sure Eevee hasn't learned Charm along the way — otherwise it will tip irreversibly over to the side of the Fairy type.

525 across the board: the same total, eight distributions

Here is the most elegant symmetry in the series: all eight Eeveelutions have exactly the same base stat total, 525 points. None is objectively better than the others; only the distribution changes.

And that distribution is itself a permutation. Each one has two stats at 65, one at 60, one at 95, one at 110 and one at 130. The highest value always goes to whatever defines the character: HP for Vaporeon, Speed for Jolteon, Attack for Flareon.

The rest reads just as clearly: Special Attack for Espeon and Glaceon, Special Defense for Umbreon and Sylveon, and Defense for Leafeon. Choosing your Eeveelution therefore means choosing a role on your team rather than a power level.

All eight also share part of their learnset: Tail Whip, Tackle and Helping Hand from the start, Sand Attack at level 5, Quick Attack at level 10 and Last Resort at level 55. The rest differs by type, starting with the attacking move of its own type, learned upon evolving.

"Eeveelution", a fan word made official

The term is a portmanteau of Eevee and evolution, coined by the player community to refer to all eight descendants in a single word. For a long time it lived on the fringes, without the slightest official status.

Its official seal of approval came from one of the spin-offs: in Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia, the character Murph asks for "the seven Eeveelutions " — seven, because Sylveon didn't exist yet. The word had officially entered the language of the games.

It took until Scarlet and Violet to hear it in the main series, spoken by Penny, the leader of Team Star — who, fittingly, battles with a team made up entirely of Eeveelutions.

The games are also full of tributes to the family. Eevee is Blue's first Pokémon in Pokémon Yellow, Johto's Kimono Girls each field one Eeveelution, and some Gym Leaders bring out the one that matches their specialty in a rematch — Candice and her Glaceon at the Battleground are the best example.

Eevee elsewhere: Gigantamax, Pokémon GO and nicknames

In Pokémon Sword and Shield, some Eevee can take on a Gigantamax form for three turns. Its exclusive move, G-Max Cuddle, infatuates the opponent — a power perfectly in keeping with the character.

Pokémon GO has invented its own grammar, starting with the famous nickname trick: "Rainer", "Sparky" and "Pyro" give Vaporeon, Jolteon and Flareon respectively, "Sakura" and "Tamao" give Espeon and Umbreon, "Linnea" and "Rea" give Leafeon and Glaceon, and "Kira" gives Sylveon. The trick only works once per nickname.

Once that welcome gift is used up, you have to put in the work. Walking ten kilometers with Eevee as your Buddy gives you Espeon by day and Umbreon by night; standing near an active Mossy Lure or Glacial Lure gives you Leafeon or Glaceon; earning seventy hearts with it gives you Sylveon. And if no condition is met, the evolution is picked at random between Vaporeon, Jolteon and Flareon.

🚶 Ten kilometers with Eevee as your Buddy, and Pokémon GO gives you Espeon by day or Umbreon by night. Your feet are the ones taking those kilometers, so you'd better slip them into our Pokémon socks.

The eight Eeveelutions and their exact methods

Frequently Asked Questions

• How many evolutions does Eevee have?
  Eight: Vaporeon, Jolteon, Flareon, Espeon, Umbreon, Leafeon, Glaceon and Sylveon. That's the outright record for the series, and no other Pokémon comes close.
• How do you get Espeon and Umbreon?
  You need to level Eevee up while its friendship is high: during the day for Espeon, at night for Umbreon. Since Pokémon Sword and Shield, one more condition applies — Eevee must not know any Fairy-type move, or it will turn into Sylveon instead. Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl keep the old rule, without that restriction.
• How do you get Sylveon?
  Since Pokémon Sword and Shield, you only need to level Eevee up with high friendship and at least one Fairy-type move in its moveset; Charm, which Eevee learns by leveling up, does the job nicely. Before those games, you had to earn at least two Affection hearts in Pokémon-Amie or Pokémon Refresh, then gain a level while knowing a Fairy-type move — a method that Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl have kept.
• How do you get Leafeon and Glaceon?
  Since Pokémon Sword and Shield, a Leaf Stone gives you Leafeon and an Ice Stone gives you Glaceon. Before those games, you had to level Eevee up next to a Moss Rock for Leafeon and next to an Ice Rock for Glaceon, a method that Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl have kept. In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, you have to stand near the Moss Rock or the Ice Rock.
• What happens if several evolution conditions are met at the same time?
  The game applies a fixed priority order: Leafeon and Glaceon come before Sylveon, and Sylveon comes before Espeon and Umbreon. That's why an Eevee with very high friendship that knows a Fairy-type move becomes Sylveon rather than Espeon or Umbreon.
• Which Eevee evolution is the best?
  None of them on paper: all eight Eeveelutions share exactly 525 base stat points. Only the spread changes, each one having two stats at 65, one at 60, one at 95, one at 110 and one at 130. The highest value goes to HP for Vaporeon, Speed for Jolteon, Attack for Flareon, Special Attack for Espeon and Glaceon, Special Defense for Umbreon and Sylveon, and Defense for Leafeon. So your choice comes down to the role you want to fill, not to a power level.

In short

A stone, a time of day, a rock, a move: Eevee is the only Pokémon whose future is decided by the way you take care of it. That's probably why, thirty years on, it is still the fandom's all-time favorite.