So I'm currently playing through Pokemon Violet and I am enjoying. However, I've noticed something during my playthrough semi-recently that I've noticed whenever I play any Pokemon game: the level progression. Now in Pokemon Violet, it's open-world and also up to the player as to what path they take and what order they complete certain events in.
In any case, I've been following IGN's guide on the game and have completed (in this order) Cortondo Gym (Bug), Open Sky Titan (Flying), Team Star's Giacomo (Dark), Artazon Gym (Grass), Stony Cliff Titan (Rock), and Levincia Gym (Electric). The guide recommends that I go up against Team Star's Mela (Fire) next, so I'm currently working on leveling up a team of Water-type Pokemon. Most of them average at about level 20. The guide however recommends that I be at level 27 with my Pokemon. I'm trying my hardest but every time I load up the game, I'm hit with the constant feel that I have to go level up and I can't go do the next thing in game. It feels stifling, and this isn't the first time I've felt this while playing a Pokemon game. While doing a Nuzlocke challenge, I decided that I would literally invent a rule that says I could hack in Rare Candies to level up my Pokemon if grinding gets too boring and annoying.
Has anyone else felt this? I want to love one of my favorite franchises and keep playing the games, but I also don't want to boot them up and feel like I'm dragging a rock in a sack down the road.
I feel like something odd is going on. Are you exploring much and capturing wild pokemon? I haven't played the latest gen but Let's Go, Shield, and Legends Arceus were all very difficult to not get over leveled in most of the time. I tend to spend a lot of time running around and trying to get at least one of every species that I come across. The team wide experience can really get you over leveled fast unless you are rotating mons on your team frequently.
I've been trying to explore here and there and I'm doing the same thing with catching one of every 'mon I come across (with the exception of the Terra types). I've been doing Terra raids as well as trying to fight trainers when I can but since the game makes it easy to ignore trainers and with my upbringing of always being stopped by trainers at the worst time, I tend to skip them. As for rotation, I've really only been rotating my team based on type (e.g. I used my fire starter to beat Artazon, I used Fairy 'mons to beat Giacomo, etc.).
Are you using the XP candy from those raids? They can give a big chunk early on. You can also find some by exploring. I had the opposite problem throughout most of the game to be honest but I was catching a lot. Didn't follow recommended order very much but still.
I am, but currently, I've only been getting smalls and extra-smalls, not mediums or larges. Perhaps it's the location of the raid battles that makes them low-level 🤷