Getting Started
Beginner's Guide to Palworld: Your First 10 Hours
Palworld will let you punch a boss on minute one if you really want to — I know, because I tried it, and the only thing that got knocked out was me. I've since put in enough hours to know the first 10 are the ones that actually decide whether your base survives the second 10, so here's what I'd tell myself on day one.
Shelter Before Combat
Your first priority on landing is shelter, not a fight. Build a Campfire and a Shoddy Bed before you go looking for trouble — both are cheap, and the bed sets your respawn point so a bad pull doesn't cost you your whole inventory. Nothing humbles a new player faster than dying two zones from home with no bed in sight.
Catch Broad Before You Catch Deep
Neutral Pals like Lamball, Cattiva, and Chikipi are common, low-risk captures that immediately plug into base work — wool, handiwork, and a steady supply of eggs cover a surprising amount of your early needs. (Lamball pulls its weight here too, pun fully intended.)
Match Work to Suitability, Not Proximity
Assign Pals to work that matches their suitability icons, not just whichever Pal happens to be standing nearest the station. A Foxparks parked at a Primitive Furnace will smelt ore noticeably faster than a Pal with no Kindling suitability at all — proximity is not a qualification.
Don't Skip the Stone Pickaxe
Ore nodes barely yield anything to a bare fist, and ingots gate almost every early weapon and structure upgrade. I learned this the slow way; you don't have to.
Once your base can support two or three working Pals comfortably, start scouting nearby biomes for the elemental types you're missing — a Fire and a Water Pal cover most early crafting bottlenecks between them. From there, the full Pal database is worth a browse for whatever gap you're still missing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I build first in Palworld?
A Campfire and a Shoddy Bed. The Campfire lets you cook meat and eggs safely, and the Shoddy Bed sets a respawn point so death doesn't set you back to your original landing spot.
Which starter Pals are best for a new base?
Common Neutral Pals such as Lamball, Cattiva, and Chikipi are easy to capture and cover Handiwork, Gathering, and Farming — the three work types every early base leans on.