[B/W] Train in Vain

[Mistyb89]

I know exactly what you mean and it seems that they are leveling up ALOT quicker. I actually just started White for the first time the other day and compared to the other 6 games I have, I was actually able to level my whole party equally in this one. Ive always tried to do that in the past but it would always take way too long, so my starter Pokemon would always be always be 5-10-even 15 levels higher than the other Pokemon in my party. White isn't like that at all, I'm able to level them all up fairly quickly too.

[CycloneGU]

It won't seem that way once you get a few levels above them. Notice the experience gained is now a complicated formula, not a set number for each Pokémon and level. One battle with a wild Audino on Route 11 in the post-E4 could be worth 5,500 XP or 3,000 XP; your Pokémon's level dictates that, and the higher it is, the lower the number.

Cyclone

[Forever]

Originally Posted by oshawottlover13

when i was playing my black version, i realized the my pokemon were getting at high levels real easily. i would battle people with pokemon under my level and my pokemon were getting to the next pokemon in the first three pokemon. it makes me think that now it easier to level them up. i traded my pokemon from my platinum to my black and my azelf was level 89 and it got up to level 90 before the day was over on the game.

what are your thoughts about it?

While it isn't 100% the same question, a lot of people in this thread are having similar answers and rather than having a separate thread on it, I feel it fits in perfectly fine with this thread due to the type of answers you'll receive, and the fact that this thread in particular is based on training.

[Brendino]

While I didn't find much difficulty with the Gyms, I didn't quite expect the Elite Four to be as good as they were (and I actually lost an in-game battle for the first time since Sapphire when I faced Ghetsis after the Elite Four).

After the Elite Four, though, is a different story. Obviously, I was curious to look around in the new parts of the map, and I didn't think much about training before I went there. Just going on Route 15, I ended up facing a trainer with level 65 Pokemon, which were more than 10 levels higher than my best.

[Whallan]

I was always a couple levels below the Gym leaders and the E4, I always managed to beat them though. My friends pokemon at the same point in the games were always 6-10 levels higher than mine

[Cerberus87]

The games themselves are becoming more and more difficult, since the DS has better AI and the Pokémon have better movesets. However, in BW I was overleveled most of the time, even without the Lucky Egg!

Audinos help take on the Elite Four and N/Ghetsis on equal footing, but it still takes a bit longer than desired.

[chella182]

Originally Posted by Cerberus87

The games themselves are becoming more and more difficult, since the DS has better AI and the Pokémon have better movesets. However, in BW I was overleveled most of the time, even without the Lucky Egg!

Audinos help take on the Elite Four and N/Ghetsis on equal footing, but it still takes a bit longer than desired.

This pretty much, although I didn't use Audinos that much; I'm too impatient to find them haha.

[voltianqueen]

I'm underleveled in every game, but even so I thought BW was really easy O_O I pretty much breezed right through everything..

[Kaori]

I'm always one to train ahead of the levels found in the area I'm located in, so I never really have a problem. The game was a breeze for me unfortunately, but that would be my fault since I overtrain. :p

[Plumpyfoof]

I sort of accidentally have a tendency to trade my team over to someone else and get them to take them through the E4 so that they get to about level 40 or so by the third gym. I like feeling superior to the rest of the Pokemon world.
I'll admit, my strategy leaves the games feeling empty. For example I've clocked up almost 160 hours on White so far which is far more time than I've ever bothered with any other game and I still don't have any level 100's simply because they get to about 90 or so and I just keep them there in my party as back-up.
But when I was playing the in-game storyline I got my Servine up to level 23 and i had a Roggenrola, a Whirlipede and a Timburr. I temporarily traded them to my friend who took them through the E4 twice each and they came back at level 45ish to which I just swept through the game without a scratch from Team Plasma.

There was no drama or anything being over levelled, I think I'll try and make the most of White 2 by not training them to level 50 before the game hah!

[NecrumWarrior]

I'm almost always under leveled when I play a new Pokemon game, 'cause I don't know what level to expect. I also wind up switching Pokemon a lot when I find something I like more, and much grinding ensues. I must admit that I really hate grinding, but I hate giving up more.

[FrostPheonix]

Was kinda easy IMO. The Psychic E4 was a bit hard, but other than that it was really easy. Especially the fights with Ghetsis and N... Reshiram went down kinda quick. the Gyms were generally underleveled or the same level compared to me.

[Pokemon_Geek]

The new EXP system is one of the few criticisms I have towards the game. I already despise level grinding(Pokemon isn't as bad as some RPGs are about it, but I still hate that most of my hours are put into training instead of the actual story). The fact that good bit of the Unova pokemon evolve at high levels makes this even more frustrating. I know about Audino and that I'll eventually get the Exp. Share, but still.

I don't know if I still need to get more used it or not, but I prefer the old system.

[CycloneGU]

The Exp. Share comes extremely early in this game. Spend your time hunting Audinos in the outer Pinwheel Forest area; that tends to be a great spot to hang out leveling up, since Route 4 on the other side of Castelia City is sand. You can get the Exp. Share from the Battle Company before even challenging Burgh. After beating him, head through Route 4 and into Nimbasa, earn a Bike by beating some idiots, then heal and head to Route 5 to continue the Audino hunt with an Exp. Share attached to a weaker Pokémon.

I am just getting ready to start using mine in SoulSilver right now; that one needed a minimum of four badges, but I chose to do it in five (putting off Olivine's badge until later).

