If I have fewer than 6 Pokemon in my party, does each gain more EXP?

[BACK]
If I have fewer than 6 Pokemon in my party, does each gain more EXP?
Posted On: March 24, 2024

I have a few weak Pokemon that I'm trying to level quickly. I'm wondering if it helps to keep less than 6 Pokemon in my party.


Does that divide the total EXP gained by fewer Pokemon? Or does each Pokemon gain a set amount and it's better just to have a full party?


Question from user Atav32 at gaming.stackexchange.com.


Answer:

No!.


tl;dr Always have 6 Pokemon in your party.


Contrary to how previous generations work, it doesn't matter how many Pokemon you have in your party!.


It does matter whether the Pokemon had actively participated in the battle.


Background.


In the beginning of the game, as I was catching Pokemon to fill my party, I noticed that the XP share didn't seem to change much with each new Pokemon. This gave me a hunch that XP share was somehow different in Sword & Shield.


Experiment Methodology.


Part 1.


Loaded up my party with 6 Pokemon.


Found a wild Pokemon (in this case, a Lv. 30 Machoke).


Used 1 Pokemon to defeat the wild Pokemon (in this case, a Lv. 35 Corvisquire).


Recorded how much XP each member of the party gained, especially the Pokemon that battled.


Part 2.


Put every Pokemon into the box, except the 1 used in the last battle (Corvisquire).


Found the same wild Pokemon at the same level (another Lv. 30 Machoke).


Used the same 1 Pokemon to defeat the wild Pokemon (still Lv. 35 Corviqsuire).


Recorded how much XP Corvisquire gained.


As you can see below, it didn't matter if there were 5 other Pokemon in my party, or if there was only 1, Corvisquire gained around 700+ XP.


(Corvisquire is Lv. 36 in the last screenshot because it had just leveled up from the fight.).


Not pictured below, but I also tried this with 2 Pokemon in the party and 3 Pokemon in the party. In both cases, the number of Pokemon didn't change the approximate amount of XP gained by each Pokemon.


Note: I'm open to other players doing more experiments to show a different conclusion.


Also, this actually raises a lot of new questions about the XP share algorithm:.


Why did Corvisquire gain less XP in the second battle? Or why did it gain extra in the first battle?


Was that related to the number of Pokemon in the party? Was it related to amount of XP it already had?


Was it related to the stats of the Machoke?


Was it related to the moves I used?


Is it possible to cycle through all my Pokemon during a battle and have them all gain almost double XP?


Answer from user Atav32 at gaming.stackexchange.com.


[BACK]
If I have fewer than 6 Pokemon in my party, does each gain more EXP?
Posted On: March 24, 2024

I have a few weak Pokemon that I'm trying to level quickly. I'm wondering if it helps to keep less than 6 Pokemon in my party.


Does that divide the total EXP gained by fewer Pokemon? Or does each Pokemon gain a set amount and it's better just to have a full party?


Question from user Atav32 at gaming.stackexchange.com.


Answer:

No!.


tl;dr Always have 6 Pokemon in your party.


Contrary to how previous generations work, it doesn't matter how many Pokemon you have in your party!.


It does matter whether the Pokemon had actively participated in the battle.


Background.


In the beginning of the game, as I was catching Pokemon to fill my party, I noticed that the XP share didn't seem to change much with each new Pokemon. This gave me a hunch that XP share was somehow different in Sword & Shield.


Experiment Methodology.


Part 1.


Loaded up my party with 6 Pokemon.


Found a wild Pokemon (in this case, a Lv. 30 Machoke).


Used 1 Pokemon to defeat the wild Pokemon (in this case, a Lv. 35 Corvisquire).


Recorded how much XP each member of the party gained, especially the Pokemon that battled.


Part 2.


Put every Pokemon into the box, except the 1 used in the last battle (Corvisquire).


Found the same wild Pokemon at the same level (another Lv. 30 Machoke).


Used the same 1 Pokemon to defeat the wild Pokemon (still Lv. 35 Corviqsuire).


Recorded how much XP Corvisquire gained.


