Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are mostly faithful remakes to the Generation IV games that originally came out on the Nintendo DS back in 2006. Since then, these remakes have undergone some major quality of life and just outright changes between the originals and now. Most notably, the very divisive Exp Share aspect has become a point of contention in more recent titles. That topic is still a hot-button issue for many, but a welcomed feature for others. It’s a lot different than it was in the original Diamond and Pearl. Here is everything you need to know about Exp Share in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.

What is Exp Share?

Exp Share, in older Pokémon games, was a held item that you can put onto one of your Pokémon who you want to level up quicker. If you use it on a Pokémon that is actively in battle, they will gain significantly more experience points when they defeat other Pokémon. If that same Pokémon is not actively in battle while another one is, they’ll get a cut of the experience earned outside of battle without the need to switch out. This item only limited up to two Pokémon to actively get experience points (not counting if you engage in double battles).

Since then, this item has been reworked in later titles to become a key item and affect all six Pokémon in your party. Essentially, you can almost exclusively use your starter Pokémon which will more likely than not, be the strongest of your party. With Exp Share, all the other Pokémon in your party will level up alongside it, making your team even in terms of leveling distribution.

This became a point of contention for a lot of fans of the game, voicing concerns that this feature would trivialize the game’s difficulty. While these points were valid for some, it did create a rather streamlined experience for people who wanted to experience newer Pokémon games in a casual approach. However, since the release of Sword and Shield, it became a feature that could not be turned off, creating even more backlash from the fanbase.

Can you turn off Exp Share in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl?

Unfortunately, you cannot turn off this feature for the Gen IV remakes. If you like to have the more ‘hardcore’ experience in the game, you will have to stow your party away except for at least one on your PC, though that just seems silly to do. There were also no stated plans for an update to add a feature to toggle this on or off.

It will make Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl significantly easier than their original counterparts, but there is a sufficient endgame for dedicated players to sink their time into if they choose.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are out now exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.

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