Exp Share Fire Red and LeafGreen: Where to Find it

This post was last updated on September 1, 2023

If you’ve ever played a Pokemon game, you know that leveling up is hard work. Fortunately, you’ll gain experience faster with an exp share. In this article, we’ll discuss where to get an exp share in Fire Red, how to use it, and more.

What is an Exp Share in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen?

The Experience Share, a.k.a. Exp Share, is a held item in Pokemon games that allows your pokemon to gain experience even when they’re not battling.

The way an Exp Share works has changed from game to game. Here are some of the different versions of the Exp Share you might be familiar with:

• Generation I: Experience earned is split among all party members.
• Generation II: Exp Share becomes a held item. 50% of the experience and stat experience is split among pokémon who participated in the battle; 50% is split among pokémon holding the Exp Share.
• Generation III – V: Exp Share only divides experience.
• Generation VI – VII: Exp Share becomes a key item. When it’s toggled on, all party members receive a portion of the experience.

Since we’re discussing Pokémon Fire Red, we’re concerned with the Generation III mechanics of the Exp Share.

Exp Share in Pokemon Fire Red

In Pokemon Firered, the Exp Share is a held item. Technically, you can receive multiple through trading or cheat codes, but generally, you will only receive one through in-game methods.

To be very clear, the Exp Share in Pokémon Firered works as follows

If any non-fainted Pokémon in the party holds an Exp. Share, the total experience earned when an opposing Pokémon faints is split in half, with 50% evenly distributed between all non-fainted Pokémon who participated in the battle and 50% evenly distributed between all non-fainted Pokémon holding an Exp. Share. EVs are awarded to any pokemon who get the exp from that battle.

So, if 100 experience points were rewarded and one pokemon held an Exp Share while a different pokemon fought in the battle, each would gain 50 exp.

Exp Share in Fire Red ROM Hacks

Since Pokemon Firered is one of the most frequently hacked GBA games, there are many different ways that the Exp Share might be incorporated. Some will give you the exp through a key item, like in gens VI – VII, while others might keep it as a held item.

For example, while Pokemon Unbound is a ROM hack of Fire Red, it does not incorporate an actual Exp Share item. Instead, it provides a setting in the options menu for how pokemon get exp.

You can allow pokemon to get the exp as if an Exp Share were toggled on, or you can set it so only pokemon in battle get exp. You can even set a level cap, but we won’t get into that here.

Where Do You Get the Exp Share in Pokemon Fire Red?

In Pokemon Fire Red, the Exp Share is a held item provided to you by one of Professor Oak’s aides. This aide can be found on the second floor of the building between Route 15 and Fuchsia City.

In order to recieve the Exp Share, you’ll need to have caught 50 different species of pokémon. While this might be a breeze in other games, 50 pokémon is 1/3 of the available pokémon in the entire region.

Since we don’t get access to Gen II – III pokémon until defeating the Elite Four and receiving the National Dex, you’ll have to really ‘catch em’ all’ if you want to be able to get exp through an Exp Share earlier in your game.

Even with 50 pokemon caught, the Exp Share still comes to you after you’ve taken down a minimum of four gyms. This puts you halfway through the main story, and means you’ll likely have some quite strong pokémon already.

Catching Enough Pokemon

If you don’t have 50 pokemon by the time you encounter Professor Oak’s aide, don’t worry. Luckily, this aide is right outside of Fuchsia City, home to the safari zone.

While this might not seem directly related, it’s most certainly designed this way on purpose. The Safari Zone is home to 21 different species of pokémon. This should be more than enough for you to fill out what you need of your dex.

If you still need some more pokémon, be sure to go collect any gift and trade pokemon. You can also surf once you’ve defeated Koga (the Fuchsia City gym leader), so head south on Route 19 and you’ll be able to get some previously inaccessible water pokémon.

Alternatives to the Exp Share

Since the Experience Share comes so late in Fire Red, many trainers wonder how they can get exp faster to train up for the earlier gym battles. Grinding through a bunch of wild pokémon certainly can’t be the best option, right?

Of course not! If you want your pokémon to level up faster or if you simply don’t feel like going through the pain of catching 50 pokémon, you can get your hands on the Vs. Seeker.

This item, which you can receive from this Ace Trainer in the Vermillion City Pokémon Center, lets you battle trainers an unlimited amount of times.

What’s more, these trainers will get stronger depending on your gym progression, so you’ll be able to get plenty of experience without having to fuss about Professor Oak’s lifelong mission, or having to wait for Fuchsia City.

Experience Share Cheat Code

If none of the above sounds appealing, don’t worry. You can always cheat a little bit to make games in the Pokémon series more palatable.

Here is the code for you:

82025840 00B6

Simply apply this Gameshark code and then withdraw the item from your PC.

Go Get That Experience

The Exp Share is an incredibly useful item, even if it’s a bit hard to grab in Pokemon Fire Red. Fortunately, once you make your way to Fuschia City you’ll be able to get all the ridiculously strong pokemon you want with ease.