As you can see below, it didn't matter if there were 5 other Pokemon in my party, or if there was only 1, Corvisquire gained around 700+ XP.


(Corvisquire is Lv. 36 in the last screenshot because it had just leveled up from the fight.).


Not pictured below, but I also tried this with 2 Pokemon in the party and 3 Pokemon in the party. In both cases, the number of Pokemon didn't change the approximate amount of XP gained by each Pokemon.


Note: I'm open to other players doing more experiments to show a different conclusion.


Also, this actually raises a lot of new questions about the XP share algorithm:.


Why did Corvisquire gain less XP in the second battle? Or why did it gain extra in the first battle?


Was that related to the number of Pokemon in the party? Was it related to amount of XP it already had?


Was it related to the stats of the Machoke?


Was it related to the moves I used?


Is it possible to cycle through all my Pokemon during a battle and have them all gain almost double XP?


Answer from user Atav32 at gaming.stackexchange.com.


[BACK]

Will I still get weapon discounts in Ratchet & Clank 3 with a Ratchet & Clank 1 new game+ save? Will I still get weapon discounts in Ratchet & Clank 3 with a Ratchet & Clank 1 new game+ save?

Posted On: March 8, 2024
In Ratchet and Clank 3: Up your Arsenal, it's possible to get an "employee discount" at Gadgetron weapons vendors if you have a save file from Ratchet & Clank 1 present on the memory card.The save fil...[More]


Nexus Mod Manager wont recognize Fallout New Vegas Nexus Mod Manager wont recognize Fallout New Vegas

Posted On: February 8, 2023
I have trouble opening NMM for my New vegas game saying that it does not have the permission to write the game and I've been told that I should run as admin to open it, but :.Can someone please explai...[More]


What's the most visually satisfying effect or ability? What's the most visually satisfying effect or ability?

Posted On: October 16, 2023
What abilities or effects are the most appealing visually for you? My top contenders divine smite and fireball. Smite especially when it's an unexpected smite on a crit. Not knowing it's co...[More]


Is there a way to tell a Steam shortcut to open in big picture mode? Is there a way to tell a Steam shortcut to open in big picture mode?

Posted On: June 15, 2023
I have a monitor and a TV side by side. Sometimes I want to game from my couch and sometimes I want to sit and game at the computer. When I'm gaming at my desktop I don't have the TV on. Wh...[More]


What genre is A Plague Tale: Requiem? What genre is A Plague Tale: Requiem?

Posted On: July 10, 2023
I am not a competitive gamer; when I play, I play for fun, playing casually and solving the puzzle that is the game. I have played A Plague Tale: Innocence as well as A Plague Tale: Requiem for alm...[More]


Why does my PS5 change the screen size sometimes? Why does my PS5 change the screen size sometimes?

Posted On: March 5, 2024
Occasionally when I turn on my PS5 by pressing the controller PS button, the console will not use the full screen size of my TV.Sometimes it's the correct size, let's call that 100%.Sometimes it's sma...[More]


Can I repair my crew during battle? Can I repair my crew during battle?

Posted On: May 20, 2023
I can rearm at the checkpoint, but can I repair my crew? I heard rumors that I can do it, but I haven't found confirmation of this. Any information is welcome. Question from user dos4dev ...[More]


Emperor is completly justified Emperor is completly justified

Posted On: December 30, 2025
Many people treat him like heartless tyrant and view him as hypocrite, tyrant who demands full obedience and blind trust. He does give you the reason to trust him and if you do, you succeed. You survi...[More]


What Is the Best Y Level to Find Ancient Debris? What Is the Best Y Level to Find Ancient Debris?

Posted On: July 18, 2023
I was playing the new 1.16 snapshot and was wondering where the best place to look for ancient debris would be. Question from user PuppyLover101 at stackexchange. Answer: The best Y-coordinat...[More]


Is there a way to summon Dogmeat to you in Fallout 4? Is there a way to summon Dogmeat to you in Fallout 4?

Posted On: May 1, 2023
I've recently started playing Fallout 4, and I've acquired Dogmeat. Long story short, I told him to stay in a small building so I could down a few raiders quietly but I forgot about him and I ...[More]