The EXP Share Debate

[mikey]

​

Ever since G/S/C, the EXP Share item has been an important item for training weaker Pokemon team members. You would simply have the Pokemon hold the item, and they would gain experience even if they did not participate in the battle. However, in Gen 6, the EXP Share item has been moved to the key items section the bag, where you can simply turn it on or off. The item now distributes experience to all the members of the party instead of focusing on just one.
​

This has been a change that some people love and some people despise. What is your thoughts on it? Did you prefer the old EXP Share of the newer version?

 

[Oblox]

Prefer the new one, perhaps re-evaluate the XP sharing though so its balanced completely across the team and the fighting pokemon gets no bonus (as they still levelled faster than the rest) and maybe reduce the overall XP given if turned on to slow progression a little but not so it becomes grindy again. You shouldnt overlevel content just by playing the game but neither should you need to grind for hours to beat a gym.

 

[Megan]

Imo the change in EXP-Share mechanic just changed the difficulty range from "easy->slightly challenging" to "easier->slightly more challenging", depending on whether you're using it, or not.

For me it's not really a big deal and I actually prefer the latter more, because it allows for easier training. Even when I feel like making the games harder, I can still make up my own challenges.

 

[Perriechu]

I loved the old version of the EXP share and I think that's how they should have kept it.

If they wanted to make XY/ORAS more challenging they should have brought back challenge/easy mode because they were really fun and actually provided a challenge or allowed the player to have a more relaxed approach to the game.

EXP share basically ruins your XY experience in my opinion because I find if you don't use it then you're struggling a lot, even grinding doesn't really help but if you use it you're drastically overlevelled. This is more XY than ORAS though.

The EXP share should have either stayed as it was or be a post-game item or something Or at least make it so you can play the main storyline without using it. I found Y really hard without it.

 

[esperance]

I'm actually really happy with the new version! I never have much patience for grinding, especially when I just want to play casually, so this is a life saver.

Imo the change in EXP-Share mechanic just changed the difficulty range from "easy->slightly challenging" to "easier->slightly more challenging", depending on whether you're using it, or not.

For me it's not really a big deal and I actually prefer the latter more, because it allows for easier training. Even when I feel like making the games harder, I can still make up my own challenges.

R.F. here knows what's up. If people think the game is too easy, they can just make up their own challenges. Heck, there's a whole section here for it!

 

[Lapis]

I prefer the old version, the only exception for me liking the latter one is when I'm trying to evolve a bunch of Pokemon at once for PokeDex completion. Overall though, the new one makes me sad, especially during my first run on Y and I never turned the EXP share off and my Pokemon were all in their 70s by the time I got to Diantha. :c It just made the game too easy.

 

[Megan]

EXP share basically ruins your XY experience in my opinion because I find if you don't use it then you're struggling a lot, even grinding doesn't really help but if you use it you're drastically overlevelled. This is more XY than ORAS though.

You know, that the EXP-Share works dynamically? Nobody forces you to either use it the whole time, or not use it at all. If you have trouble, turn it on. If your Pokemon managed to catch up, turn it off. That way you're reasonably low leveled, but at the same time, you're not forced to grind your way up, or at least it minimizes the need of grind.

On my last playthrough I had it turned on for the first couple of Gym Leaders and by turning it off afterwards, that allowed me to be on about the same level as my opponents for almost the entire game. Only a couple trainers (mainly plot related ones) and those on Victory Road gave me some trouble. But that's to be expected, especially when you're getting close to the end of the game and even then, there's nobody to stop you from turning it back on.
I also have to say, that I was using stuff like Jumpluff and Mawile (non Mega and it's movepool in XY sucks), so clearly not the best Pokemon out there.

It all comes down to how you use the EXP-Share and not whether or not you're using it, at all. I really don't understand why so many people think, that the EXP-Share either has to be turned on, or off the whole time during a playthrough. All the new one changed was "having to rotate the EXP-Share between different party members" to "bringing them all on the same level simultaneously, before it gets turned off".

One could argue that exchanging different Pokemon during your playthrough breaks that balance, because you can't just train it up, without leveling your other mons unintentionally, as well and you'd be right. But most of the times, that gets invalidated by the fact, that the wild Pokemon you encounter on new routes are going to be on about the same level as you should be during your playthrough. Most of the people who play the game, are just resorting to Pokemon they like, so when those show up, they are already going to be on par with their party.

 

[Wicked3DS]

I don't necessarily have an issue with the current EXP Share because it can be toggled, but I don't like that there is no individual EXP Share to raise up a Pokémon that may be a bit underleveled. Personally, I think they should've kept the hold item EXP Share and make the new one with the name EXP All (anyone remember that?), since all of your Pokémon get EXP from it.

