Current Events > Do you like the modern Exp Share in Pokemon?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I feel so conflicted on it. On one hand, it makes it so you basically never have to stop and grind during a run, and it makes it very easy to run a full team of 6, and hell, even more if you want to regularly swap out teammates. But on the other, I always find myself grossly overleveled. And I'm not talking like, being at the same or just 5 levels ahead of a Gym leader, but always like 10+ levels ahead of them, it's crazy.

Replaying the older games though, I do sometimes miss it. As someone that always runs a full team of 6, you always have to inevitably stop in your tracks and grind at some point when you end up 10 levels below everything. *Cough* Johto Clair.

I like it when it has full experience share across all the pokemon in your current party.

I'm not sure why Game Freak is so deadset on not having a toggle for it, though.

One of the worst additions they've ever made. All they have to do is make it optional and it would be perfect, but I guess that's too hard for them.

idk if any of the pokemon games I played use that, but I haven't really played anything beyond the DS games

I think omega ruby had something like that? I remember that game being super easy compared to Emerald on GBA

Yes, but...

Solar_Crimson posted...

I'm not sure why Game Freak is so deadset on not having a toggle for it, though.

BucketCat posted...

idk if any of the pokemon games I played use that, but I haven't really played anything beyond the DS games

I think omega ruby had something like that? I remember that game being super easy compared to Emerald on GBA

Every game starting with X/Y has it.

No, just make it a fucking toggle that's on by default.

DarthEnvoy posted...

you always have to inevitably stop in your tracks and grind at some point when you end up 10 levels below everything. *Cough* Johto Clair.

I never had to do that. You have a team of 6 against dumb ai with bad teams and coverage, the only actual challenge you're getting is by being several levels lower and you're still gonna end up oneshotting half their teams.

Its handy, but I wish it could be toggled on and off like in the 3DS games. It makes absolutely no sense for it to be forced on at all times.

It's certainly nice not having to grind and not having one or two pokeymans with the right coverage get horribly over leveled compared to the test of the team at every gym. It does feel like the games are never balanced around all the experience you get though. And if they don't want to balance the game around it, they should let you opt out.

I'd like it if there were a toggle.

EmbraceOfDeath posted...

One of the worst additions they've ever made. All they have to do is make it optional and it would be perfect, but I guess that's too hard for them.

modern game freak in a nutshell

Gamefreak is allergic to options. Still wild to me they removed Set mode.

I'd like it more if there was a toggle, even more so if they let you choose who it'd apply to and who it wouldn't. As it is I dislike it, especially since you get exp from catching mons so its a pain trying to keep your favorites from getting overleveled unintentionally.
The fact that it being forced also means you get a mishmash of evs makes it even more annoying.

Hell, with the exp candies and "let's go" mechanic speeding up grinding, the flaws stood out even more imo.

Like most people, I like it as a feature to include, but I don't like that they made it mandatory by removing the ability to toggle it off. If I want to turn it off to give myself more of a challenge, I should be able to.

BucketCat posted...

I think omega ruby had something like that? I remember that game being super easy compared to Emerald on GBA

That's because OR/AS kept the same gym lineups and levels and R/S, so having the Exp Share on leads to you getting wildly overleveled. Same with BD/SP. The Kalos and Alola games felt more like they were made and balanced with the Exp Share in mind, so you don't end up quite as overleveled by using it in those games compared to those Hoenn and Sinnoh remakes.

DarthEnvoy posted...

Gamefreak is allergic to options. Still wild to me they removed Set mode.

They even removed the option to disable auto-save in their latest game.

No, I hate that it's forced. I don't want it in during the main game (well, I want the original exp share). It's great to have for post game.

It's a great idea with a poor execution.

First off, like others said, there needs to be a fucking toggle. Straight up. Making it mandatory was the most baffling stupid decision GF ever made.

