Is Using EXP Share Good or Bad? A Comprehensive Guide
The EXP Share, a staple item in the Pokémon franchise, has sparked debate since its inception. Is it a boon, streamlining your team’s leveling, or a bane, robbing you of the authentic Pokémon training experience? The answer, as with many things, is it depends. For many players, especially those looking for a smoother, more accessible experience, the EXP Share is undeniably a positive addition. It allows you to raise a full team without the tedious grind of repeatedly battling with each individual member. However, for players seeking a challenging, immersive experience, particularly those interested in EV training and maximizing their Pokémon’s potential, the EXP Share can present some drawbacks. Ultimately, whether it’s good to use EXP Share is a matter of personal preference and play style.
Understanding the EXP Share: A Deep Dive
Before diving into the pros and cons, it’s crucial to understand how the EXP Share works. In modern Pokémon games (Generation VI onwards), the EXP Share is a key item that, when active, distributes experience points to all Pokémon in your party, regardless of whether they participated in battle. Typically, the Pokémon that participated directly in battle receive a larger share of the experience, while the remaining experience is divided amongst the rest of the party. The specific distribution percentages can vary slightly between game generations, but the core principle remains the same.
This contrasts with earlier iterations, like in Pokémon Gold and Silver, where the EXP Share was an item held by a single Pokémon, allowing only that specific Pokémon to gain experience without participating in battle. The modern iteration has dramatically changed the gameplay experience.
The Advantages of Using EXP Share
Streamlined Leveling
The most obvious benefit of the EXP Share is its ability to level up your entire team simultaneously. This eliminates the need to painstakingly train each Pokémon individually, saving you considerable time and effort. This is particularly useful for raising Pokémon with low encounter rates or those that evolve at higher levels.
Easier Gym Battles
By keeping your entire team at a similar level, the EXP Share can make gym battles and other challenging encounters significantly easier. You’ll have a wider range of type matchups and more powerful moves at your disposal, giving you a tactical advantage.
Experimentation and Team Building
The EXP Share encourages experimentation with different Pokémon. You can easily add new members to your team and quickly bring them up to speed, allowing you to explore different strategies and team compositions. This is great for players who enjoy the strategic aspects of Pokémon and want to optimize their team for competitive play.
Accessibility for New Players
The EXP Share makes Pokémon games more accessible to new or casual players. It reduces the learning curve and allows them to enjoy the story and exploration without getting bogged down in tedious grinding. This accessibility helps keep the Pokémon franchise welcoming to a broad audience.
The Disadvantages of Using EXP Share
Overleveling and Reduced Challenge
One of the biggest criticisms of the EXP Share is that it can lead to overleveling. If you’re not careful, your team can become significantly stronger than the trainers and wild Pokémon you encounter, trivializing battles and reducing the overall challenge of the game.
Reduced Bonding and Connection
Some players feel that the EXP Share diminishes the sense of connection with their Pokémon. Because you’re not actively training each Pokémon individually, you may not develop the same level of understanding of their strengths and weaknesses. It allows players to level up Pokémon “passively,” which can create less attachment.
Impact on EV Training
EV training is a method of carefully controlling the effort values (EVs) that your Pokémon gains, which directly influences their stats. While the article states that it doesn’t matter when you EV train, some players find it more challenging to manage EVs effectively when using the EXP Share, as all Pokémon in your party gain EVs from each battle. This requires more careful planning and monitoring to ensure your Pokémon are gaining the desired stats.
Reduced Immersion
For some players, the EXP Share breaks the immersion of the game. They feel that it simplifies the experience too much and removes a key element of challenge and progression. The sense of accomplishment that comes from painstakingly training a team from scratch can be diminished.
Making the EXP Share Work for You
The EXP Share doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing proposition. Many modern Pokémon games allow you to toggle the EXP Share on or off, giving you control over its effects. Here are some tips for using the EXP Share effectively:
- Turn it off for challenging battles: If you find yourself becoming overleveled, consider turning off the EXP Share before facing gym leaders or other difficult opponents. This will force you to strategize more carefully and rely on your own skill and training.
- Use it strategically for new Pokémon: When adding a new Pokémon to your team, the EXP Share can be a great way to quickly bring it up to speed. Once it’s at a comparable level to the rest of your team, you can turn the EXP Share off to maintain a more balanced experience.
