Can I get a quick rundown on how to use the "not share xp with inactive members" exploit?

[Timbermaw]

Hello, I started a new playthrough on Hard yesterday and reached a wall on Hosilla, the water elementals and the earth elementals inside shield maze.

I've been reading and besides using all sorts of kiting and other cheese, optimal builds, etc., people mention the xp share option to try and get level 3 before this fight, but I'm not sure how it works to prevent getting a party member later with no xp.
For instance, before you recruit lann and wendu, should this thing be set to share or to not share? And after wendu or lann decides to accompany in the maze, I guess I remove shared xp but then later on act 3 or 5 or whenever Lann decides to join, won't he be level 2 when I finally recruit him, as someone said you can end up having both later in the game?

Is that something to be worried about?

[Soul]

gimme a sec.... it'll take me some time to break it down....

[Timbermaw]

Thank ya!

[kaymarciy]

If you have Shared XP enabled, all your companions will have exactly 1/6 of total XP - this includes both active and benched members. So, you may have three thousands benched companions and each will get 1/6 of XP for the total of five hundreds more XP than base value. This allows all your companions to level up equally, so that they don't lag behind during personal quests etc. This is what this game was balanced around

If you disable Shared XP, benched companion will recieve no XP, while active companions will _really_ share the pool. So in a party of 6 characters each one will get 1/6, in a party of 4 characters each one will get 1/4 and if running solo you usurp all experience, greatly overleveleing early locations and breaking map design.

[Soul]

alright.... when starting the game make sure to turn XP SHARE OFF..... then when you reach Seelah and Anevia go through dialogue like normal.... till it reaches the point instead of continue it says "end dialogue".... before clicking it press escape and go switch XP SHARE ON... the go back out and click end dialogue.... thats when she joins party and matches your level.... then go back to options and switch back XP SHARE OFF.... and meet up with Cam... same once it reaches end dialogue press escape and switch to XP SHARE ON.... then end dialogue.... she'll join party and match level of you and Seelah... then go back and switch XP SHARE OFF.... and keep moving on.... once you reach Lann and Wenduag and finish first conversation where you offer to help find sword is where you would hit level 2 after finishing talking to them.... at least on normal with increased enemies it does for me... moving on find the sword and do all the dialogue there and when it shows end dialogue go ahead and flip XP SHARE ON.... they'll both join same level and then flip XP SHARE OFF.... and you keep it in that state till you recruit your next companion till you reach 6 party members total.... because game only divides xp between 6 as default...

and that sums up how to maximize the XP gain in the prologue portion.... I could go on longer for more if you are interested.... how I maximize outside the caves and by time I start tavern defense im level 6 and start Act 2 im like right there at level 7 from a lil more xp checking on camp before talking to the queen....

[Soul]

as for water elemental fight.... there is a way to make it super easy barely an inconvenience.... first turn on RTWP mode..... and I just put all my party members with ranged weapons and park em outside the room.... I sneak my main into the room and wait for it to be far enough away that I can get my main by the table in the back like a barrier... then I fire my crossbow at the water elemental.... it tries to attack and focus on my main.... and while me and him play ring around the rosy.... my other companions will enter room and fire away from safety..... if your having trouble you could use cam to cast evil eye and she'll still be safe...

all im doing is just running around the table playing tag essentially that fight...

[Timbermaw]

Originally posted by Soul:

alright.... when starting the game make sure to turn XP SHARE OFF..... then when you reach Seelah and Anevia go through dialogue like normal.... till it reaches the point instead of continue it says "end dialogue".... before clicking it press escape and go switch XP SHARE ON... the go back out and click end dialogue.... thats when she joins party and matches your level.... then go back to options and switch back XP SHARE OFF.... and meet up with Cam... same once it reaches end dialogue press escape and switch to XP SHARE ON.... then end dialogue.... she'll join party and match level of you and Seelah... then go back and switch XP SHARE OFF.... and keep moving on.... once you reach Lann and Wenduag and finish first conversation where you offer to help find sword is where you would hit level 2 after finishing talking to them.... at least on normal with increased enemies it does for me... moving on find the sword and do all the dialogue there and when it shows end dialogue go ahead and flip XP SHARE ON.... they'll both join same level and then flip XP SHARE OFF.... and you keep it in that state till you recruit your next companion till you reach 6 party members total.... because game only divides xp between 6 as default...

and that sums up how to maximize the XP gain in the prologue portion.... I could go on longer for more if you are interested.... how I maximize outside the caves and by time I start tavern defense im level 6 and start Act 2 im like right there at level 7 from a lil more xp checking on camp before talking to the queen....

Ok that was plenty clear enough already, thank you. Hopefully I'll only need to use it in the starter dungeon

Originally posted by kaymarciy:

This is what this game was balanced around

I honestly don't believe the game was balanced around anything much less tested at all if you try playing on hard or unfair

[Deo]

Originally posted by Timbermaw:

people mention the xp share option to try and get level 3 before this fight

It's quite easy. As soon as you start a game, go in options and turn on "Only active party members recieve xp". Then you are talking to Seelah, and do a skill check, and when you see "End dialogue button" DO NOT press it. Press Esc, go in options and turn off "Only active party members recieve xp". Then press "End dialogue button". This way a party member - Seelah, will have your full xp.

Then, as soon as she is in party - go in options and turn on "Only active party members recieve xp". You do the same in dialogue with Camelia.

When you see the vision of Angel later, before recruiting Lann and Catgirl - do the same. Before closing dialogue turn off "Only active party members recieve xp". After that, turn it on until you will recruit new party member in Defender's Heart.

I could describe whole way of getting level 6 on all characters before Gray Garrison, but it's already a long write.

[canuck250]

you basically want to do as much as you can with just 4 party members in act 1, so do not get woljif or ember. You can get a lot done on unfair, once you get the neino encounter, the bonus xp trick is over, now you can go recruit everyone.

[ChaosDancer]

I also want to add, if your main character is martial and at least a little optimised what you want to do after you reach the tavern is remove everyone from your party and try to solo as many encounters as you can, it's a little tedious but an extra or two level works wonders in the beginning of the game.