Second off, a good half of the games that have it aren't suited for it. X/Y, ORAS, and BDSP just factually were not balanced with the EXP share in mind. Using it makes you get monstrously overpowered extremely quickly. And in BDSP, you have no choice; it hurts the games immensely. The Legends games suffer from this too, with their heavy reliance on catching a shitload of stuff and farming materials.

GF has seemingly tried to compensate for this by massively overtuning the final battles, at least in SWSH and BDSP. It does not help, as 95% of the game is still rendered absolutely braindead easy.

Furthermore, I don't actually think it's even NECESSARY anymore. With the addition of EXP candies from raid battles, literally nobody even needs to grind exp the traditional way anymore.

To date, I think that Gen 7 is the only game that actually got the EXP share right. The game was properly balanced for it, it was toggleable, great work, no notes.

Hejiru posted...

They even removed the option to disable auto-save in their latest game.

Oh yeah. That too lmao...

Calwings posted...

The Kalos and Alola games felt more like they were made and balanced with the Exp Share in mind, so you don't end up quite as overleveled by using it in those games compared to those Hoenn and Sinnoh remakes.

I didn't play S/M but nah Kalos was def not made for it either. My last run like a year ago on X I was a higher level than the Champion before I even got my 8th badge, with zero grinding whatsoever. Game becomes such a snoozefest at that point.

On 1st playthroughs I dont mind it, but it not being toggleable makes challenge runs where I want to cap my levels for gym leaders and such much more of a hassle to play through.

Solar_Crimson posted...

I'm not sure why Game Freak is so deadset on not having a toggle for it, though.

This. Personally like it on and I keep about 2-3 parties around so I dont get overleveled. Makes me use far more than the base 6.

Yeah.. It's less of a grindfest. Sure, I don't mind an option to turn it off. You can always box the pokemon/switch them out (for now).

DarthEnvoy posted...

I didn't play S/M but nah Kalos was def not made for it either. My last run like a year ago on X I was a higher level than the Champion before I even got my 8th badge, with zero grinding whatsoever. Game becomes such a snoozefest at that point.

I don't remember being that overleveled when I played X/Y with a full team. I was still overleveled, just not to that extent. Maybe I'm just misremembering though.

Calwings posted...

I don't remember being that overleveled when I played X/Y with a full team. I was still overleveled, just not to that extent. Maybe I'm just misremembering though.

XY's "balanced" for it with how much levels balloon throughout the game (final gym leader has like 50s-60s or something like that) but even boss trainers have few mons and many don't even have full movesets so that neuters any challenge that would come from the balloon'd levels

Yes since it cuts down on grind.

No. The games are not balanced around it in the least. If they want to make the games piss easy without putting in any effort, they should have just allowed you to switch it from 0 to 2x exp.

Ideally they would give you the options. It's always better to have the choice.

But personally, I don't miss having to lead every battle with a weak Pokmon, just to switch it back out and watch its replacement inevitably get hit with some annoying status effect.

mehmeh1 posted...

XY's "balanced" for it with how much levels balloon throughout the game (final gym leader has like 50s-60s or something like that) but even boss trainers have few mons and many don't even have full movesets so that neuters any challenge that would come from the balloon'd levels

So that's more of a NPC team design issue rather than a leveling issue. Still, I get what you mean. X/Y don't feel difficult unless you really limit what you use.

I like it. I'm not playing Pokemon for it to be challenging, so over leveling was never a concern for me. But I do think it should be a toggle for the people that don't want it, it shouldn't be forced.

Yes. I don't have the time to individually level up each Pokemon so I appreciate it. It should only be for Pokemon in your current party tho. And it should be able to be turned off for people who don't want it.

Overall, yes. Because it stops the okay, now switch to this one. Then this one. Then this one aspect of grind. And it doesnt help that every wild Pokmon you catch past the midpoint of each game is always 15 levels beneath what your team is.

however, it defeats the point of say, magicarp. There are some Pokmon meant to be garbage, but then evolve into something great. You should be forced to use them and swap them out. You should need to work for that reward.

basically, keep the xp share, but have some Pokmon immune to it. Make some that cant have the share.

