Pokémon Scarlet & Violet: How To Farm EXP, Where To Find The Lucky Egg

You can go anywhere in the open world of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet... but the Pokémon don't scale with your level, so you've probably found yourself in a situation where the wild creatures around you are way scarier than your own party.

But fear no longer, dear trainer — here are some ways you can farm experience points that will get you up to a higher level in no time at all!

The Best Exp. Farming Tricks

Tera Raid Battles

The number one tip for farming Exp. is to take part in Tera Raid Battles. You can find these on the map (they look like stars, with elemental icons in them).

However, if you go into the Poké Portal (press X to open the menu), then select Tera Raid Battle, then press the left shoulder button to connect to the internet, you can find Tera Raid Battles that match your current level.

The most Exp. you'll get is from 5- and 6-star battles, but you won't unlock those until much later in the game.

You don't get direct Exp. from these battles, but you'll get a huge number of Exp. Candies as rewards for defeating the Pokémon. The higher the star level, the more the Exp. Candies are worth, all the way from XS Exp. Candies up to XL Exp. Candies. And that's our next tip...

Use Your Exp Candies

Don't just hoard those Exp. Candies! Here's what they're worth, so you know how to use them best:

Grab A Lucky Egg

Lucky Eggs increase the share of Exp. that a Pokémon receives by 50%.

You can find the Lucky Egg by beating any five gym trainers (the order doesn't matter) and heading to the sixth gym. At the entrance, you'll find Jacq the Biology teacher there to cheer you on. Speak to Jacq to receive the Lucky Egg.

Fight Trainers

Fighting Pokémon Trainers is a must, since it will get you money, experience, new Pokédex entries, and prizes from the Pokémon League representatives at the Pokémon Centers throughout Paldea.

Use Let's Go (but not too much)

Using the Let's Go feature will gain your Pokémon a small amount of Exp., but it will save you time, since you don't have to go into the battles yourself.

Make use of it when you're walking through areas where you've already caught all the Pokémon — or you can leave your game idle for a little while, and when you come back, you'll notice that a bunch of Pokémon will have gathered around you, making it easy to pick them all off in one go!

However, the Exp. you earn is vastly reduced when fighting Let's Go-style, so this is a long-term strategy that is best used when you don't want to be actively fighting.

• How To Make Your Pokémon Auto-Battle

Eat All The Food

Clever use of food recipes and pre-prepared food can grant you bonuses that will increase both your encounter rates and your Exp. gain. Make sure to check restaurants in cities and towns for recipes that have Encounter Power or Exp. Gain, and make sure the type matches a type you're going to be fighting a lot of!

Early Game Exp. Farming Locations

If you're in the early game, here are some good places to head to:

• South Province (Area One) — Beat as many Happiny as you can find
• We'll add more here as we find good farming locations — watch this space!
  

Mid-Game Exp.: Golduck Farming

Head to this crater on the map in North Province (Area Two) and you'll find a ton of Golduck. Send one of your Pokémon down into the crater and stand on the edge, and watch the Exp. roll in!

Eat something that increases Water Encounters — like the Chocolate Banana Crepe from Mesagoza — and you'll increase the rate that these Golduck will spawn even more.

Mid-Game Exp.: Ham and Eggs

Eat a ham sandwich, which increases your rate of Normal-type encounters, or a Fizzy-Pop ice cream, which increases your Exp. gain for Normal-types, and head to the location below in North Province (Area Three), just west of Team Star's Fairy base:

Chansey and Blissey provide more Exp. than normal Pokémon, so this will get you loads of Exp. in a short time. Ham sandwiches only last for half an hour, so be sure to make a new one every now and then.

How To Make A Ham Sandwich

Ham sandwiches are easy to make, and can help you find lots of Chansey.

1. Buy Pickles, Ham, Mayo, and Mustard from Sure Cans and Artisan Bakery
2. Start a picnic and go into the sandwich making minigame
3. The Ham Sandwich is recipe number 80
4. Make sure to place your ingredients properly to get the buffs
5. Eat sandwich

Can you turn off Exp. Share?

No. Maybe Game Freak will add this in an update, though, because a lot of people really hate Exp. Share.

Does Auto-Battling affect EVs?

Apparently not. This also means your Power held items will not work outside of a normal battle.

Head into the comments to tell us your Exp. tricks, and make sure to check out our Pokémon Scarlet & Violet Walkthrough Guide for all the information you'll need on your adventure through Paldea!