- Plan your EV training: If you’re serious about EV training, carefully plan which Pokémon you want to train and which battles you want to use to gain specific EVs. Use the EXP Share sparingly, and consider battling with only the Pokémon you’re actively EV training to ensure they gain the desired stats.
- Embrace the convenience: If you’re simply looking for a relaxing and enjoyable Pokémon experience, embrace the convenience of the EXP Share. There’s no shame in streamlining the game and focusing on the aspects you enjoy most.
Is there any EV training in the Games Learning Society?
The Games Learning Society is an organization dedicated to exploring the educational potential of games. You might not find information about EV training, but you can surely find more about the intersection of learning and playing at GamesLearningSociety.org.
FAQs: Unveiling the Mysteries of EXP Share
1. Are Pokémon trained with EXP Share weaker?
No, Pokémon trained with EXP Share are not inherently weaker. Stats are determined by a combination of base stats, individual values (IVs), and effort values (EVs). The EXP Share only affects how experience points are distributed, not these underlying stat calculations.
2. Does EXP Share give less stats?
No, EXP Share does not directly reduce the stats a Pokémon gains. The concern stems from the potential to be less attentive to EV training when relying on the EXP Share, as the Pokémon doesn’t get the “full” experience by battling.
3. Does EXP Share give more EXP?
In most modern Pokémon games, EXP Share does not inherently give more EXP than battling solo. Instead, it splits the experience earned among your team. However, it does make leveling easier and faster, especially for Pokémon that are not actively battling. If a Pokemon holds the EXP Share and it battles, it will get more experience. However, if it battles alone, it will get the regular amount and no less.
4. Why don’t people like EXP Share?
Some players dislike the EXP Share because it reduces the challenge of the game, diminishes the sense of connection with their Pokémon, and can interfere with EV training. They prefer the more traditional approach of individually training their Pokémon.
5. Is it bad to level Pokémon with EXP Candy?
Using EXP Candies is generally safe for leveling Pokémon. While it might slightly impact the Pokémon’s stats in the short term compared to leveling through combat, this can be rectified through EV training.
6. Does EXP Share give the same EVs?
Yes, EXP Share distributes EVs the same way as if the Pokémon battled directly. Each Pokémon in your party gains the same EVs from a battle, regardless of whether they participated or not.
7. How does EXP Share work in older generations?
In earlier Pokémon games (e.g., Gold, Silver), the EXP Share was a held item. Only the Pokémon holding the EXP Share would gain experience, even if it didn’t participate in the battle.
8. What is the max EV in Pokémon?
Each Pokémon can have a maximum of 510 EVs, with a maximum of 252 EVs in a single stat (as of Generation 7).
9. Should I keep lower-level Pokémon?
Whether to keep lower-level Pokémon depends on your goals. Keeping one of each Pokémon can help you complete your Pokedex.
10. Do egg Pokémon level up faster?
No, egg Pokémon do not inherently level up faster. However, using items like Lucky Eggs can significantly increase the EXP they gain per battle.
11. How much EXP does XP share give?
From Generation VI onwards, the Exp. Share returned to being a key item that shares 50% of the Exp earned in battle with any Pokémon that are in your current party and did not join the battle.
12. How does exp all work?
An Exp. All is an item that allows all party Pokémon to gain experience from a battle, including Pokémon that do not participate in the battle. It can be turned on or off by using it; if turned on, an Exp. All will take effect as long as it is in the player’s inventory.
13. Does rare candy reset XP?
When you give your Pokemon a rare candy, does it gain the EXP points for that level? Yes the exp go back to 0 when you use a rare candy. so use it on a pokemon that has little to no exp points.
14. What gives the most exp in Pokemon?
1 Blissey gives the most EXP in Pokemon.
15. How much XP does it take to level 100 in Pokemon?
Requiring Pokémon to have an even 1,000,000 experience points to be at level 100, it is the most average of the experience groups and the one with the simplest equation: to be at a given level, any Pokémon in this group requires experience equal to that level cubed.
Conclusion: Embrace the Choice
The EXP Share is a powerful tool that can greatly enhance your Pokémon experience. Whether it’s “good” or “bad” ultimately depends on your personal preferences and play style. If you’re looking for a streamlined, accessible experience, embrace the convenience of the EXP Share. If you’re seeking a greater challenge and want to carefully control your Pokémon’s stats, use it sparingly or turn it off altogether. The choice is yours!