You can't catch Sylveon in Pokémon Sun. You get it by evolving Eevee. Teach Eevee a Fairy-type move (it learns Baby-Doll Eyes at level 9), raise its affection to at least two hearts in Pokémon Refresh, then level it up once. Don't do that level-up in Lush Jungle or in the Mount Lanakila cave: the Moss Rock and the Ice Rock turn Eevee into Leafeon or Glaceon even when the other two conditions are met. High friendship alone isn't enough. Without the hearts or the Fairy move, Eevee becomes Espeon or Umbreon if its friendship is 220 or higher, and otherwise doesn't evolve at all.
This page covers Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon on 3DS and 2DS, versions 1.0 to 1.2. Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon use the same method. Guides for Sword, Shield, Scarlet, Violet and Pokémon GO use different rules and don't apply here.
Sylveon checklist
| Check | What you need | Where to see it |
|---|---|---|
| Fairy-type move | Baby-Doll Eyes (Lv. 9) or Charm (Lv. 29) in its four moves | Pokémon → Eevee → Summary → moves |
| Affection | Two hearts or more (50 points) | Pokémon Refresh, under Eevee |
| Location | Anywhere except Lush Jungle and the Mount Lanakila cave | The place name on the lower screen |
| Held item | No Everstone | Summary → held item |
| Level-up | Any level gain: a battle or a Rare Candy | — |
Time of day doesn't matter for Sylveon, and there is no level requirement. An Eevee that already meets every check evolves the next time it gains a level. Save before that level-up, so you can reload if something goes wrong.
Why your Eevee became the wrong evolution
When Eevee levels up, the game checks the options in a fixed order and stops at the first match. The rocks come first, then Sylveon, then Espeon and Umbreon. So an Eevee that is ready for Sylveon will never turn into Espeon or Umbreon, unless the Fairy move or the hearts were missing.
It became Espeon or Umbreon
Espeon (day) and Umbreon (night) need high friendship, 220 or more. A well-traveled Eevee gets there easily, so the level-up that was meant for Sylveon goes to Espeon or Umbreon. Check two things before you try again:
- The Fairy move is still there. If you replaced Baby-Doll Eyes with Quick Attack or Bite, it no longer counts. It has to be one of the four moves Eevee knows at the moment it levels up.
- The hearts are in Pokémon Refresh, not in friendship. Walking, battling and the Soothe Bell raise friendship. They don't add Refresh hearts. Open Refresh and count the hearts under Eevee.
Pokémon Moon's clock runs 12 hours apart from your 3DS clock, so a Moon player can get Umbreon in the middle of a real-world afternoon. That only matters for Espeon and Umbreon. Sylveon doesn't check the time.
It became Leafeon or Glaceon
You leveled up near one of the two special rocks. Lush Jungle on Akala Island has the Moss Rock (Leafeon), and the cave on Mount Lanakila on Ula'ula Island has the Ice Rock (Glaceon). Both beat Sylveon, even when Eevee has the Fairy move and the hearts. Battle somewhere else, or use a Rare Candy on another route.
Nothing happened
- It's holding an Everstone. Take it off.
- You pressed B. Pressing B during the animation cancels it. Eevee tries again at its next level-up.
- It has the hearts but no Fairy move, and low friendship. None of the level-up conditions is met, so nothing happens.
- You used a stone. Fire, Water and Thunder Stones make Flareon, Vaporeon and Jolteon right away. The Leaf Stone and Ice Stone can't be used on Eevee at all in Sun and Moon.
How to evolve Eevee into Sylveon, step by step
- Get an Eevee: the free Egg at Paniola Ranch, or a wild one on Route 4 or Route 6.
- Make sure it knows Baby-Doll Eyes or Charm.
- Pet it and feed it in Pokémon Refresh until it shows two hearts.
- Take off any Everstone and save.
- Level it up anywhere except Lush Jungle and the Mount Lanakila cave.
Get an Eevee on Akala Island
| Source | Level | Rate | Knows a Fairy move? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Egg from the Nursery lady, Paniola Ranch | Hatches at Lv. 1 | One per save | No, learns Baby-Doll Eyes at Lv. 9 |
| Route 4 grass, day or night | Lv. 11–14 | 5% | Yes, Baby-Doll Eyes |
| Route 6 grass, day or night | Lv. 14–17 | 5% | Yes, Baby-Doll Eyes |
Talk to the Nursery lady at Paniola Ranch on your first visit and she offers you an Egg she found. Keep it in your party and it hatches into Eevee. It knows Helping Hand, Growl, Tackle and Tail Whip, and its Ability is Run Away or Adaptability. If your party is full, she holds the Egg until you come back with space.
Wild Eevee are the same in Sun and Moon. They're rare, and Eevee's catch rate is 45, so bring Great Balls or Quick Balls. Wild Pokémon on those routes can also call an Eevee as their SOS ally. Sylveon itself never appears in the wild or as an SOS ally in Sun and Moon.
Teach or keep a Fairy-type move
Eevee has exactly two Fairy-type moves in Sun and Moon:
- Baby-Doll Eyes, learned at level 9. Every wild Eevee on Routes 4 and 6 already knows it.
