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]

If I put a key in a capsule, can I get another in Ingress? If I put a key in a capsule, can I get another in Ingress?

Posted On: May 30, 2023
To get multiple keys, I sometimes drop hack.  Can I instead put a key in a capsule and have to get another key again? Question from user David West at gaming.stackexchange.com. Answer: ...[More]


Anyone know how often the Hogwarts Express comes to the station? Anyone know how often the Hogwarts Express comes to the station?

Posted On: March 3, 2023
I’m getting in game screen shots and want a picture with the train. Question from user Giezho at HogwartsLegacyGaming at reddit.com. Answer: Best way to find it is to go to the train st...[More]


Statement from Larian Statement from Larian

Posted On: November 27, 2023
Regarding patch 4:. " In Patch 4 we introduced a fix that would prevent the Scrying Eyes in Moonrise Towers from immediately calling the guards on you when stealing, even if you were sneaking,...[More]


Do unclaimed weapons Zelda Tears Of The Kingdom change after every Blood Moon? Do unclaimed weapons Zelda Tears Of The Kingdom change after every Blood Moon?

Posted On: June 6, 2023
I have been trying to find a pristine Zora Spear from the Depths, but every 'Shadow Soldier' that I find carrying a spear beneath the Zora's Domain doesn't have it. I tried saving a...[More]


in Zelda, Are the names of lightroots the names of shrines spelled backwards? in Zelda, Are the names of lightroots the names of shrines spelled backwards?

Posted On: June 22, 2023
Looking at your map in Tears of the Kingdom, you might notice that each lightroot is directly beneath a shrine. However, something I noticed when watching a video on Youtube is that the Nisoij lightro...[More]


Are the Poker Night games rigged? Are the Poker Night games rigged?

Posted On: February 7, 2023
I've played poker in real life and I've played Poker Night at the Inventory (but not Poker Night 2). I have the feeling that the Poker Night engine manipulates the deck to give players a mo...[More]


Why does Romance have to be creepy in Hogwarts Why does Romance have to be creepy in Hogwarts

Posted On: March 13, 2023
It might be an old topic, but I've seen too many people saying that wanting romance in this game is pedo behaviour. Why does "romance" have to be a synonym for +18 content? seriously,...[More]


How do I disable radiant quests in Skyrim? How do I disable radiant quests in Skyrim?

Posted On: April 27, 2024
I'm a completist. I like to finish EVERYTHING. Skyrim creates a problem for me; it never ends.Is there a way to disable radiant quests, perhaps in the console?Is there a downside to disabling radiant ...[More]


What is the best controller setup in Killzone 2? What is the best controller setup in Killzone 2?

Posted On: July 2, 2023
I recently purchased Killzone 2 (PS3) and I'm a bit new to console gaming, especially FPS. I have trouble with aiming and moving/turning sideways. The sensitivity of the right thumb stick doesn...[More]


Villager breeder not working, showing angry particles: 1.17.1 Villager breeder not working, showing angry particles: 1.17.1

Posted On: June 15, 2023
I've built a villager breeder following this tutorial: . It worked for a while before it stopped working, as villagers show angry particles whenever they try to breed. I have broken and plac...[More]