 

[Hikamaru]

I liked the newer version, because it helps you train up multiple Pokemon at once even if they don't all take part in the battle. I know it lessens the challenge but with XY's level curve it's a sure sign they are encouraging you to use it if you don't want to be constantly underleveled.

 

[Gandhi Savage]

I honestly enjoyed the newer EXP. Share a lot while playing through the games, but this was because I was playing casually and just enjoying the whole journey and the aesthetic rather than the challenge of the games. Of course I understand that if you want the game to be more challenging and don't want to be over-levelled it's hard to hit a middle ground as it's difficult to keep up without it. I am not, nor have I ever been a fan of grinding on the actual consoles. It takes way too long and doesn't feel that rewarding, on emulators it's fine as I can hold down the speed toggle on my controller and listen to some music and the time flies. This isn't a privilege we get on our 3/2DS' and as a result I found the EXP. Share a life saver. The EXP. Share should stay how it is now, maybe slightly nerfing it to something like 0.25 or 0.33 instead of 0.5 of the experience earned. Just my personal musings though, everyone here makes valid points!​

 

[Sopheria]

I didn't care for the new one, and I wish they hadn't gotten rid of the individual exp share. But at the same time, I can't deny that I have found it useful in the post-game. It saves me a lot of time and effort when I'm building a competitive team. So I just turn it off during the main playthrough, and switch it on when I'm doing competitive training ^^

Like Quajutsu said though, it would have been nice if they had just kept the Exp. Share as a hold item for a single Pokemon, and brought back the Exp. All from Gen 1 (which is basically what the new Exp. Share is).

 

[Drayton]

I have hard time deciding with old and current EXP share; With the Old, you could just stick to a weaker pokemon or pokemon needed leveling and just battle pokemon that somewhere levelable for the EXP'ed mon to level decently well, but there's only 1 exp share and you have to switch it if you want other mons to level as well. Currently the new one is broken, but switchable it gives all party pokemon some EXP and pretty useful if you want to level some mons from level 1 to level 35 in a minute

 

[punkysaur]

I too think the old experience share was good!I dont like the idea of giving all the mons experience at the same time.That is too much!

 

[Sun]

I can't help but turn this thing on because I'm worried about not giving EXP to those out of battle...but then all of my team becomes a super high level. :(

Whenever I play an XY run, I have that problem. If you turn that thing on they become overlevel, but if you turn it off it's difficult to level up some certain Pokémon. So I prefer the old Exp. Share to be honest.

EDIT: Can't deny the fact that it's easy to level up and EV train with Exp. Share's new mechanic.

They could have brought back Exp. All from Gen I for having this function, while the Exp. Share keeping its original use.

 

[Zoroark Cutie]

Honestly it really doesn't matter to me between the old and new EXP share. I would honestly say that if I was forced to pick one, I would go with the new one. I simply don't like grinding in any sort of game, and if I have to grind, I want to grind in as little as much time as possible which is why I would use the new EXP share over the old one.

 

[Bellsprout]

I like the newer one, but I'm sure as other people might have said in this thread (too lazy to read) it would be a lot better if they made it so you could pick which Pokemon it worked for. For example during my x and y play through some of my pokemon took way less experience than others to level up so I would never get to use them because i was always working on leveling up the same two pokemon who took a lot more experience.

 

[SleepyTrainer]

Hard to say which is the better.
Both are good.

But someone please tell if I'm right when I say this:
The old one gives more EXP to one pokemon, but the new one
gives less EXP, but to all.

I think so, but did not check if it's true.

 

[mikey]

Well, to answer my own question, I like both versions but I like the newer one better. Distributing EXP to all the members of the party is incredibly useful when training. I understand how people don't like it though.

 

[Lycanthropy]

The system of the "new" experience share is older than the "old" experience share, in the form of the EXP ALL. I like the held item version more, because it makes you feel you're training one certain Pokémon by giving it sacrificing its item slot instead of lazily having the thing turned on constantly, because why wouldn't you?

 

[Blueredemption]

But someone please tell if I'm right when I say this:
The old one gives more EXP to one pokemon, but the new one
gives less EXP, but to all.

I think so, but did not check if it's true.

Spoiler:

The old EXP Share split the amount of exp from a defeated pokemon in half, giving half to the one battling and half to the one with the item. The new EXP Share gives the pokemon battling 100% of what it would get if the EXP Share were turned off, and gives half of that amount to each pokemon. In other words, 1000 exp would give 1000 to your battling pokemon, and then 500 to each pokemon regardless of how many there are in your party. So no, the new EXP Share gives the same as the old one to all, and full to the one battling :)

As for my opinion of the new one, I absolutely hate it. I think it makes the game too easy too early on. If they gave it to you after beating the e4 it would be a different story, but no grinding from the start makes me feel like I am just following a story instead of playing a pokemon game. Anyway, I keep it off throughout the main part of the game.