The best Pals to catch early in Palworld

Best Pals

Guide

Selecting the best Pals in Palworld is a trial-and-error process, especially during the early stages of building your base. Focus on achieving self-sufficiency by creating a space where Pals produce materials, generate enough food, and maintain good mental health. Build a strong combat squad to capture formidable creatures and tackle tower-based boss battles against other Pal trainers. While there's a vast selection of Pals, early standout ones with useful Partner Skills can help efficiently establish and run your resource-producing base.

1. Lamball

- Great all-purpose Pal for your base
- Generates Wool when you have a Ranch

The game directs you to capture Lumball early in the tutorial, and for good reason! Lumballs excel in various base tasks—though not strong in combat, their skills in handiwork, transportation, and farming make them versatile. They gather materials, build structures, work at benches, and, with a Ranch unlocked, produce Wool in their free time. Wool is crucial for early armor repairs, and obtaining it can be a bit challenging otherwise.

2. Cattiva

- Your main mining Pal
- Gathers ripe fruit from Berry Plantations

This cat-like Pal is introduced early in the game and is worth picking up. Its mining ability allows it to break rocks, enabling other Pals to collect and store the stone. Once you construct the Stone Pit, you'll have a constant supply for your Cattiva to work with. While stone may not seem very valuable at first, unlocking the Crusher allows you to convert it into Paldium Fragments, essential for crafting Pal Spheres and various useful items.

3. Pengullet

- Waters Berry Plantations and operates the Crusher
- All-around Pal

This adorable penguin is crucial because it's likely the first Pal you'll encounter with the essential watering ability. This trait helps in making your base food self-sufficient by watering Berry Plantations. Additionally, Pengullet operates the Crusher to transform stone into Paldium Fragments. With its handiwork and transporting abilities, it becomes an essential and versatile helper for your base. Plus, its Ice Missile projectile attack makes it no slouch in base defense.

4. Daedream

- Powerful Partner Skill for early combat

Build a Dark-type team for effective early combat in Palworld, centered around Daedream. Found only at nighttime, Daedream's Necklace enhances its strength. Craft it at the Pal Gear Workbench after reaching level eight—it's cost-effective. Obtain Leather by defeating antlered Eikthyrdeer. Crafted Daedream's Necklace lets Daedreams follow you, invulnerable, joining attacks for a formidable assault with stacked Daedreams.

5. Hoocrates

- Excellent leader for a Dark-type combat squad
- All-around Pal

Discover this owl Pal exclusively at night, a perfect addition to a Dark-type squad, especially when accompanied by four Daedreams. Hoocrates' Partner Skill boosts the damage of Dark-type Pals in your party, creating an ideal synergy with Daedreams. Additionally, Hoocrates possesses a potent set of attacks.

6. Foxparks

- Operates the Primitive Furnace to produce Ingots
- Transforms into a flamethrower with its Partner Skill

In your base development, Ingots are crucial, and creating them requires a Primitive Furnace and a Pal with kindling. Meet Foxparks, a fiery fox with a specialty in kindling. Once you reach level six, unlock Foxparks' Harness in the Technology tab to craft it at the Pal Gear Workbench. Similar to Lifmunk's SMG, activating Foxparks' Partner Skill turns it into a flamethrower during combat.

7. Lifmunk

- Logs trees
- Plants and harvests from Berry Plantations
- Features a humorous Partner Skill

Versatile Pal for planting, harvesting, wood production, workbenches, and drug crafting. Unlock an SMG at level 11 for a comical head-mounted shooter.

8. Eikthyrdeer

- Efficient at Logging Site tree chopping
- Powerful initial mount

Capture, reach level 12, unlock the Eikthyrdeer Saddle in the Technology tab, and craft it at the Pal Gear Workbench. It's a bit costly, with Ingots needing ore mining and a Primitive Furnace—Foxparks helps with kindling. After crafting, summon Eikthyrdeer, hop on with F, and unleash its powerful attacks in combat.

9. Teafant

- First healing Pal you'll encounter

While lacking base-related skills, Teafant's unique Soothing Shower skill, activated by holding F, provides valuable early healing. Useful in boss fights or when needing to stay alive.

10. Tanzee

- All-rounder for wood chopping, gathering, and planting
- Equipped with an assault rifle

Similar to Lifmunk, Tanzee is a versatile Pal for your base, handling wood chopping, gathering, and planting. With the added advantage of transporting, it can carry resources to storage. Craft Tanzee's Assault Rifle to unlock its Partner Skill, allowing this chimp to use a gun in combat—a solid early game combat option.

11. Flambelle

- Generates Flame Organs at the Ranch
- Yields High Quality Pal Oil

Encountered soon after Foxparks, Flambelle is a valuable Pal that produces Flame Organs for Ranch crafting. Beyond kindling, it assists with transporting and handiwork. Notably, capturing or defeating Flambelle yields the typically elusive late-game item, High Quality Pal Oil, essential for crafting guns and producing polymer.

12. Celaray

- An improvement over your regular glider

Despite limited base utility, Celaray's watering ability is notable. Unlock Celaray's Gloves at level seven, craft them at the Pal Gear Workbench, and summon Celaray. Activate its Partner Skill for extended gliding, ideal for exploration and traversal, especially without a flying mount.