What’s new in Palworld 1.0? Our guide covers the biggest differences from Early Access, all 72 new Pals, and important tips for returning players.
Palworld has officially left Early Access. Version 1.0 doesn’t just add a handful of new Pals and areas to the survival game, though. Pocketpair has also overhauled the story, combat system, Pal progression, base building, and numerous quality-of-life features.
As a result, Palworld plays quite differently in many areas compared with its Early Access version. New players get a clearer introduction and a more coherent progression path, while returning players will need to adjust to relocated Pals, new abilities, and a revised progression system.
The Biggest Differences From Early Access
The full release isn’t just about adding new endgame content. Pocketpair has reworked and rebalanced large portions of the existing game. The biggest changes include:
- 72 new Pals
- the new Sunreach and World Tree areas
- a new maximum player level of 80
- a restructured main story
- Awakening and Mutations for Pals
- reworked Partner Skills
- new weapons, equipment, and resources
- easier capture bonuses and Pal Condensation
- new base-building options
- improved menus and search functions
- reworked Tower Bosses (Guide) and battles
- changed locations for many Pals
The core gameplay loop remains the same. You explore the Palpagos Islands, gather materials, build bases, and catch Pals. Version 1.0 connects these systems more closely, however, while cutting down on some of the unnecessarily time-consuming tasks from Early Access.
Sunreach Expands Palworld With Floating Islands
Sunreach is a new region located above the familiar Palpagos Islands. The area consists of several floating islands kept aloft by the power of Paldium. There, you’ll encounter a new civilization, new Pals, and additional Tower Bosses. You can also mine Soralite, a resource found exclusively in Sunreach. Some deposits require special equipment to access.
Vertical exploration plays a much bigger role in Sunreach than in previous regions. To complement this, Version 1.0 introduces the Wing Pack, which allows you to glide and fly through the air without a flying Pal. Using it consumes Wing Cells.
Sunreach is primarily designed for more advanced players. If you start with a new character, you won’t be able to fully explore the region right away. You’ll first need to complete the earlier parts of the story and craft suitable equipment.
The World Tree Becomes the New Endgame Region
The World Tree was already visible from afar during Early Access, but there was no legitimate way to reach it. In Palworld 1.0, it plays a central role in the story while also serving as an endgame region. You’ll find extremely powerful enemies, new bosses, and the material Paloxite there. You can also collect Radiant Gems around the World Tree, which are required to awaken Pals.
The region is divided into several distinct areas, including ruins, lakes, canyons, sprawling root systems, and snow-covered heights. Many of the strongest new Pals live exclusively here. The World Tree is therefore much more than just another island. It concludes the restructured main story and offers challenges for players who already have a powerful team and high-quality equipment.
The Existing Game World Has Also Changed
You won’t have to travel exclusively to Sunreach or the World Tree to experience the new content. Pocketpair has also updated the existing islands. Seven smaller islands have been added across volcanic, desert, and ruins biomes. Some of the new Pals can only be found on these islands.
There are also new settlements in the Bamboo Groves, the snowy mountains, Sakurajima, and Sunreach. You’ll meet NPCs there and can pick up additional side missions. New watchtowers reveal sections of the map and then become fast-travel points. Ancient ruins scattered throughout the world contain small challenges and rewards such as schematics.
All three Wildlife Sanctuaries have also been redesigned. They now feature distinct environments, unique materials, and tougher enemies. Defense drones and searchlights make sneaking into these areas undetected more difficult.
The Story Now Follows a Clearer Path
During Early Access, the story was mainly told through journals, individual factions, and battles against Tower Bosses. There was a recognizable main plot, but it was presented rather loosely. Version 1.0 now connects exploration of the islands, the Tower Bosses, Sunreach, and the journey to the World Tree. New NPCs, journals, and ongoing side missions provide additional information about Palpagos and its inhabitants.
This gives you a much clearer objective. Instead of simply working your way from one Tower Boss to the next, you now follow a connected journey leading all the way to the World Tree. One important detail for existing saves is that progress for certain main and side missions was reset with Version 1.0. Previously defeated Tower Bosses are partially taken into account, however, so the corresponding tutorial and boss missions may automatically be marked as completed.
72 New Pals Expand the Paldeck
Palworld 1.0 officially adds 72 Pals. Pocketpair divides them into 47 entirely new species and 25 variants of existing Pals. This brings the Paldeck to a total of 287 entries.
Some of the new creatures can already be found in familiar regions. Pupperai and Clovee, for example, can be encountered relatively early. Stronger Pals such as Shaolong, Aegidron, and Dandilord won’t appear until you reach the World Tree. Not every entry is a regular catchable Pal, either. The list also includes special bosses. Astralym appears in the Paldeck, but at the moment it can neither be caught nor bred.
