Pokemon Gold and Silver - Experience
Experience (Exp. Points, EXP) indicates how often a Pokemon engages in battles.
In internal battles, whenever a Pokemon from the other team is defeated, all participants in the player's party earn Exp. Points (see the distribution formula). When a Pokemon earns a certain amount of EXP, it gains a level. The rate at which it grows differs among different species (see growth rates.) The amount of EXP the enemy Pokémon is worth also differs.
A "participant" means each unfainted Pokemon in the player's party who had seen the enemy Pokemon since the last time the enemy became active. A participant need not have used an attack against the Pokemon, but must merely have seen it. If a Pokemon faints at the same time as the enemy, it doesn't count as a participant. (In internal battles, if both teams have no Pokemon at the same time, it is considered a loss for the player.)
Exp. All
In the first generation, if the Exp.All item is in the player's pack, the EXP earned is divided in half, the first half of the EXP is distributed among all participants, and the rest is distributed among all unfainted members of the player's party. Stat Exp is distributed in the same way.
Exp. Share
Starting with the Gold and Silver versions, if at least one Pokemon is holding Exp. Share, the EXP earned is divided in half, the first half of the EXP is distributed among all participants, and the rest is distributed among all Pokemon in party holding Exp. Share. Stat Exp is distributed in the same way.
Level Gains
As was mentioned, a Pokemon gains a level if it gains enough experience. Starting with the second generation, a Pokemon gains levels one at a time, in case it earns so much experience at once that it gains more than one level.
When a Pokemon gains a level, its current HP is its new HP minus the HP lost before the level gain.
In the first generation, the Pokemon automatically gains up to the new level identified by the new EXP, thus possibly preventing the Pokemon from learning moves that they normally would on levels skipped this way.
Day-Care
When a Pokemon is placed in the Day-Care, its EXP is set to the minimum amount necessary for the current level in the Gold, Silver, and Crystal versions. It will then earn one EXP point for every step the player walks until the player gets the Pokemon back. No Stat Exp is gained at that time. The Pokemon will learn new moves as it gains levels; such moves, if the list is full, will overwrite older moves, starting from the top of the list.
In the first-generation versions, the Daycare person won't accept a Pokemon that has learned an HM move.
Experience Given
The formula to determine the experience given is:
EXP = ((E × L)×B) /7
where:
- E = Base EXP of opponent (check below)
- L = Level of opponent
- B = Type of battle - 1 if it's a wild battle, or 1.5 if it's a trainer battle.
The above formula calculates the EXP before it is distributed among participants. The EXP a Pokemon receives is multiplied by 1.5 if its ID is different from the trainer's own ID. If it's holding a Lucky Egg, that amount is again multiplied by 1.5.
The base EXP depends on the species of the defeated Pokemon. A complete list is available.
Growth Rates
In the first and second generation versions of Pokemon, all Pokemon grow at one of four different rates.
| Growth Rate | Max. Value | Formula |
|---|---|---|
| Medium | 1000000 | L³ |
| Fast | 800000 | 4/5 x L³ |
| Slow | 1250000 | 5/4 x L³ |
| Parabolic | 1059860 | (6/5 x L³) - (15 x L²) - (100 x L) -140 |
As with base EXP, the growth rate depends on the species of the Pokemon. A complete list is available.