Cyclone

[Psystar63]

I struggled a bit with the first gym with those Lillipups constantly using Work up. I spent a bit of time grinding there. The rest of the gyms were fine. The Elite Four would have been tough, but I made sure to grind my Zweilous so that it would evolve into Hydreigon before I challenged them. I'm pretty sure its been the highest level Pokemon I've had to beat the E4 first time round (lv 64). Gen 5 has a lot of Pokemon that evolve at high levels, so it was an added incentive for me to level grind my Pokemon.

[Pokemon_Geek]

I wasn't expecting to get 2 Exp. Shares and an early Lucky Egg. The game gets a lot easier after Elesa and I've barely had to grind at all(I've even been a few levels higher than the gym leaders).

Right now, I'm training to fight Drayden since this is the first time I've never had an ice attack on my water pokemon(Good Lord, are the store bought TMs expensive in this game. I won't get the ones I want until after I beat the Elite Four) and I don't have Reshiram yet. I was also plan to grind for Ghetsis(I try not to get too spoiled for my games but I have read so many stories on TV Tropes about how hard that old man is with his hacked Hydreigon).

I'm relieved because I was about to go buy an Action Replay(my old one broke), but I still don't like this new Exp. system. Still, it's not completely bad since it is great for training weaker pokemon so that they can catch up with rest of your team.

[CycloneGU]

Originally Posted by Pokemon_Geek

I wasn't expecting to get 2 Exp. Shares and an early Lucky Egg. The game gets a lot easier after Elesa and I've barely had to grind at all(I've even been a few levels higher than the gym leaders).

Right now, I'm training to fight Drayden since this is the first time I've never had an ice attack on my water pokemon(Good Lord, are the store bought TMs expensive in this game. I won't get the ones I want until after I beat the Elite Four) and I don't have Reshiram yet. I was also plan to grind for Ghetsis(I try not to get too spoiled for my games but I have read so many stories on TV Tropes about how hard that old man is with his hacked Hydreigon).

I'm relieved because I was about to go buy an Action Replay(my old one broke), but I still don't like this new Exp. system. Still, it's not completely bad since it is great for training weaker pokemon so that they can catch up with rest of your team.

The beauty of the new system is that an Audino battle with a weak (Lv.1) Pokémon leading while holding the Lucky Egg will net it over 10,000 EXP for its own share. It's possible to hit Lv.25 from this. I've done it. It can have its problems for Pokémon that evolve and only learn a certain move evolving at a certain level (see: Zorua to Zoroark and Night Slash for instance, only at Lv.30 and cannot learn evolving at 31 or later).

Cyclone

[Forever]

Originally Posted by Pokemon_Geek

I wasn't expecting to get 2 Exp. Shares and an early Lucky Egg. The game gets a lot easier after Elesa and I've barely had to grind at all(I've even been a few levels higher than the gym leaders).

Nor was I, it made it a lot easier to play through the rest of the game having the Lucky Egg there. But tbh it really isn't because they wanted to be nice but rather due to the exp system changes. Even so levelling up for things wasn't that hard in the first place since I overgrinded early on anyway so... yeah.

[CycloneGU]

Originally Posted by Requility

Nor was I, it made it a lot easier to play through the rest of the game having the Lucky Egg there. But tbh it really isn't because they wanted to be nice but rather due to the exp system changes.

That's not accurate. Until Unova, Lucky Eggs were only happened upon via wild Chanseys with a 5% chance of them holding one (can you say "Thief", anyone?). The Chansey line was not available in the Black version of the game; while they still can hold Lucky Eggs, Black players would be forced to rely on trading to acquire one. Therefore, Juniper was made to provide the first-ever Lucky Egg item not found on a wild Chansey. More can be found on Route 13 via the treasure guy.

Cyclone

[Forever]

Originally Posted by CycloneGU

That's not accurate. Until Unova, Lucky Eggs were only happened upon via wild Chanseys with a 5% chance of them holding one (can you say "Thief", anyone?). The Chansey line was not available in the Black version of the game; while they still can hold Lucky Eggs, Black players would be forced to rely on trading to acquire one. Therefore, Juniper was made to provide the first-ever Lucky Egg item not found on a wild Chansey. More can be found on Route 13 via the treasure guy.

Cyclone

Not really. Other version exclusives like more evolution stones are found in Black City, something White has to work for, plus each have more version exclusives in general. The fact that the exp system changed meant you needed to use the Lucky Egg more than you would before, so even still I'd put that down to the grinding thing, rather than the Chansey line not being able to be obtained in Black.

[CycloneGU]

My comment was not arguing the experience system per se; it was exclusively in discussion of the Lucky Egg item and its rate of appearance in Black/White (one guaranteed without meeting a Chansey). Personally, I don't have that other experience with stones in Black City other than the Moon Stone.

Cyclone

[Hikari10]

I guess the reason behind the tweaking of the EXP system was to encourage players to use the Lucky Egg, and remember this is the first game where you can obtain a Lucky Egg outside of wild Chansey (although you don't see them in the wild in this game unless if you're playing White, so it is sort of fitting).

I mean, training is often a blast for me when I equip the Lucky Egg on something. And it's nice you can get extra Lucky Eggs from the guy on Route 13, it's so nice they made them easier to obtain.

[TNTrice2012]

i have found that going in the grass for a hr after each gym really helps and just leveling on the grass

[PlatinumDude]

I found B/W at around the same difficulty as the past games because I rarely use the Pokemon near a gym to completely dominate; I like a bit of a challenge. That, and I prefer using certain Pokemon in a team.

[Wobbachomp]

Nope, I found it just as easy as all the other Pokemon games.