Alexa gives you the Exp. Share on the north side of Santalune City, after you beat Viola for the Bug Badge. It is a Key Item, not a held item, so you switch it on and off from the Bag. When it is on, every Pokémon in your party that isn’t fainted gains EXP. Pokémon that battle keep their full share, and the rest of the party gets half. A Pokémon at level 100 can’t gain EXP, but it still gets EVs. Pokémon X and Pokémon Y work the same way.
This page covers Pokémon X and Pokémon Y on Nintendo 3DS, 2DS and New 3DS, up to update 1.5. The Exp. Share has the same gift, item and EXP rules in both games.
Exp. Share at a glance
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Where do you get it? | North side of Santalune City, where the road to Route 4 starts |
| Who gives it? | Alexa, Viola’s older sister and a journalist at the Lumiose Press |
| When? | After you beat Viola and earn the Bug Badge |
| What kind of item? | A Key Item, in the Key Items pocket. It is not a held item |
| Can you buy it? | No. No shop sells it |
| Where do you switch it on or off? | In the overworld, from the Bag: Key Items, then Exp. Share |
| Does it affect battles? | Yes. While it is on, the party shares the EXP from each Pokémon you defeat or catch |
How to get the Exp. Share
- Beat Viola at the Santalune City Gym and earn the Bug Badge. Until then, Alexa won’t let you through to Route 4.
- Walk to the north side of the city, where the road to Route 4 starts. Alexa is waiting there.
- Talk to her. She gives you the Exp. Share and lets you through to Route 4.
- Open the Bag and check the Key Items pocket. The Exp. Share is there. Select it to switch it on or off.
You meet Alexa again later at the Lumiose Press building on Estival Avenue in Lumiose City.
The Roller Skates come from a Roller Skater you battle in front of the Gym. That is a separate gift and has nothing to do with the Exp. Share.
Turning it on and off
Open the Bag, go to Key Items, and select Exp. Share. The game confirms whether it is now on or off. You can do this in the overworld, outside battle, and the setting covers your whole party at once. You can’t switch it on for some Pokémon and off for others.
How the EXP split works
When the Exp. Share is on, the EXP from each Pokémon you defeat or catch is handed out to your party like this:
| Pokémon | Share of the EXP from one defeated or caught Pokémon |
|---|---|
| In the battle | 100% |
| In the party, not in the battle, not fainted | 50% |
| Fainted | Nothing |
| In the PC box | Nothing |
Each party member’s share is worked out separately. The number of Pokémon in your party does not reduce the battler’s share. These percentages apply to the base EXP. A Pokémon’s own boosts, such as a Lucky Egg or affection, apply on top of its share.
Worked example: one battler and three on the bench
Say one defeated Pokémon gives the battler 100 EXP, a round number for the example. Your party has four members, and one of them fights. None of the four has an extra boost, such as a Lucky Egg. With the Exp. Share on:
| Party member | Share | EXP gained |
|---|---|---|
| Battler | 100% | 100 |
| Bench Pokémon 1 | 50% | 50 |
| Bench Pokémon 2 | 50% | 50 |
| Bench Pokémon 3 | 50% | 50 |
| Party total | 250 |
The whole party gains 2.5 times what the battler alone would have earned. Real numbers depend on the level and species of the Pokémon you defeat, but the percentages stay the same.
EVs for the bench
Every Pokémon that can receive EXP also receives the EVs from that battle, not only the battler. This includes a Pokémon that is already level 100, which can’t gain any more EXP but still gets its EVs. Fainted Pokémon get neither EXP nor EVs.
If you are training EVs, the Exp. Share gives a whole team EVs at once. If you only want one Pokémon to gain EVs, turn it off.
Catching a Pokémon also counts
In Pokémon X and Y, a Pokémon you catch gives EXP as if you had defeated it. With the Exp. Share on, that EXP is shared across the party in the same way.
How it works with other EXP boosts
- Lucky Egg is a held item, and it boosts only the Pokémon holding it. Give it to a bench Pokémon and that Pokémon’s share gets the boost, not the whole party. In the example above, a bench Pokémon holding one would get 75 instead of 50.
- Traded and foreign Pokémon keep their usual EXP boosts, which apply to the EXP they earn themselves.
- Affection in Pokémon-Amie: a Pokémon with two or more hearts of affection gets 1.2 times the EXP. The boost applies to its own EXP.
- Passed evolution level: a Pokémon that has reached its evolution level but hasn’t evolved gets a small boost until it evolves.
Should you leave it on?
Leave it on when you want the whole team to level up together. It is useful when you are catching up after a long break, when you are building a team for a tough Gym, or when you are training EVs on several Pokémon.
Turn it off when you want a challenge, when your party is far above the level of the wild Pokémon you are fighting, or when you want one Pokémon to be the only one that levels.
Is it different in Pokémon Y?
No. The gift, the Key Item, the Bag toggle and the EXP split are the same in Pokémon X and Pokémon Y. Later games changed how the item works, so if you are playing a different game, check that game’s guide.
Frequently asked questions
Where do you get Exp. Share in Pokémon X and Y?
From Alexa, on the north side of Santalune City, after you beat Viola and earn the Bug Badge.
How do you turn off Exp. Share?
Open the Bag, go to Key Items, and select Exp. Share again. The same option turns it back on.
Does Exp. Share reduce the battler’s EXP?
No. The Pokémon in the battle keeps its full share, and only the rest of the party gets 50%.
Do fainted Pokémon get EXP from Exp. Share?
No. Fainted Pokémon get neither EXP nor EVs from that battle.
Does Lucky Egg stack with Exp. Share?
Lucky Egg boosts only the Pokémon holding it, so it adds to that Pokémon’s share. It does not boost the whole party.
Should you leave Exp. Share on?
Leave it on to level the whole team and train EVs across it. Turn it off when you want a challenge, or when only one Pokémon should gain EXP.