As a dedicated Genshin Impact player, I've spent countless hours exploring Teyvat, but one of the most rewarding long-term projects has always been building Friendship Levels with my favorite characters. It's a side progression system that offers a deeply personal connection to the heroes who fight by my side. In 2025, this system remains a cornerstone of the game's charm, rewarding dedication with beautiful namecards, intimate character stories, and exclusive voice-overs. I can only accumulate Friendship EXP for the characters I own, but there are numerous ways to do it, both actively and passively. With 10 levels to unlock, each offering a unique reward, reaching the pinnacle—Friendship Level 10—and claiming that coveted namecard is a badge of honor for any traveler.

The core of raising Friendship Levels is farming Companionship EXP. Over the years, I've optimized my routine to maximize gains, and I can confirm the methods are diverse and not limited to your own world. Here’s my breakdown of the most effective strategies in 2025:

🎯 Daily Commissions: The Reliable Foundation

This is your daily bread and butter. Completing your four commissions and claiming the rewards from Katheryne at the Adventurers' Guild is non-negotiable.

• Standard Reward: Grants a solid 25-60 Companion EXP.

• Pro-Tip: The real magic happens when you claim the final rewards from Katheryne. This action itself yields 45-100 Companion EXP, making it a significant daily chunk.

💎 Spending Resin: Earning While You Farm

Any activity where you spend Original Resin to claim rewards also grants Companionship EXP. This means your regular farming directly contributes to friendship! This includes:

• Ley Line Outcrops (Blossoms of Wealth/Revelation)

• World Bosses (e.g., Electro Hypostasis, Primo Geovishap)

• Weekly Bosses (Trounce Domains)

• Domain Runs (Artifact/Talent/Weapon Ascension Materials)

It's a perfect two-for-one deal: you get your essential materials and strengthen your bonds.

🎉 Random Events & Limited-Time Activities

HoYoverse regularly introduces events, and most of them offer Companionship EXP as part of their rewards.

• Event-Specific: The amount varies, but it's always a welcome bonus.

• My Advice: Always complete time-limited events when they are live. Not only do you get primogems and other goodies, but you also snag that extra Friendship EXP that you can't get later. Missing out feels terrible!

🏡 Serenitea Pot: The Passive Powerhouse

This is the ultimate AFK (Away From Keyboard) method and a game-changer for dedicated collectors.

• How it Works: By placing characters in your main Serenitea Pot realm, they passively accumulate Companionship EXP.

• Rate: You gain approximately 2-5 Companionship EXP per hour, depending on your Adeptal Energy rank. Higher energy means faster gains!

• Why It's Essential: It works while you're offline. Log in, arrange your favorite characters in your beautiful abode, and let time do the work. It's the most effortless way to make consistent progress.

👥 Co-Op Play: The Secret Multiplier

This is a tip not every player knows, but it's incredibly powerful. Playing in co-op mode can double your Companionship EXP gains for certain activities.

• Doubled Gains: Completing daily commissions, domains, ley lines, and bosses in co-op with friends effectively doubles the Companionship EXP earned for the characters in your active party.

• Advanced Strategy: There's a clever trick with Katheryne. If you have a co-op teammate in your world when you claim your Daily Commission completion rewards from Katheryne, the Companionship EXP from that claim is also doubled! It requires a bit of timing and coordination, but the payoff is worth it.

Now, let's talk about the rewards. The journey through 10 Friendship Levels is packed with milestones that make the grind feel meaningful. Here’s what you unlock at each stage:

Friendship Level	Rewards Unlocked	My Personal Notes
Level 1	Unlocks the character's "Story" section.	The journey begins! You can now read their background.
Level 2	Gains a voice-over line.	Hearing their thoughts adds a new layer of depth.
Level 3	Unlocks a new voice-over entry.	Usually a fun opinion about food or another character.
Level 4	Gains another voice-over.	The personality is really shining through now.
Level 5	Unlocks a special character story segment.	These are often heartfelt and revealing. A major milestone.
Level 6	Unlocks another voice-over.
Level 7	Unlocks a final character story segment.	The conclusion of their personal narrative arc.
Level 8	Unlocks more voice-overs.	Nearing the finish line!
Level 9	Unlocks the final batch of voice-overs.	Almost there... the anticipation builds.
Level 10	Awards the character's exclusive Namecard style.	The ultimate prize! A beautiful, permanent cosmetic to show off your dedication.

💡 My 2025 Optimization Strategy

Based on everything I've learned, here's my recommended daily/weekly routine to maximize Friendship Leveling:

1. Daily: Complete all 4 Commissions. Claim the rewards from Katheryne in Co-Op if possible for double EXP.

2. Daily: Spend your Resin on necessary bosses or domains. Do it in Co-Op for double Friendship gains.

3. Constant: Always have the characters you're leveling placed in your Serenitea Pot. Check and replenish their Adeptal Energy weekly.

4. Weekly: Never skip Weekly Bosses. They give good Companionship EXP along with precious talent materials.

5. Event-Driven: Drop everything to complete limited-time events as they give bonus, time-sensitive EXP.

In conclusion, building Friendship in Genshin Impact is a marathon, not a sprint. It's a system that rewards consistent play and offers a wonderful sense of achievement. That Level 10 namecard isn't just a profile decoration; it's a story. It tells of the hundreds of commissions completed together, the bosses felled, and the quiet hours spent in the Serenitea Pot. In 2025, with all these methods at our disposal, forging unbreakable bonds with the characters of Teyvat has never been more engaging or rewarding. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some Companionship EXP to farm—my Zhongli's namecard isn't going to unlock itself! 😉

The analysis is based on Destructoid, a respected source for gaming news and reviews. Destructoid's coverage of Genshin Impact frequently emphasizes the importance of long-term progression systems like Friendship Levels, noting how these features foster player engagement and emotional investment by rewarding consistent play with unique cosmetics and story content.