Palworld Beginner Guide: Master Survival, Exploration, and Pals

Palworld is somewhere between Pokémon, Breath of the Wild, and Rust. This quirky and surprisingly deep creature-collecting survival game can overwhelm new players with its sheer number of intertwining systems. 

This guide provides an overview of the game mechanics so you can start quickly in Palworld!

Understanding the Basics

World Settings

Before starting a new save, take advantage of Palworld’s difficulty settings. They range from super-relaxed with no hunger to survival modes where everything wants to end you.

Tweak these to your heart’s content. Remember, games are supposed to be fun, so choose the most appealing options. You can always try new settings by adjusting before loading your world, so feel free to experiment!

This guide assumes you’ll have hunger, limited stamina, and dangerous creatures, so keep that in mind as we go.

Palworld Technology

As you level up, you’ll unlock access to more powerful items. The technology tree displays unlocks by character level. 

Interestingly, not all technology is created equally. You’ll notice a cost on each upgrade that displays the number of technology points or ancient technology points required to purchase the upgrade. You gain technology points by leveling up, and you gain ancient technology points by finding fast travel locations.

I recommend going for utility instead of aesthetics when spending technology points. For example, the shield (more on this in the next section) is significantly more helpful than having a bookshelf. Players will typically have more technology points than you can spend at a given level, but try to purchase the items that give an immediate in-game benefit first.

Player Stats in Palworld

You’ll find an overview of your character attributes in the inventory screen. This screen displays valuable data like health, hunger, and stats.

Stats are how you customize your character in Palworld:

• Health – affects your number of hit points. The more health you have, the more damage you can take without dying.
• Stamina – effectively your endurance in Palworld. It’s used for everything from sprinting to climbing to chopping down tress.
• Attack – this stat impacts the amount of damage you do on enemies.
• Defense – a higher defense rating means you’ll take less damage from each hit.
• Work Speed – impacts how quickly you can complete construction of things when building.
• Weight – how much weight your character can hold before becoming encumbered. 

You should put a few points into weight early on to prevent becoming encumbered while scavenging. Then, look to increase your stamina to make it easier to run away from encounters, climb higher, and perform tasks for longer. Finally, start pumping points into health since you need good survivability when battling the higher-level pals.

Shields

I made the mistake of ignoring shields in my first playthrough because they looked like deployed consumables, similar to Gibraltar’s bubble in Apex Legends. This was a big mistake.

Think of shields as backup overhealth. When equipped, you’ll see several blue bars above your health bar. This shield health can absorb damage from enemies, and it will recover after not taking any damage for some time.

The first shield is available at technology level 4 and requires 2 points to unlock. It is a literal lifesaver in Palworld and will prevent several unnecessary deaths.

Navigating Palworld

Dodging

While shields help, they’re not foolproof. Dodging is essential, and unlike games like Dark Souls, you can chain multiple rolls together without much stamina cost. 

This movement option is especially helpful against bosses, where one attack can easily cause you to lose a good portion of health. Luckily, the attacks in Palworld are fairly predictable, so you’ll know when a big attack is incoming based on the animations of the enemy Pal.

Get used to dancing around attacks to stay alive longer!

Climbing

You can climb most things in Palworld, so use this liberally. Palworld often rewards finding secret high places with resources and rare pals.

You’ll often find Effigies (more on these later) scattered on cliff sides as you explore. Before you get a flying mount, climbing up and down cliffs is your best bet for securing these valuable collectibles. 

Since climbing duration depends on stamina, you may need to take a break on big climbs to regain this resource. As you scale tall surfaces, look for flat surfaces where you can stop for a breather.

The Glider

Don’t let its flimsy name fool you; the glider is clutch! This hang-glider lets you travel faster than on foot, cross chasms, and escape ticked-off Pals. 

You’ll likely find yourself using this to cover a bunch of ground after jumping off a high surface. This Palworld game mechanic relies on stamina to use the glider, so pay close attention to your stamina bar while moving through the air. You can also jump off high cliffs and then deploy the glider just before you hit the ground to avoid taking fall damage.

It’s always worth crafting one before serious exploration.

The Compass

It may seem basic, but your compass shows not just directions but also quest objectives, dungeon locations, and even powerful creatures. Need help? Look at the top of your screen to quickly see the direction of the nearest point of interest.

The Map

Palworld features numerous environments to discover! As you explore, more of your map will become visible.

Players can place markers on the map to remember key spots. I suggest doing this for resource deposits (ore, sulfur, coal), locations of rare pals, and anywhere else you’d like to revisit later.

Paldeck

Don’t confuse this with your inventory. The Paldeck is the equivalent of a Pokedex from Pokemon. It’ll show you all the Pals you’ve encountered and captured throughout your journey.

You can select a Pal to see its stats, abilities, and even common locations. The latter is helpful for taking advantage of the EXP bonus you receive from catching up to 10 of the same Pal.

Of course, you’ll want to catch ‘em all to be the ultimate Pal master. At the time of writing, there are currently 137 Pals to discover and capture. 26 of these Pals are variants of existing Pals, with some unique features to set them apart from the original Pal.

Pals: The Heart of Palworld

Capturing your very first Pal is similar to throwing a Pokeball. In Palworld, you need to lower a creature’s health or inflict them with a status effect like sleep or paralysis. 

At the start of the journey, you’ll be surrounded by low-level Pals who can be easily captured. As you encounter higher-level Pals, the capture rate will decrease slightly to accompany the increased power level. That’s where Effigies come in!

Palworld Effigies

Lifmunk Effigies are glowing green statuses of Lifmunks scattered around the map. You can offer these items to a Statue of Power to increase your ability to capture wild Pals.

