Best Pals to catch first in Palworld, ranked

There are many, many Pals to catch in Palworld. In fact, the Paldeck total sits at over 100 as of the time of this writing. But when you’re starting out, it can make finding the right Pals to catch first in Palworld a little difficult.

We’ve been playing quite a bit of Palworld already, and have internally put our heads together to determine the best Pals to search out first for your collection. While these are, for Internet Purposes, listed out in a ranked numerical order, any of these Pals would make an excellent catch. Some help build out your battle party, others improve your base’s economy, and the best might even do both.

So without further ado, here are some of the best Pals you can beeline for first in Palworld.

9. Pengullet

This icy little lad might not seem like much, at first. Pengullet was an edge case, but I personally like the lil’ frost-bird too much to not include it. As both a Water and Ice Pal, you’ve got some decent Type coverage in Pengullet. Early on, especially against tough Pals, freezing is especially helpful.

Pengullet really shines at the base too, able to work on bench items with you, water fields, and once the Cooler has been built, keep items cold. It’s an investment that will pay off in the long run, and not a bad Pal to keep in the party.

8. Vixy

I wasn’t initially going to catch many of these, until one of our contributors noticed that the beloved Vixy really shines in the Ranch. Once you’ve researched and built this particular base upgrade, Vixy has a chance to dig up items at the Ranch, including Pal Spheres and Arrows.

Considering those items cost a bit in terms of time and resources, a few freebies can go a long way. If you’ve got the slot to spare early on and don’t want to waste time automating things, Vixy can be handy.

7. Gumoss

Gumoss is here for two key reasons: first off, again, dual Typing is helpful. Ground will especially help, as it seems like the first big boss you encounter at the Rayne Syndicate Tower is Electric Typed. Having some resistance to those attacks will be helpful.

Second, you’ll need someone that can seed the fields once you’ve got a Berry Farm up and running, and Gumoss is great for that. The lil’ fella will happily take care of one big step for the Berry Farms, helping automate an otherwise arduous task. It’s worth having a couple, at least.

6. Celaray

Now we get into the utility Pals. Not only do these Pals provide both battle and base benefits, but they can be outfitted with an additional upgrade at the Pal Gear Workbench to add something extra to their kit.

For Celaray, that’s the ability to act as a glider if you need one. While it’s easy enough to craft a Glider, having one handy at all times—especially when you’re recovering your items from a death—is really useful. Plus, back at the base, Celaray can water crops and transport goods around. A pretty handy Pal, all things considered.

5. Rushoar

This might seem like an unassuming Pal at first, but Rushoar has quickly become an important part of my early game. The Ground Type is useful against the scary Electric Types like the first boss, and you can craft a saddle that lets you ride around on Rushoar.

The mining help Rushoar provides would be more useful if there wasn’t a higher-ranked Pal who does the same and more, but still, Rushoar can be a surprisingly potent addition, even just as a combat and party Pal. Having one around can be really useful.

4. Tanzee

The next two Pals offer much of the same benefit, with really only one tangible difference. Tanzee is useful early on, as it’s able to plant, help build and craft, chop down lumber, gather, and transport goods. Really, anything you need back at base, Tanzee has covered.

A later upgrade gives Tanzee an Assault Rifle, and that’s just wild. This little guy had a gun before I did. With all the work he puts in at the base, I guess he’s earned it.

3. Lifmunk

Lifmunk provides a similar spread of base abilities: Planting, Handiwork, Lumbering, Gathering. The one key difference that gives Lifmunk a slight edge as time goes on is Medicine Production. While other Pals can transport goods, Lifmunk is an early Pal that will come in handy again later, once Medicine is online.

Also, Lifmunk can get a gun too. I don’t know why the Grass Types get to have all the fun in Palworld, but they do.

2. Foxparks

I have told everyone who’s downloaded Palworld this: get a Foxparks. This Pal has been a clutch hitter for me more times than I can count. For one, Foxparks provides Kindling, which lets you turn Berries into Baked Berries, an excellent thing to automate early on. It also has a fantastic Pal ability you can pick up through the harness, at the Pal Gear Workbench.

But really, Foxparks has been my go-to combat Pal. This little rascal can really scrap with the best of them, and I’ve watched my Foxparks take down whole Syndicate bases. Is this highly anecdotal? Yes. Am I playing favorites? Absolutely. But it’s my list, and Foxparks is a beast. It’s a Pal you absolutely need to catch as soon as possible in Palworld.

1. Cattiva

I’m not joking when I say this: catching a bunch of Cattivas early on is the most useful thing you can do with your first few Pal Spheres. First off, they are everywhere. You don’t need the Habitat picture I shared above; you will trip over Cattivas in your first few hours of Palworld. You will hear their ear-piercing, mind-numbing roar as you try to just mine some Ore.

But unlike the other early Pals like Lamball and Chikipi, Cattiva isn’t just for food after five minutes of playtime. Cattiva can mine, transport, and do a wealth of base assistance. These furballs were, and are, the backbone of my back-home economy. I had some Lamballs at some point, but they’ve all been phased out for Cattiva.

Seriously, when you’re starting out, it’s hard to go wrong with these cats. They may not be great fighters, but good heavens, they will make your base hum and ensure you never need to hit rocks again, making them a great Pal to catch first in Palworld.