There are many best ways to farm EXP fast, and many players have preferred ways. Honestly, it depends on what stage you are in the game because after defeating the story, you can farm lots of EXP fast.
Methods 10 - 7 are the fastest ways to earn EXP after the tutorial stage and during early game events, such as upgrading Miraidon and opening as many fast travel points asap. This stage includes catching 5 other Pokémon that you trust with your life and have at least defeated either the Cortondo Gym or Artazon Gym.
Methods 6 - 2 are the fastest ways to earn EXP after you complete 2 gyms. You’ll use these methods to finish Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s complete story, which may be considered mid-game for advanced players.
Number 1 is the fastest way to earn EXP later in the game after finishing Paldea’s post-game events and the Teal Mask DLC. Blueberry Academy should be available.
Here are the 10 best ways to farm EXP fast:
10. Scavenge as many EXP or Rare Candies from the ground.
One of the best ways to earn EXP fast is by finding EXP candy or Rare Candy lying on the ground when you begin the game. They’re in faint-glowing Pokéballs scattered all around Paldea. It’s all luck if you happen to get one.
The open world in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is so vast that you’ll spend lots of time exploring multiple areas and picking up valuable stuff off the ground. Whenever you pick up a glowing Pokéball, you may get TMs, EXP Candy, Rare Candy, PP Ups, Max Potions, Hyper Potions, Revives, and more.
Unlocking Miraidon’s full abilities and unlocking many fast travel points increases the pace of exploration. When you immediately start the game, you should use this method as much as possible to strengthen your starter Pokémon. Also, picking up free stuff on the ground is fun! If you see loose Pokéballs, don’t ignore it.
Advice:
These are a list of all the XP candies and their stats.
- XS Candy = 100 XP
- Small Candy = 800 XP
- Medium Candy = 3,000 XP
- Large Candy = 10,000 XP
- XL Candy = 30,000 XP
- Rare Candy = increases next level
Here’s a video revealing all the Rare Candy locations! Rare Candy also respawns.
How to pick up stuff from the ground:
- Face the shiny spot or Pokéball.
- Press A to take it.
- You can use the Auto Battle function so your Pokémon can take as many things off the ground faster.
9. Do lots of Tera Raids in Paldea!
Tera Raids are all over Paldea. In your map, they are symbols of the tera-type Pokémon you will face. When you come close to the tera crystal and press A, you’ll be able to see more information by looking at the tera Pokémon’s silhouette and star level.
In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, Tera Raiding is the most predictable and reliable way to earn EXP. To be clear, your Pokémon doesn’t earn EXP during the Tera Raid battle. After the battle, you’ll earn rewards and can give your Pokémon EXP points from your bag.
The easier the Tera Raid battle, the smaller the rewards. The more difficult it is, the more you’ll earn rewards in bulk, such as EXP, rare candy, Pokémon Hairs, and Hebra Mystica.
Advice:
First, get used to Tera Raiding solo while offline. Once you get comfortable, you can invite your friends to join with a coded link or invite random online players to help you! !
I'd suggest going solo and offline first. Begin Tera Raids with your starter Pokémon and battle the weak Tera Raids against its type. Try your best to get rid of 1-3 stars off of Paldea's map and let difficult Tera Raids spawn as you progress.
After a successful Tera Raid, you’ll gain an assortment of rewards such as these items:
- XP candy or even Rare Candy
- Pokémon Hairs for making tms
- Things to sell, such as mushrooms, pearls, stardust
- Various feathers to increase your Pokémon’s health, attack, defense, special attack, special defense, and speed
Here’s an example after a successful 4-star offline tera raid:
How to do them:
- Find a tera raid you want to go to on your map. Press A to set the destination.
- Travel there and face the tera crystals.
- Start a solo battle!
8. Auto Battle Feature
Auto-Battle allows your Pokémon to battle wild Pokémon freely.
Auto-Battle is a function of the "Let's Go" feature. Your Pokémon gain EXP by knocking out many wild Pokémon they see. They also find items on the ground, picking up shiny stuff and even Pokéballs. They can also find berries.
Advice:
To auto-battle, you must complete a mission from the tutorial stage called “First Day of School.” Reach the first Pokémon center by Los Platos and meet Nemona there. She’ll teach you about the “Let’s Go” feature, which allows your Pokémon to auto-battle.
Any Pokémon can auto-battle. What matters is how fast the Pokémon is because after every wild Pokémon is knocked out, the Pokémon in your party and your Pokémon in "Let's go" mode earn EXP.