Garbage design that you can't toggle it at will. It's baffling what some 'fans' will defend.

"Just box your starter if they become over level!"

"Having a toggle would take too much time for them to make!"

Like wtf?

Yeah but the game doesn't feel balanced with it in mind

I enjoy it because it saves time, but it should absolutely have a toggle. Options are always good.

It at least should take a page from the Bravely Default series.

As per usual, the #1 complaint to them is "Why can't we turn it off??"

I love it for grinding, but I hate that I end up being overleveled if I start doing side content. Just make it a toggle, leave it on by default.

Umbreon posted...

Garbage design that you can't toggle it at will. It's baffling what some 'fans' will defend.

"Just box your starter if they become over level!"

"Having a toggle would take too much time for them to make!"

Like wtf?

Even Masuda himself told players asking about the forced EXP share to play the game with just one Pokemon at a time.

I honestly could not care less about it and it's bewildering that so many people get so emotional about it. That said, there's no reason it shouldn't be optional.

Umbreon posted...

"Having a toggle would take too much time for them to make!"

Who said this?

Solar_Crimson posted...

Even Masuda himself told players asking about the forced EXP share to play the game with just one Pokemon at a time.

Masuda stopped giving a shit a long time ago. His defense of the games being half-assed these days is that kids would rather play on their smartphones anyway

Communist pokemon

MrResetti posted...

Communist pokemon

Tinkaton and Absol tag team

Yes, I do. It cuts down on grinding time and makes it easier to level up more Pokemon than your core six, so you can fill your Pokedex by evolving things you don't intend to use or have backups that you can swap in without having to stop and play catch-up.

I really like the exp share since it makes it reasonable to raise a whole team. It's obviously too powerful in every game even if it has never been as bad as it was in x & y. It's sad because it should have been the best thing since the physical special split.

Jupiter posted...

Who said this?

I honestly can't remember. It may have been on the bdsp board. Non-zero chance it was Baha, but I don't want to outright accuse someone over a half remembered incident.

Or maybe I'm thinking about forced affection.

I don't like it because the games aren't built for it and it causes massive experience inflation.

Like I know some people complain that the lack of Experience share makes it hard to keep a team of six all reasonably leveled, but that's kinda the point. Having a team of six Pokmon is a colossal player advantage when functionally no other NPC comes close to those numbers. The level disadvantage that comes with your advantage in numbers and coverage is the trade off.

The experience share throws that out of balance so you have level parity, if not advantage over your opponent while also having an advantage in numbers because trainers still largely only have 2-4 Pokmon.

I went from crushing the game with one over leveled pokemon to the game with 6.
"But I'm over leveled."
The game is made for 8 year olds. You're meant to be over leveled. You were playing with a self-imposed handicap by swapping Pokemon to soak exp, now you're not. Sure, it should be a toggle, but Game freak shouldn't be expected to design the game around players trying to make the game harder on themselves. I'd rather they just add a real hard mode.

One of the things I really associate with older pokemon games is the near-impossibility of swapping out team members after about halfway into the game without willingly taking a massive dip in levels, which I always thought was a bit sad for a series where a lot of the fun is all the things out there to potentially catch and use

It's nice that it fixes this pretty well but at the same time it sort of overlevels you too much. I think I'd rather their solution have been something that helps level specifically the stuff that's behind, like exp sharing onto things lower level than your opponent only, or some sort of scaling exp bonus when you're behind, or maybe both

I have had no issues with it in the games I've played, as I was able to turn it off. I will be very annoyed whenever I get around to playing the later games where it is forced.

kirbymuncher posted...

or some sort of scaling exp bonus when you're behind

They had this during gen 5, went back to old exp gain in 6, then back to gen 5 but worse for gen 7.