- Charm, learned at level 29. It is also an Egg Move, if you breed Eevee with a parent that knows Charm.
No TM teaches Eevee a Fairy-type move. For the Egg Eevee, level it to 9 and agree to learn Baby-Doll Eyes. It will ask you to forget a move once it already knows four. If you deleted Baby-Doll Eyes earlier, the Move Reminder in the Mount Lanakila Pokémon Center can teach it again for a Heart Scale, or just wait for Charm at level 29.
Sylveon learns Fairy Wind the moment it evolves, so you don't lose Fairy-type attacks by evolving early.
Raise Pokémon Refresh to two hearts
Open Pokémon Refresh from the second page of the menu, or tap the Refresh icon that shows up after some battles. Pick Eevee, then:
- Pet it with the stylus where it reacts happily. A good pet adds 4 points, dropping to 2 once Eevee is already enjoying itself a lot. When it stops reacting, it's had enough. Leave Refresh, walk around or battle, and come back. Two hearts usually takes somewhere between a dozen and two dozen pets.
- Feed it Poké Beans. A Plain Bean adds 3 points and a Patterned Bean 5. A Rainbow Bean gives by far the biggest boost. You get beans from Poké Pelago, and a free bag comes with your first Pokémon Center café drink each day.
- Buy it a malasada. Flavored malasadas are bought and eaten at a malasada shop, not fed in Refresh. A flavor Eevee likes adds 10 points, a neutral one 5 and a disliked one 3.
The hearts under Eevee's picture in Refresh are what the game checks. Two full hearts means it's ready. At two hearts Eevee also gets 1.2 times the Exp. Points from battles, so the hearts pay off on the way to that last level.
An Eevee you receive in a trade starts at zero hearts with you, whatever it had with its original Trainer, so raise them in your own Refresh. If it's later traded back to its original Trainer, it gets back the affection it had with them.
Level up away from the Moss Rock and Ice Rock
Any level gain works: a Rare Candy, a wild battle, or Exp. Share while Eevee sits in your party. Just don't be in Lush Jungle or the Mount Lanakila cave when it happens. Routes 4, 5 and 6 are good places, since you're already on Akala Island for the Egg. Sylveon doesn't care whether it's day or night.
Affection vs friendship
| Friendship | Affection | |
|---|---|---|
| Raised by | Walking, battling, vitamins, the Soothe Bell | Petting and Poké Beans in Pokémon Refresh; flavored malasadas at a malasada shop |
| Shown as | NPC comments only | Hearts in Pokémon Refresh |
| Eevee evolution | Espeon (day), Umbreon (night) | Sylveon, with a Fairy-type move |
Friendship means it likes traveling with you. Affection means you've actually spent time with it in Refresh. In Sun and Moon the two are separate, which is why an Eevee with maxed-out friendship and zero hearts still turns into Espeon or Umbreon.
Moon, Ultra Sun and later games
| Game | Sylveon method |
|---|---|
| Sun, Moon | Fairy-type move + two Refresh hearts, then level up |
| Ultra Sun, Ultra Moon | Same. An Alola Photo Club picture saved to the SD card adds 10 affection. |
| Sword, Shield, Scarlet, Violet | Fairy-type move + high friendship. No Refresh hearts. |
| Pokémon GO | Its own buddy hearts and nickname trick. Has no effect on a 3DS game. |
Pokémon Moon and Pokémon Sun are identical here: same Egg, same routes, same rates. If a guide mentions friendship only, a Leaf Stone for Leafeon or an Ice Stone for Glaceon, it was written for a newer game.
Related pages
- Alola Pokédex checklist: Eevee is #123 and Sylveon is #131, with the other Eeveelutions in between.
- Pokémon Sun evolution stones, including the Fire, Water and Thunder Stones for Flareon, Vaporeon and Jolteon.
- How to complete the Alola Pokédex.
- Sun vs Ultra Sun for everything else the Ultra games changed.
FAQ
Can you catch Sylveon in Pokémon Sun?
No. Sylveon doesn't appear in the wild or as an SOS ally in Sun and Moon. Evolve Eevee instead.
How many affection hearts does Sylveon need?
Two, which is 50 affection points. You don't need all five.
Does Sylveon need high friendship in Sun?
No. It needs Pokémon Refresh affection. High friendship is what Espeon and Umbreon use.
What Fairy move should Eevee learn?
Baby-Doll Eyes at level 9. Charm at level 29 also works. No TM gives Eevee a Fairy move.
Why did my Eevee become Espeon even with hearts?
One of the two Sylveon conditions wasn't met at that level-up, so the game fell through to the friendship check. Check both: Eevee needs at least two full hearts in Refresh (one isn't enough), and Baby-Doll Eyes or Charm must still be one of its four moves.
Where is the Eevee Egg in Alola?
Talk to the Nursery lady at Paniola Ranch on Akala Island. She gives you one Egg that hatches into Eevee.
Does the same method work in Moon and Ultra Sun?
Yes. Moon, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon all use a Fairy-type move plus two Refresh hearts.