In Pokémon Sword and Shield, raising friendship (or happiness) with your Pokémon is essential for evolving certain Pokémon, particularly Eevee, which can evolve into Espeon or Umbreon under specific conditions. Here are the most effective strategies to increase friendship:

Methods to Increase Friendship:

1. Battling and Traveling:
– Keep your Pokémon in your party and use it in battles regularly. The more you travel and participate in fights with your Pokémon, the more its friendship level increases. This is a foundational method to gradually build up friendship points.

2. Pokémon Camp:
– Engage with your Pokémon in Pokémon Camp. Activities like playing together and petting them enhance affection and contribute significantly to friendship. Interactions at camp not only provide a bonding experience but also allow you to breach the friendship cap of 160, reaching the necessary maximum friendship level for evolutions.

3. Cooking Curry:
– Prepare curry dishes to feed your Pokémon. The quality of the curry directly affects the number of friendship points gained, with better meals providing more substantial boosts. Additionally, cooking with your entire party generates even more friendship points, making this a highly beneficial activity.

4. Feeding Friendship-Boosting Berries:
– Use berries like Sitrus or Pomeg, which are known to increase friendship. However, keep in mind that these berries may decrease the Pokémon’s Effort Values (EVs), so use them judiciously.

5. Friendship-Boosting Items:
– Equip items like the Soothe Bell, which multiplies the friendship gained while held by the Pokémon. This is a straightforward way to enhance friendship through normal gameplay activities.

6. Poké Ball Types:
– When capturing Pokémon, consider using a Friend Ball or a Luxury Ball. These special Poké Balls grant a higher initial friendship level upon capture, giving your Pokémon a solid head start.

7. Using Vitamins:
– Give your Pokémon vitamins such as Protein or Calcium. These not only increase your Pokémon’s stats but also provide a friendship boost, effectively serving dual purposes.

Checking Friendship Levels:
To monitor your Pokémon’s friendship status, you can visit the Friendship Checker located in Hammerlock Town. This NPC will offer insights into how friendly your Pokémon is, which can help you gauge your progress in raising friendship.

Specifics for Eevee Evolution:
– To evolve Eevee into Espeon, ensure it has high friendship (approximately 160+) and is evolved during the daytime.
– For Umbreon, the same friendship level is necessary, but the evolution must occur at night.
– If Eevee knows any Fairy-type moves like Baby-Doll Eyes or Charm, it will instead evolve into Sylveon. To achieve the desired evolution into Espeon or Umbreon, you must remove these moves beforehand.

Conclusion:
To effectively raise friendship for evolutions like those of Eevee, prioritize keeping your Pokémon in your party, actively battle with them, facilitate interactive experiences in Pokémon Camp, prepare nourishing curry, and utilize the Soothe Bell. Additionally, consider feeding friendship-enhancing berries and employing suitable Poké Balls during the capture phase. Through these varied approaches, you can achieve the friendship level necessary for your Pokémon to evolve.