So, you finally caught 50 different species. You’ve slogged through Route 15, climbed the stairs of that gatehouse near Fuchsia City, and talked to Professor Oak’s aide. He hands you the exp share in pokemon yellow—though, if we’re being technically accurate, the game calls it the EXP. ALL. You probably think your grinding days are over. You think you’re about to level up your entire party like it’s Modern Warfare or something.
Actually, you might want to put that thing back in the PC. Right now.
The way experience distribution works in the 8-bit era is... messy. Honestly, "messy" is being generous. Most players coming from later generations expect the EXP. ALL to function like the modern Exp. Share, where every Pokemon gets a free 50% chunk of experience just for existing. That isn't what happens here. In Gen 1, the exp share in pokemon yellow is often more of a math-induced headache than a helpful tool.
The Math Behind the Madness
Let’s look at how this item actually handles your hard-earned points. When you defeat an enemy, the game takes the total experience and cuts it in half. The first 50% goes to the Pokemon that actually fought. If you used one Pokemon, it gets that full 50%. If you switched between two, they split that 50%.
The remaining 50% is where things get weird.
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This second half is divided equally among every single member of your party. Including the one that just fought. If you have a full party of six, that 50% is split six ways. That means each bench-warmer is only getting about 8.3% of the total experience.
It gets worse.
If any of your Pokemon are fainted, they still count as a "slot" for the division, but they receive zero experience. The game effectively deletes that portion of the experience. It’s gone. Poof. If you’re carrying three fainted Pokemon and trying to use the EXP. ALL to catch up a level 5 Magikarp, you are literally throwing experience into a black hole.
Why It Feels So Slow
Speed matters. In Pokemon Yellow, the text boxes are the real enemy. Every time you finish a battle with the EXP. ALL in your bag, you have to click through a separate dialogue line for every single Pokemon receiving points.
- Pikachu gained 100 EXP!
- Pidgeotto gained 15 EXP!
- Mankey gained 15 EXP!
- Bulbasaur gained 15 EXP!
It’s mind-numbing. You’ll spend more time pressing the A button than you did actually fighting the Weezing or Muk that started the mess.
Is the exp share in pokemon yellow Even Worth It?
There’s a massive debate about whether this item helps with "Stat Experience"—what we now call EVs. For years, the rumor was that it didn't give any. We now know that's false. It does distribute Stat Exp, but it’s scaled down just like the regular experience. If you’re trying to build a competitive powerhouse, the EXP. ALL is basically the slowest possible way to do it.
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So, when should you actually use it?
Basically only if you have a massive level gap and a very small party. If you only have two Pokemon in your party—a level 50 Charizard and a level 2 Magikarp—the math shifts. The Charizard gets its 50%, then they both split the remaining 50%. In this specific scenario, the Magikarp gets 25% of the total experience without ever seeing the light of day. That’s actually not bad. But the moment you add a third or fourth Pokemon to the team, the efficiency plummets.
Common Misconceptions and Glitches
One of the weirdest quirks involves switching. In modern games, switching is encouraged. In Yellow, if you switch multiple Pokemon into a battle while holding the EXP. ALL, a coding oversight actually causes the total experience to diminish. It calculates the "share" based on the points a single participant received, rather than the total pool.
Basically, the game punishes you for being tactical.
If you’re playing on the original Game Boy hardware, the lag and text crawl make this item a hard pass for most speedrunners and veteran players. If you're on an emulator with a "Fast Forward" button, it's tolerable, but still objectively less efficient than "switch-training."
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Switch-training is simple: put the weakling first, swap them out immediately for a powerhouse. The weakling gets 50% of the experience. Compare that to the 8.3% they’d get from the exp share in pokemon yellow in a full party. It’s a no-brainer.
How to Get the Most Out of Your Grinding
If you’re determined to make this work, follow these rules:
- Clear the dead weight. Deposit any Pokemon you aren't actively training into the PC. A smaller party means a bigger slice of the pie for the ones that stay.
- Keep everyone conscious. Don't let your party members faint. You're just wasting experience points.
- Stick to one attacker. Avoid switching if you can. Let your "carry" Pokemon do the heavy lifting to avoid the experience-reduction glitch.
- Use the "Box Trick." If you're worried about Stat Exp not updating, deposit your Pokemon in the PC and take them back out. This forces the game to recalculate stats based on the experience they've gained.
Honestly, the exp share in pokemon yellow is a relic of a time when game developers were still figuring out how to balance RPG progression. It’s a neat idea that was hindered by the limitations of the Game Boy’s processing power and some slightly wonky math.
Most people find that by the time they've caught 50 Pokemon to even unlock the item, their main team is already strong enough to beat the game. It’s usually better to just focus on your core six and leave the aide's "gift" in the PC where it can't slow you down.
To make your training more efficient, try thinning your party to just two or three members before heading into the tall grass. This maximizes the percentage each Pokemon receives and cuts down on the annoying text boxes that trigger after every single knock-out. High-level areas like Cerulean Cave or the routes leading to the Elite Four are your best bets for farming.
Just remember: in 1998, "sharing" meant something very different than it does today. If you want results, you’ve gotta do it the old-fashioned way. Keep your party small, keep your A-button finger ready, and don't expect the game to do the work for you.