Are there starter Pals in Palworld?

Pocketpair’s Palworld bears a lot of similarities to other monster-catching games, from its Type setting and adorable creatures to big trainer battles. But as you start out your journey, you may wonder: is there a starter Pal you should opt for in Palworld?

When you wash up on the shores of Palworld‘s island, you’re left with pretty much nothing. And though you’ll get some help from locals and others, catching your own fighting friends will be up to you.

There aren’t traditional starters in Palworld

No, there are no “starter” Pals in Palworld. You start out with no Pals, and you’ll need to go and catch ones of your own to start building your collection. The game will walk you through these steps, but you’ll need to build a base, establish a workbench, and get some Pal Spheres to go catch your first Pal.

That being said, there are some early Pals around the first area—the Windswept Hills—that you can pick up. These are lower level Pals who might be weak later, but can really carry the load early on.

Which Pals should you catch first?

No. 001: Lamball

This is about as basic as it gets for Pals in Palworld. The Lamball is a little sheepish, and seems pretty unassuming. They aren’t the best in combat, though their Fluffy Shield ability makes them a lifesaver early on if you run into a dangerous Pal.

Lamball maintains usefulness through its Work Suitability skills, though. It has three: Handiwork, Transporting, and Farming. This means it can move goods around and, once a Ranch has been built, produce Wool. But most importantly, it can help you construct buildings and put together Workbench tools, like Arrows, while you’re out adventuring. Don’t underestimate the usefulness of a Lamball or two!

No. 002: Cattiva

Say hello to the workhorse of your early production efforts. Cattiva is a fine-at-best Pal combatant, but a hardy worker with four Work Suitability specialties: Handiwork, Gathering, Mining, and Transporting.

Essentially, Cattiva can do most of what you want a base Pal to be doing in the early game. It will mine rocks, pick up berries, work on projects, and move things around. I’ve had at least a couple Cattivas in my base since I started. They are the backbone of my Pal economy. Cat-ch a bunch of them.

No. 005: Foxparks

When it comes to early-game fighting Pals in Palworld, Foxparks is one the better options. You’ll usually find one roaming the Windswept Hills early on, and usually at a fairly catchable level, even for those just starting out.

While Foxparks only has one Work Suitability in Kindling, which does come in handy, Foxparks is really one of the more capable combat Pals to start out with in Palworld. It does a lot of damage, and can be fit with a harness for a powerful flamethrower attack. Foxparks will be a staple of your battle squad, and it’s worth catching one early to train up.

No. 003: Chikipi

I bring up Chikipi mostly to emphasize that this little bird is not really worth a ton of time or effort early on. First of all, they’re dime-a-dozen; as the Paldeck notes, it’s one of the weakest Pals alongside Lamball. Unlike Lamball, it cannot help with building or crafting.

In fact, Chikipi is mostly useful for sending off to the Ranch to lay some Eggs, which you can turn into food. It’s a nice bonus, though my incredibly efficient Berry Farm set-up made that a moot point. Catch Chikpis for the Capture Bonus EXP, and maybe to turn into food, but this is not a scrapper.

Who to catch next?

Once you’ve got a decent starter party in Palworld and you’re ready to move beyond the starting plateau, there are a wealth of options. Lifmunk and Fuack are great Pals to round out your Type coverage, and if you’re willing to travel a bit, Tanzee is one of the better Pals for establishing a base.

Just, whatever you do, avoid the angry Mammorest. That guy is not messing around.