Palworld 1.0 starter guide: your first 15 hours

Since the release of version 1.0 on July 11, 2026, Palworld has been attracting a new wave of trainers to the Palpagos archipelago. Whether you're discovering Pocketpair's game for the first time or coming back after months away, this guide charts out your first 15 hours: initial settings, priority Pals to catch, essential technologies, hunger management, capture techniques, base placement choices, and taking on the very first tower boss.

Setting up your game properly before diving onto the island

Even before customizing your avatar, take five minutes to adjust the world settings. The default difficulty suits most players, but if you're new to the game, slightly increase Pal experience speed, reduce hunger decay, and lengthen the day duration. These settings don't break the overall balance and help avoid the typical frustration of the very first hours, especially during night battles against aggressive creatures.

Tip

Settings can be changed at any time via the save menu. So nothing stops you from starting in comfort mode and then toughening the rules once you've got a solid grasp of the mechanics.

Building your first team of Pals

In the starting area, five creatures are worth catching as a priority to cover your immediate needs: Cattiva for carrying and versatility at the base, Lamball for tanking and wool production, Chikipi for eggs laid at the ranch, Foxparks for lighting forges and furnaces without coal, and Pengullet for cooling your future egg incubators. Each one's precise role, spawn area, and six other essential Pals are detailed in our Palworld starter Pals tier list, also published on Playnews.

The priority technologies of the first tree

Each level grants you one technology point. The first five must go into these unlocks, no exceptions:

• The Pal Sphere, your basic capture tool.
• The Campfire, essential for cooking and staying warm.
• The Primitive Workbench, the only way to craft most low-level recipes.
• The Wooden Chest, without which your inventory overflows within an hour.
• The Primitive Bed, mandatory for sleeping and skipping the dangerous night.

From level 5 onward, also unlock the Primitive Bow and the Pal Nest. The bow lets you weaken your targets before throwing a sphere, while the nest improves the loyalty of your basic companions. The Food Box and the Berry Plantation become essential before level 10 to keep your hungry Pals from abandoning their work stations.

Note

Ancient technology points, earned by defeating towers, are spent on a separate tree. Don't worry about them until you've beaten your first boss.

Food, hunger, and cooking: the routine to set up

The orange gauge in the bottom left keeps depleting constantly. Ignored for too long, it lowers your stats and then eats into your health points. In the very first moments, gather every red berry you come across: the bushes are recognizable by their small scarlet spots in the meadows. Once cooked over a campfire, they become cooked berries that are far more filling.

As soon as possible, build a Berry Plantation at the base. Two or three plantations, fed by a Pal capable of watering, easily cover the hunger of a small community of workers. To go further on fishing, another highly profitable early food source, take a look at the dedicated guide available on Playnews.

Capturing effectively from the very first levels

Capturing follows four variables: the Pal's level, remaining health points, status effects, and throw angle. A Pal targeted from behind, at low health and asleep or burned, will let itself be caught in a simple Pal Sphere. Mega Spheres, unlockable around level 14, significantly boost your success chances on creatures from level 8-10 onward.

Get into the habit of catching a good dozen specimens of every species you encounter: the game then grants you a solid permanent experience bonus. Lifmunk statues, small glowing green idols scattered across the map, boost your capture power with every offering. Explore at night once you have a flying Pal: the statues' green glow becomes much more visible in the dark.

Tip

Always sell your surplus Pals to a traveling merchant. The gold you recover this way will fund your first ammunition and armor pieces without you having to craft them yourself.

Where to set up your first base?

The starting area, on Windswept Hill, looks welcoming but suffers from uneven terrain that prevents placing large structures. Two spots are favored by veterans: a plateau located a few hundred meters southwest of the Desolate Church teleport point, rich in ore veins, and a second one to the northwest, closer to the original teleporter, ideal for a fallback camp.

Plan to open a second base later, dedicated to coal and then oil: your first installation is just a stepping stone, so don't spend fine materials on it. The finer placement rules, layout by functional zones, and construction pitfalls to avoid are detailed in our dedicated optimal base guide, also published on Playnews.

Zoe and Grizzbolt, your first tower boss

The Syndicate Tower of Rayne, visible from the first hour of play, houses the duo Zoe and her Grizzbolt, the very first trainer boss of the campaign. Officially recommended at level 15, it goes much more smoothly from level 20 onward, with decent armor and a three-arrow bow in hand. Defeating this duo unlocks the tower as a fast travel point and rewards you with five ancient technology points, valuable for the next round of gear.

For the elemental weakness to exploit, the ideal team composition, and the detailed attacks to dodge, refer to our dedicated guide to the five Syndicate Towers on Playnews.

Ready for what's next?

Your first fifteen hours lay the foundations: competent Pals, a functional base, self-sufficient cooking, first boss defeated. What comes next will require you to specialize your workshops, dive into selective breeding, and tackle the following towers. To dig deeper into specific mechanics, find our dedicated guides on Playnews covering fishing, crafting the Beam Blade, V2 armor, the surgery table, and managing your companions' illnesses.