Top Early-Game Pals to Capture in Palworld 1.0 for a Faster Start
Plenty of Pals can be found in the opening stretch of Palworld, but not all of them pull their weight once you compare their combat value, utility, and how they support your base. Some are decent, yet feel repetitive next to stronger early catches. This guide breaks down the best early-game Pals to prioritize, so you can decide what to hunt first and build a smoother start.
Having trouble finding Pals with rare Rainbow Passive Skills in Palworld? Use the tips and recommendations in this guide to make the search easier.
Eikthyrdeer
- Neutral element Pal that’s useful both in fights and for base work
- Usable as a mount
- Excellent for automated wood collection early
Among the early Pals in Palworld, Eikthyrdeer is the pick I’d recommend first. They can act as mounts that handle much of what you run into while traveling, and they also help your early economy by working Logging Stations efficiently. Eikthyrdeers have level 2 Logging, which makes them better than most other Pals at producing wood for you in Palworld.
After you craft the appropriate saddle, you can ride an Eikthyrdeer into battles and use their Pal Skills to overwhelm many enemies in the first regions you reach. If you’re getting pushed around by Syndicate members, bosses, or tougher overworld Pals, mount an Eikthyrdeer and lean into a hit-and-run style.
Nitewing
- Early flying companion (mountable)
- Decent Neutral element fighter, but better for exploration than raw combat
Nitewing is the first flying mount most players can obtain in Palworld, and it can dramatically improve how you move around for exploration. These Pals are found on the hills and cliffs in the area directly west of the Small Settlement. From the starting zone, head west and look for clusters of Woolipops, Direhowls, and Eikthyrdeers—then watch the skies above them for Nitewings.
As with other mountable Pals, you’ll need the right Pal Gear to ride a Nitewing. Unlock the Nitewing Saddle in the tech tree (it becomes available only after you’ve caught a Nitewing), then craft it at your base. The saddle will be added to your Key Items inventory, letting you mount any Nitewing in your party going forward.
Daedream
- Dark element Pal that hovers beside you when in your party
- Daedream attacks enemies you hit, even if you’ve summoned a different Pal
When exploring, players normally can only have one Pal accompanying them at a time. Daedream ignores that limitation thanks to its passive ability, allowing it to hover around your character even while you have another Pal summoned. While it’s hovering, it attacks enemies you strike, boosting your overall damage output.
If you craft a Daedream Necklace, you can keep multiple Daedreams orbiting you at once, and they’ll all go after whoever you’re currently attacking.
You can locate Daedreams around the hills of the starting area, but they only show up at night. The good news is that once you actually catch one, their nighttime behavior won’t interfere with your plans.
Foxparks
- Fire element Pal that can act like a flamethrower using the Huggy Fire Partner Skill
- One of the rare early-game Pals that can handle Kindling tasks
Foxparks is the first Fire-type Pal most players will meet in Palworld, and once leveled, it can become a real problem—especially against targets weak to Fire. Pairing Foxparks with Daedreams can push your damage output to the highest level early on.
You can also strap a saddle harness onto Foxparks and use its Huggy Fire Partner Skill to fire a flamethrower. That said, the ability has a 100-second cooldown between uses, so it’s powerful but not spam-friendly.
Beyond burning down enemies, Foxparks can work on basic Kindling tasks. Still, there are other Pals that are far better suited for fire-related base jobs—one of which is covered later.
Incineram
- Dark/Fire-type Pal with strong combat performance and useful base attributes
- Outside of combat, Incineram works best as a dedicated miner/smelter
Unlike the relatively small Foxparks, Incineram are satyr-like Pals that use both Fire and Dark attacks. With the right skills, that means they can counter two different Pal types at once. You can’t use them as weapons in the usual way, but there’s no need to—Incineram are already dangerous on their own.
Even better, they have level 3 Kindling and level 2 Mining skills, which makes them especially valuable for your base setup.
Incineram are typically found in Palworld’s later areas, but there’s one spot in the western early-game region where you can run into a Syndicate Thug who summons an Incineram for combat. You can capture that Incineram for yourself, and you can obtain additional ones by returning to the same area after defeating the thugs.
Herbil
- Grass/Ground-type Pal with the ability to revive incapacitated players
- Handles Planting, Gathering, and Transporting tasks at home
Herbils might look adorable, but they bring real staying power—strong enough to effectively “reset” your heart. In combat, Grass-type Herbils can hold their own against most early threats. However, the real reason they’re worth attention is their ability to revive players who have been incapacitated. If you’re playing Palworld on a higher difficulty, keeping a Herbil in your party is a smart move.
You can find Herbils near the Rayne Syndicate tower during daytime. Check the slopes and the grassy sections around the tower.
Clovee
- Grass/Neutral-type Pal suited for Planting and Gathering
- Passively boosts the Gathering level of all base Pals while at a base
Clovees are found right where Herbils are near the Rayne Syndicate tower, and unlike those more aggressive rodents, they’re far less hostile. The standout feature is their passive effect: Clovee increases the Gathering level of every Pal back at your base. That makes your harvest runs from farming plots faster and more efficient.
Since they’re also helpful for farming, it’s easy to justify keeping at least one Clovee in each base.
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Even though you probably won’t bring a Clovee into fights, they’re still among the best early-game Pals in Palworld because of their base-wide Gathering boost.
Rushoar
- Neutral element Pal that disrupts enemies with charge attacks
- Can be used as a battering ram to break stone and mineral nodes
If you’ve ever been hit by Rushoar, you already know how effective their bull rush can be at knocking people around. But that isn’t why they’re on this list. The real reason is their ability to break stone and mineral nodes very quickly.
Once you build a Rushoar Saddle, you can mount Rushoars and use their charge attack to slam into big rocks, breaking them apart and giving you large chunks of valuable materials.
If you want to gather ores using a Rushoar, bring a Turtacle along as well. Turtacle reduces the weight of ores by 80%. You can find Turtacles along the beach east of the Small Settlement, and you can also spot some inside dungeons.