All New Pals in Version 1.0
| Number | Pal | Element |
|---|---|---|
| 013 | Pupperai | Ground |
| 014 | Clovee | Grass, Neutral |
| 023B | Tanzee Ignis | Fire |
| 039B | Woolipop Terra | Ground |
| 047 | Amione | Water |
| 048B | Gloopie Primo | Water, Neutral |
| 050 | Wispaw | Dark |
| 054B | Univolt Cryst | Ice |
| 059 | Muffly | Ice |
| 062 | Puffolt | Electric |
| 072B | Polapup Terra | Ice, Ground |
| 081 | Elgrove | Grass |
| 081B | Elgrove Cryst | Ice |
| 089B | Petallia Ignis | Grass, Fire |
| 090 | Leafan | Grass |
| 096B | Beakon Cryst | Ice |
| 098B | Rayhound Cryst | Ice |
| 100 | Needoll | Grass |
| 105 | Moldron | Fire, Ground |
| 105B | Moldron Cryst | Ice, Ground |
| 115 | Majex | Dark, Fire |
| 116B | Sibelyx Primo | Neutral |
| 120 | Gildra | Dark, Ground |
| 128 | Skutlass | Water |
| 128B | Skutlass Ignis | Water, Fire |
| 130B | Starryon Primo | Neutral |
| 131 | Pierdon | Ground |
| 131B | Pierdon Cryst | Ice |
| 133 | Snugloo | Ice |
| 136 | Carnibora | Grass |
| 138 | Dualith | Ground, Grass |
| 138B | Dualith Noct | Ground, Dark |
| 140 | Sekhmet | Ground |
| 141B | Prixter Lux | Electric, Ground |
| 142 | Tetroise | Ground |
| 142B | Tetroise Primo | Neutral |
| 148B | Nitemary Botan | Grass |
| 149B | Smokie Cryst | Dark, Ice |
| 156 | Bulldosu | Ground |
| 157B | Celesdir Noct | Dark |
| 159B | Knocklem Ignis | Fire |
| 162 | Valentail | Neutral |
| 163 | Snock | Electric |
| 163B | Snock Lux | Electric, Ground |
| 164 | Souffline | Grass |
| 165 | Lapiron | Ground |
| 166 | Hoodle | Dark |
| 167 | Slowatt | Electric |
| 168 | Bakemi | Dark |
| 169 | Solmora | Water |
| 169B | Solmora Lux | Water, Electric |
| 170 | Lapure | Neutral |
| 171 | Eidrolon | Dragon, Dark |
| 171B | Eidrolon Ignis | Dragon, Fire |
| 172 | Dynamoff | Electric |
| 173 | Tropicaw | Grass |
| 174 | Flaracle | Fire |
| 175 | Ophydia | Grass, Water |
| 176 | Dupin | Fire |
| 177 | Roujay | Dark |
| 178 | Venusa | Dark |
| 179 | Mycora | Grass |
| 180 | Loomen | Dark, Fire |
| 181 | Wistella | Dark |
| 182 | Solenne | Dark, Neutral |
| 183 | Renjishi | Fire |
| 184 | Aegidron | Dragon, Ground |
| 192 | Shaolong | Dragon, Water |
| 193 | Silvance | Grass |
| 194 | Dandilord | Grass, Dark |
| 203 | Panthalus | Water |
| 204 | Astralym | no element listed |
Locations and Levels of the New Pals
The new Pals are spread across almost the entire map, so you won’t have to wait until the endgame to encounter your first newcomers. Pupperai, Clovee, Tanzee Ignis, Amione, and Wispaw can all be found in relatively early regions. Puffolt, Elgrove, and Skutlass can be found in the Bamboo Groves and surrounding areas.
Desert and volcanic regions are home to Pals such as Needoll, Gildra, Sekhmet, Tetroise, and Moldron. You’ll need suitable cold protection to search for Rayhound Cryst, Dualith, and Snugloo. Many of the higher-level Pals are located in Sunreach and around the World Tree. Before heading there, make sure you have plenty of high-quality Spheres, powerful weapons, and a well-balanced team.
In Version 1.0, you only need to catch five Pals of the same species to earn the capture bonus. During Early Access, twelve catches were required. If you want to complete the Paldeck, however, you’ll still need plenty of space in your Palbox and a large supply of Spheres.
Awakening Makes Powerful Pals Even Stronger
Version 1.0 introduces Awakening, a new way to improve your Pals. You’ll need Radiant Gems, which can be found in the World Tree region. Awakening is primarily an endgame mechanic and allows you to further strengthen Pals that have already been fully trained. The resulting bonuses are listed separately on the Pal’s status screen.
This gives carefully bred or particularly rare Pals another stage of progression. In other words, you won’t necessarily have to replace your existing team with the new creatures.
Mutations Expand the Breeding System
When breeding Pals, there is now a small chance that a mutated Pal will hatch from an egg. Mutated Pals have higher stats and a special Passive Skill. New types of cake have also been introduced, and their effects can influence the outcome of breeding. Depending on the cake you use, you can increase the chance of a Mutation, improve stats, or boost the odds of inheriting multiple Passive Skills.