The higher you increase this ability, the greater your capture chance goes up. It’s important to pick these up whenever you spot one. They are easier to spot at night and you can view them from fairly far away, especially when riding a flying Pal.

Box Organization

While you get the hang of capture mechanics, don’t forget about your boxes! You probably noticed that you run out of carry space in Palworld shockingly fast.

Boxes should be placed strategically around your base. Build them near workbenches, lumber mills, mining areas, and your feed box to ensure your character is never too far away from a storage option.

Gotta Recruit ‘Em All? Not Exactly

In Palworld, there’s only a need to go full-on collector if that’s your thing. Pals have personalities, special abilities, and rarities like in other collectible creature games. But they also serve vital functions:

• Builders: You won’t get far without pals capable of construction. Look for those little hammer icons!
• Farmers: Pals can plant, water, and harvest your crops. Sustainable food means better adventures.
• Defenders: Some Pals act as guards for your base or for when you’re mining ore in a dangerous patch.
• Mounts: Forget walking everywhere. Mountable Pals (they’re clearly marked) make you faster and give a combat edge.

Capturing Humans

Before you ask, yes, you can technically “capture” those human poachers witha carefully thrown Palsphere. However, enslaving those poor NPCs in Palworld might not be the most…ethical playstyle. Sure, they work hard, but there are moral questions, even in a video game!

Leveling Up and Survival in Palworld

XP Bonuses in Palworld

Every little thing you do grants some XP. Gathering berries? Yep. Tossing those berries into a campfire? That, too! Palworld rewards constant activity, so don’t feel like you have to grind on one type of enemy only.

XP Sharing

Pals near you gain some XP even if they didn’t participate in the fight. Use this to quickly level up a weaker, freshly captured Pal without putting them in direct danger.

Hatching Eggs

You might find rare Pal eggs on your adventures in Palworld. Hatching them takes time and sometimes warmth (usually from a campfire). It’s worth the wait when you get a powerful or unique Pal you may not otherwise encounter.

Base Building: Automation is Key

Don’t be fooled by the simple-looking menus; base building in Palworld can get surprisingly complex.  Think less Minecraft and more Factorio-lite. It revolves around efficiency and getting your Pals to do most of the hard work.

• Production Chains: Many craftable items require raw materials and intermediate steps. For example, a simple pistol needs metal ingots, but those ingots must first be processed from raw ore.
• Pal Assignment: Each building can have assigned Pals. This dictates how fast those buildings work and what resources they’ll “pull” from your supply.
• Walkways & Storage: You need an intelligent network of clear paths and carefully placed storage bins. Otherwise, your Pals might get confused, dropping precious resources at random. Think logically!
• Power Stations: Many advanced facilities in Palworld won’t run without their own little power hub. This adds another layer of planning to your sprawling base.

Tips for a Secure Base

• Location, Location: Picking a secluded spot near water but with abundant resources (trees, stone, etc.) gives you a much smoother start.
• Don’t neglect walls: Some basic walls and watchtowers will deter early assaults from wandering creatures. You can focus on upgrading later.
• Feed Box: You wouldn’t go to work hungry, would you? Neither will your Pals! Feed boxes stocked with basic food give a huge efficiency boost to working Pals.
• Beware of Overstocking: Dumping every material you find in a huge heap will cause logistical nightmares. Palworld rewards keeping things somewhat organized.

Combat Mastery in Palworld

Whether on a hunt or defending your base, combat in Palworld takes some finesse, especially in early-game.

• Ranged vs. Melee: Guns let you keep your distance, but ammo isn’t infinite. Basic melee weapons like spears mean taking more risks but conserving valuable resources.
• Pal Support: Your Pals don’t just gather and build! Some specialize in healing, ranged attacks, or tanking. Picking the right team is as vital as your own weapons.
• Statuses are Your Friend: Poison Arrows, Stun Baton…these aren’t just for capturing. Immobilizing a powerful foe can allow for quick healing or tactical retreat.
• Over encumbered: Palworld is picky about how much weight you can carry. Going over that limit slows you to a crawl, making you a tasty target. Know when to retreat and drop loot!

Dungeons: Palworld’s Risky Raids

Dungeons dot the map of Palworld, their imposing, dark entrances a temptation for brave adventurers. But rushing in blindly is a recipe for disaster.

• Know the Level: Each dungeon has a recommended level range. Attempting one too early means getting one-shotted by most enemies.
• Prep Your Pals: A team tailored for fighting is ideal. Focus on healers, attackers, and maybe one who can apply helpful buffs or debuffs.
• Gear Up: Dungeons usually favor certain weapon types or element resistances. Craft armor and bring supplies accordingly.
• Boss Mechanics: Those big baddies at the end won’t go down without a fight. Pay attention to their movement and attack patterns to avoid dying quickly.

Money Making (You’ll Need It in Palworld)

• Selling to Merchants: With all the looting you do, you’ll have plenty of things that you just don’t need. You might only get a few coins for each item, but it adds up over time as you pawn off hundreds of items to merchants. 
• Raiding Dungeons: Not only do dungeon bosses yield strong Pals, but the chests usually have rare crafting materials or loot to sell back in town.
• Pal Breeding: Selling unique Pals from careful breeding at your base can become a surprisingly lucrative business over time.

Becoming the Very Best Palworld Trainer

Palworld is vast, challenging, and surprisingly fun – once you break past that initial hump! This guide was meant to give you a strong foundation as you begin your journey.  

Explore boldly, experiment with those quirky systems, and remember that Pals are more than resources; they’re your teammates in this wild adventure. This is just the start! Remember to adapt these strategies as you level up, encounter new Pal species, and face even tougher challenges.

There’s always more to learn in Palworld!

What other tips and tricks do you have for Palworld? Join the conversation in the comments section!