Experience Curve and Intended Sources

[Devalue]

Usually ensures a minimum amount of experience in the games through enemy trainers. Battles you on your path to the next location. Changed that in Scarlet/Violet, though. Initiates battles with trainers by talking with them.

Brings up the question: where are you expected to get experience from besides gym leaders, Team Star, and the Titan Pokemon? Could still have a few forced fights, such as against Nemona. Is it expected to beat up tons of random Pokemon and the occasional trainer? Do Tera Raids give out good experience? Or will bouncing between major battles provide enough experience?

One data point: Brassius's level 17 Sudowoodo. Plans on you getting a decent amount of experience somehow or another.

 

[Xander Olivieri]

I would think, they still expect us to battle trainers, even though they allow us to willingly ignore them. Wild battles and Let's Go mode may be another expected method since we'll need to beat Pokemon to collect items to create TMs or other things.

From most of what I have seen, the game is running under the same general ideals they always have been, but giving players more control on how they tackle their own playthroughs.

 

[Sweet Serenity]

I feel that you'd get experience in the same way you do in previous games, such as from trainer battles and from wild Pokémon. Instead, this time around, you would do so on your own leisure rather than being forced to. For example, in many Pokémon games, when traveling through routes, most trainers are often positioned in ways that make it impossible for you to avoid battling them. Also, many routes have tall grass that you're required to walk through, which technically forces a wild Pokémon battle without Repel. Now, you have the option to ignore route trainers, not have random encounters in tall grass anymore due to Pokémon appearing in the overworld, and the ability to fight wild Pokémon and challenge gym leaders at your own pace. You're still able to get experience no differently than before, but you tell your own story as you do it. That's amazing to me.