'Pokémon Brilliant Diamond' And 'Shining Pearl' Will Have Non-optional EXP Share, Causing Fandom To Have Opinions

We're just over a month away from the release of the Gen-IV Pokémon Remakes, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, which means gaming outlets with previews are reporting their findings and causing Pokémon fans everywhere to have opinions.

Throughout the day, "EXP Share" has trended on Twitter because Serebii reported in their preview that the game will utilize non-optional EXP share.

Serebii Update: Previews for Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl have been released revealing details including the addition of auto-save, Pokémon Storage details and Exp Share being active from the start. Details @ https://t.co/gDbXkHSvkT pic.twitter.com/UGMeJcET5q

— Serebii.net (@SerebiiNet) October 13, 2021

In the Pokémon series, Pokémon normally gain experience points and level up by appearing in battle. EXP share is a feature that allows Pokémon who do not appear in battle to gain half the experience points of those who do, allowing them to level up quicker. This allows the player to avoid the risk of putting an under-leveled Pokémon into battle, where it could faint and not gain any experience points. Some players have argued that EXP share makes the game too easy, but for most of Pokémon's history, the existence of EXP share has been a matter of player preference, as players could toggle it on and off.

This changed in Pokémon Sword and Shield, which removed the option to turn off EXP Share. This was one of myriad issues that caused the games to divide the fanbase, and its return in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl has similarly caused a brouhaha among Pokémon fans on Twitter.

people care so much about not being able to turn off EXP Share because it makes the game "too easy"

bruh pokemon games were never challenging to begin with, grinding was just tedious and not fun lmao

— ✩ S E Λ L ✩ (@SealSplash) October 13, 2021

"Not having the option to toggle off the EXP share is a good thing actually you guys just love to complain that's all" pic.twitter.com/nOEZIKM7xl

— Psi (@PsiYoshi) October 13, 2021

I like the inclusion of the Exp. Share, because it greatly reduces grinding in most cases, but there is literally zero downside to giving players the option to turn it off. Another example of Pokemon shooting itself in the foot for no reason whatsoever.

— FlygonHG (@FlygonHG) October 13, 2021

I dont know how you can defend taking away the ability to turn off the exp share. It doesn't add anything to game, it literally just takes away options for people who wanna play differently.

— Aurora 🏳️‍⚧️ (@SpectralAurora_) October 13, 2021

Developers ILCA have seemed to take a "pick and choose" approach to updating Diamond and Pearl for 2021. Mandatory EXP Share is a quality-of-life update consistent with modern Pokémon titles. ILCA has also mercifully removed HM moves from the game, a hindrance that essentially forced every original Gen-IV trainer to go through Sinnoh with noted "HM Slave" Bidoof.

However, the preview reports for BDSP also revealed that single-use TMs will return in the games, a feature that hasn't been in a Pokémon game in fifteen years. Pokémon generations V-VIII all allowed for TMs to be used infinitely, giving players the option to craft a team with the move-set of their choosing. Making TMs single-use could mean a Pokémon gets a valuable TM early and a trainer is essentially locked out of giving another Pokémon that move for the rest of the game. Serebii notes there will "be opportunities to get more" TMs, leading some to speculate a TR system like the one employed in Sword and Shield could return.