The inheritance of Active Skills has also changed. Only skills equipped in the parents’ three Active Skill slots can now be inherited. This gives you more control over the result and allows you to remove unwanted skills before breeding.
Capture Bonuses and Condensation Require Fewer Pals
Two of the most time-consuming systems from Early Access have been significantly streamlined. To earn the full capture bonus for a Pal species, you now only need to catch five of them instead of twelve. This means you’ll earn the experience points faster and won’t have to collect as many copies of the same species.
Fully condensing a Pal is cheaper as well. Instead of needing a total of 116 Pals, you now only need 48. This makes it far more realistic to fully upgrade several combat and worker Pals. Ranking up a Pal also improves one of its Work Suitabilities. At maximum rank, all Work Suitabilities still increase. As a result, even Pals with fairly average work stats can eventually become valuable additions to your base.
More Than 200 Partner Skills Have Changed
Pocketpair has adjusted the Partner Skills of more than 200 Pals. Some abilities have simply been buffed, while others now work in entirely different ways. Certain Pals can reveal the locations of Pal Effigies. Others improve the Work Suitabilities of fellow Pals at your base or boost specific elements within a team.
Many bonuses no longer stack when you bring multiple copies of the same Pal. Instead of filling your party with five identical Pals, the game now encourages you to focus more on combinations and synergies. Returning players therefore shouldn’t assume that their old team composition will still work exactly as it did before. Check the Partner Skills of all your important Pals again and pay attention to the exact percentage values in their descriptions.
The Level Cap Increases to 80
The previous player level cap of 65 has been raised to 80. The late game also gets new technologies, materials, and equipment to match. Soralite can only be found in Sunreach, while Paloxite comes from the World Tree. Both materials are required for high-end weapons, equipment, and building components.
Version 1.0 also adds 13 weapons, including a Mechanical Bow, Heavy Assault Rifle, Tactical Grenade Launcher, Laser Sword, Drone Launcher, and Plasma Rifle. An additional weapon slot expansion allows you to equip up to six weapons at once. The Plasma Multicutter, meanwhile, serves as a tool for harvesting wood and ore and can even be used while riding a Pal.
Tower Bosses Have New Arenas and Abilities
Tower Boss battles still take place in dedicated arenas, but these have been overhauled both visually and mechanically for Version 1.0. Some bosses now have new moves and abilities. At the same time, the time limit has been reduced from ten minutes to five. Boss health and other stats have been adjusted to account for the shorter fights.
If you already defeated the bosses during Early Access, you shouldn’t rely entirely on your old strategies. Attacks, battle patterns, and arenas can now differ significantly.
You Can Build Bases on the Water
The Aquatic Construction Kit allows you to place buildings along coastlines and, in some cases, directly on the water. This opens up entirely new locations for your bases. There are also additional roof styles, Ancient Civilization-themed building pieces, Pal statues, and artificial plants. The faux vegetation is particularly useful if you want to customize the look of your base regardless of the surrounding biome.
Base Pals have also become more efficient. Depending on their Work Suitability level, Transporting Pals can collect multiple nearby items of the same type at once. Partially completed tasks should now be finished more reliably as well. Repair Kits have been removed, and Pals with Handiwork can automatically repair damaged structures. New Clinics reduce SAN loss and lower the risk of illness. While inside a base area, you can also fast-travel directly from the map to other bases and fast-travel points. There’s no longer any need to run back to the Palbox first.
Should You Start a New Save?
You don’t have to start over. Existing characters, bases, and captured Pals can generally still be used. Pocketpair nevertheless recommends starting a new game, mainly because of the restructured story, revised Pal locations, and changed progression.
If you only played a few hours during Early Access, starting a new character is worthwhile. You’ll experience the redesigned progression from the beginning and learn the updated systems step by step. Things are different if you already have a highly advanced save. There’s no need to give up a large base, rare schematics, and carefully bred Pals.
You can continue playing with your existing character and start preparing for Sunreach and the World Tree right away. Your decision therefore depends more on how far you progressed during Early Access than on any technical restrictions.
What Returning Players Should Do First
Before focusing on the new areas, you should check your old save. Start by making a backup, especially if you installed mods during Early Access. Outdated mods can cause crashes or corrupt save files after the update.
Next, review the Partner Skills of your most important Pals. Since more than 200 skills have changed, old team combinations may have become weaker or stronger. You should also check your Palbox. Thanks to the new requirements for capture bonuses and Pal Condensation, you may be able to claim additional rewards immediately or bring previously unfinished Pals to maximum rank with far fewer duplicates.
After that, check your equipment and mission progress. Main and side missions may have been reset even if you already visited the associated regions. Finally, you’ll need high-quality Spheres, suitable heat and cold protection, and a powerful combat team for the new endgame areas. Sunreach and the World Tree aren’t designed for unprepared characters. We’ve linked our guides on how to get Gold and Ore if you need help stocking up.