Choose fast Pokémon such as Pikachu, Fletchling, Lucario, Gallade, Vikavolt, Buizel, and Vibrava. You can always change your Pokémon’s IV’s to opt for greater speed with bottle caps.
How it works:
- Press ZR to summon your Pokémon in the area.
- When you see a wild Pokémon, press R. This will allow your Pokémon to auto-battle that particular wild Pokémon.
7. Catching Pokémon!
You can still earn EXP the classic way by simply catching Pokémon. Every catch allows all the Pokémon in your party to earn EXP.
This method is unique because it gives your Pokémon EXP while allowing you to cheat. You want to do this fast with low-level Pokémon with lots of Quick Balls, but make sure you have the Pokémon you want to gain EXP in your party.
This method can also be useful for cheating out of EXP, such as finding and catching higher level Pokémon of the same species. For example, if you continue to catch many Evees, you'll eventually encounter higher-level Evees.
Advice:
This method is best for starting your first set of low-level Pokémon to increase their level and strength gradually.
When you compare one Pokémon to another, you might prioritize catching slightly higher-level Pokémon of the same species.
As an example, instead of leveling up a Level 6 Eveee in your party, you can try to catch a Level 12 Evee that may have better movesets, abilities, and IV's.
How it works:
- Walk toward a wild Pokémon and start a battle.
- Or you can throw a Pokéball toward the wild Pokémon with ZR to surprise them.
- During the battle, weaken the wild Pokémon with attacks or use status conditions such as sleep or paralysis to increase your chances of catching it.
- It always depends on the wild Pokémon's level. Wild Pokémon level 20 or below can be caught with normal Pokéballs or Quick Balls at full HP. Sometimes, this works. If not, you can weaken them with status conditions.
- Most of the time, wild Pokémon are easy to catch when they are below 20% HP.
- When you're ready, press X and select the Pokéball you want to use to catch the wild Pokémon.
6. Make Sandwiches to raise EXP Point Power
Sandwiches increase the amount of EXP your Pokémon receives after defeating or catching a specific type of Pokémon.
This method is an enhancement, as every 1 sandwich grants 3 effects:
- A primary power
- A secondary power
- A power to increase the chances of encountering a specific Pokémon type
The downside is that you must buy things to make a sandwich or find a market.
Example from the image above:
When your sandwich says something like Exp. Point Power: Dark, it means it will provide you with increased EXP gain when fighting or catching Dark-type Pokémon such as Umbreon.
It's an enhanced catching method:
If you love catching lots of Pokémon, you’ll love making sandwiches to gain more EXP for your Pokémon party.
This system works for any Pokémon at all levels, especially to expedite leveling up Pokémon at higher levels and with high EXP.
Advice:
Watch this video about the best sandwich recipes to make!
How to get ingredients, set up a picnic, and make a sandwich:
- To buy ingredients, go to any Delibird, Deli Ciosco, Artisan Bakery, or Sure Cans.
- Go to a large open area in the wild, slightly away from wild Pokémon.
- Press X and select Picnic.
- Walk forward to face the table and Press A.
- Make a sandwich! You can make a custom sandwich of your own or make an automatic sandwich.
- Intend to fight or catch the Pokémon type for Exp. Point Power.
If you don’t want to make a sandwich:
Visit an assortment of food marts in Mesagoza that offer dishes with Exp. Point Power effects:
- Every Wich Way
- Go-For-Broke Grill
- Kanto Crepes
- Baratos
- Artisan Bakers
- Seafood Fresco
- Sea Breeze Café
- Visit other cities to explore the markets that offer different meals with different Exp. Point Power effects.
5. Battle trainers as much as you can
Battling trainers idling in the wild can be useful for developing XP quickly. Defeating many trainers in one area might get you some prizes from a dressed-up man near Poké Rest Areas, such as a shell bell.
You should battle trainers early in the game because many trainers in the wild have low-level Pokémon. Use this method to level up the low-level Pokémon you’ve caught before you attempt any gym. There isn’t a limited supply of trainers.
Advice:
Open up as many fast travel points as possible to find all the battle trainers in one province.
Riding on Miraidon saves time compared to walking.
If you’re going to battle a trainer for the first time, you should at least aim to catch 25-30 Pokémon to raise your starting Pokémon’s EXP and level.
Allow yourself to evaluate your starter Pokémon and let them learn new and stronger moves.
How to battle trainers:
- Make sure you have the Pokémon you want in your party.
