Get all the EXP you need
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet break from series tradition and allow you to explore its world as you’d like. While it’s fun to carve your own path, it’s easy to encounter high-level Pokemon much earlier than normal. In other words, you might find yourself in need of gaining levels.
You can always explore lower-level areas in cases like this. The three core story paths can be completed simultaneously, so you can explore in a different direction if one area is giving you trouble. Trainer battles are another great source of experience if you’re struggling. Pokemon League Representatives will hang around many Pokemon Centers across Paldea, and they will reward you with TMs after you defeat a certain number of trainers in an area. You’ll want to complete these objectives anyway, so use it as an opportunity to strengthen your party!
Beyond that, you might be tempted to grind wild Pokemon battles to farm EXP. On one hand, if you want to fill out your Pokedex, you will need to seek new Pokemon anyway. You can also let a Pokemon auto battle by pressing the R button, which you can passively do while you watch a movie. That said, if you want to grind EXP fast, one option stands far above the others.
Spam those Tera Raid Battles
Tera Raid Battles give so much EXP that they blow your other options out of the water. If you haven’t tried Tera Raid Battles, you can find them by looking for elemental icons on your map. In solo play, you’ll be tasked with defeating an outlined monster with three AI companions. If you enable online mode by pressing L in the main menu, you can opt to have players around the world help you. Everyone who participates gets rewards, so take all the help you can get!
While Tera Raid Battles don’t give direct EXP, you’ll receive a slew of candies and rare items to use on your Pokemon. In other words, use your most powerful Pokemon, regardless of who needs levels. If you want to hop in a raid battle fast, enter the Poke Portal from your main menu. Select “Tera Raid Battle” and you’ll be able to join others hosting specific fights. If you have trouble entering a specific encounter, select the “Random” option to get into battle faster.
Virtually all content in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet will reward you in some fashion. Even taking classes at the academy will reward you with EXP candy. No matter how you choose to level up, make sure you have fun doing it.