- The Pokémon in the first top box at your party will be the Pokémon you start with.
- Walk toward a trainer.
- Press A to begin the fight. You can’t run from the fight once you start.
- To have successful battles against trainers, prioritize your Pokémon to have moves that can land critical hits.
4. Attempt Gym Bosses or any Team Star Crew
Another way to farm EXP fast is to attempt Pokémon gyms or Team Star crew bases. When attempting a Team Star base, you will use auto-battle to defeat the entire gang before facing their gang leader. You must complete a test before facing any Pokémon gym.
Both methods will increase EXP with only the Pokémon in your party. During a gym boss battle, your Pokémon will develop EXP, and the Pokémon in your party will, too. The Pokémon you have in battle will gain slightly more EXP, especially when you land critical hits. Depending on how good you are in gyms, ideally, gyms should allow your Pokémon to build bulkier EXP to level up and learn new moves.
When facing any Team Star crew, your Pokémon will develop more EXP than a normal gym because you begin with auto-battling the crew. Then, your Pokémon will gain bulkier EXP when facing the gang leader, and it feels like a normal gym boss battle.
Advice:
When you become comfortable with the Pokémon you found and battled at least 10-20 trainers, you can immediately attempt the gyms and Team Star.
Before attempting the first gym, Cortondo, level up your Pokémon to level 15.
If you want to save time and cheat, the Pokémon that you need to face gyms are typically in that area and reflect the level of that gym.
There will always be alternate higher-level Pokémon that are worth building EXP.
How to attempt Gyms:
- Go to any Pokémon Gym, and talk to their front desk person.
- If it’s your first time going to a particular gym, you must participate in their tests before facing the gym leader.
- After completing the test, go to the gym and talk to the front desk again. The gym leader battle will begin.
How to attempt Team Star crew bases:
- Go to any of the Team Star crew bases.
- A Cassiopeia mission should appear, allowing you to start a Team Star mission.
- After that, you can go to any team star crew base.
- Make sure you have the 6 Pokémon you want.
- The top 3 Pokémon in your party will auto-battle the entire Team Star crew. There will be a time limit when you start.
- By wiping out the Team Star crew members' Pokémon, you must face the Team Star crew boss.
3. Farming Chancey’s by battling them.
When you take down 1 Chancey, your whole party boosts up together.
Many players try this method for all generation games, and many advanced players prefer it over others. It’s one of the easiest ways to farm EXP fast because defeating Chancey’s will boost your Pokémon party’s EXP together and double it. Chancey’s are usually easy Pokémon to beat, especially low-level ones.
Advice:
Find Chancey in North Providence Area 3.
Getting to North Providence Area 3 may be tricky when you haven’t upgraded Miraidon to unlock ALL its abilities, which are Dash, Swim, Jump, Glide, and Climb.
Getting these abilities early game helps you navigate Paldea’s map.
If desired, going to North Providence Area 3 is a doable early game, but it may take long.
At least have the swim and dash ability to go around the map instead of inland.
Swim from Poro Marinada to North Providence Area 3. It’s about a 3-minute swim.
Here’s a useful video about sandwich buffs for finding Chancey.
How it works:
- Use the auto battle function so your Pokémon can retrieve items that Chancey may drop.
- Start a battle with Chancey by walking toward it or scaring it with a Pokéball.
- Knock it out.
- All your Pokémon should earn XP of some sort.
2. Attempt Tera Raid Battles Online
Tera Raid Battles online are the best way to earn bulkier rewards, especially lots of M, L, or XL EXP candy. First, at your best, defeat as many easy Tera Raids offline. You can Tera Raid battle online at any time, even early game. They are much more enjoyable after completing the full story and completely leveling up your Pokemon.
Once you get comfortable offline, you’ll want to begin Tera Raiding online. Unlike offline Tera Raids, online Tera Raids (depending on star level) give you more rewards in your bag, and you may receive rare items that you can’t get offline. Special event raids will give much rarer awards, such as Sweet Hebra Mystica and sometimes Gold Bottle Caps.
The more you raid online, the more you will earn EXP candies. The EXP is manual, and you have to go to your bag and select the type of EXP and how much of it will go to your desired Pokémon.
Here’s an example of what you can earn after battling 6-star online Tera Raids:
Advice:
When choosing a Pokémon to raid with online, you should:
- Select one of your highest level Pokémon
- Choose a Pokémon with a Tera-Type that can counter the other tera type you’re battling
- Choose a Pokémon with a Type that can counter the type you’re battling
There are key powers your Pokémon should have:
1. A Held Item such as a Shell Bell, restoring a little HP to the user every time it inflicts damage with an attack.
2. A move to raise their Attack or Special Attack, such as Swords Dance.
3. A Defensive move, such as Helping Hand, Drain Punch, Rest, Protect, Detect
4. A Special Defense ability, such as Rain Dance, made for canceling harmful conditions from the Tera target including its abilities.
5A. A 75 power 100 accuracy 15 PP Attack or Special Attack stat, such as Dragon Claw. 5A is a move to build Tera charge early during a Tera Raid.
5B. Opt for a powerful Attacks such as Shadow Ball, designed for lowering Defense or the opposite to lower Attack. 5B is a move to combat the Tera target's stats.
5C. Opt for a heightened Attack in the 120/100 category, such as Future Sight or Reversal. 5C is a move to use when Pokémon has medium or low HP.
Online Tera Raid choices:
Tera Raid online with your friends through a shared code.
Or Tera Raid publically with random players through the Poké Portal.
You can also host a Tera Raid.
The general etiquette is that you are participating in the full Tera Raid.
If you bail during the raid, the game and Pokémon Company will punish you.
How to participate in Online Tera Raids:
- Press the X button.
- On the menu, select Poké Portal.
- Press L to connect to the Internet.
- A message will pop out informing you that you are connected to the internet.
- Option 1: Go to the Poké Portal to join a Tera Raid Battle. View the Tera Raid choices on the Bulletin Board. Join Random or search for a Link Code someone has sent you.
- Option 2: Exit the menu and host a Tera Raid battle by going to a Tera Crystal on the Paldea map.
- To host a Tera Raid, face a Tera Crystal.
- Choose your Pokémon first.
- Press on Challenge as a group.
Requirements for official Pokémon special event raids:
- Complete the story, which includes the victory road quest, and become champion.
- Throughout your journey in the game, defeat 15 of 5-Star Tera Raid battles in Paldea to unlock 6 Star Tera Raid battles.
- It's recommended that you organize your caught 5 Star Tera Raid Pokémon in a designated box. You never know when they’ll come in handy.
- After you defeat many 5-Star Tera Raids, and defeat all the Paldea gyms for the second time, go to the Academy Ace Tournament.
- The Academy Ace Tournament is a non-stop battle. Prepare with high-level Pokémon.
- After winning the tournament, Jaques will call you, and 6-star tera raids are unlocked.
- Now, you can join official online Pokémon special events such as Tera Raid Battles and Ranked Battles.
1. Buy All EXP and Rare Candy at Blueberry Academy’s School Store.
You can buy EXP and Rare Candy at Blueberry Academy’s School Store.
First, you must buy The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC for your specified edition, Scarlet or Violet. Unfortunately, you must also complete Paldea’s full story and the Teal Mask DLC to make the Indigo Disc available in your game.
This EXP-earning method is meant to progress through the Indigo Disc’s story. It’s also meant for online raids or battles because you don’t want to spend much time leveling up your Pokémon. It’s an extremely manual method: You need to go into your bag and select the Pokémon you want to level up. Once you make it to the Indigo Disc, this is the ultimate and fastest way.
Advice and how to do it:
1. Buy the Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC. It’s $34.99 in the Nintendo eShop.
2. Finish Paldea’s full story and the Teal Mask story.
3. Enter Blueberry Academy and start the tutorial stage.
4. In the Terarium, catch 6 Blueberry Academy Pokémon.
5. Before entering Blueberry Academy’s School Store, gain BP by attempting some BBQ quests.
What are BBQ quests?
BBQ quests are random missions that only occur in Blueberry Academy’s terrarium. They reward you with BP (battle points). Examples include catching or taking photos of Pokémon or auto-battling them. Plan to earn 100 or more BP.
6. After earning some BP, go to Savanna Rest Area 1 and walk up the incline toward the elevator. From the elevator, select the School Store.
7. Talk to the cashier in the School Store and level up the Blueberry Academy Pokémon you just caught!
8. You may want to do this late in the game because it will help you progress through the story of Blueberry Academy. The Pokémon Company releases challenging and fun 7-8 Star Mightiest Mark Tera Raids.
9.Depending on whether you have the Scarlet or Violet edition, after completing Blueberry Academy, you can catch legendaries that can assist in 8-Star Mightiest Mark Tera Raids.
I'm going to evovle Squirtle with my Exp. Candy now, but thanks for reading!
