TL;DR — 30-Second Summary

Your first 30 minutes in Palworld matter — doing things in the right order saves hours later
Priority order: Craft basic tools → Catch Lamball + Foxparks → Build Palbox + Feed Box → Catch Direhowl
Golden rule: Never skip the Feed Box. Hungry Pals stop working and your base collapses.
Avoid: Alpha Bosses at low level, building on slopes, ignoring nighttime defense

Step 1: Landing & Gathering (0-10 min)

You spawn on the beach with nothing. Your immediate goal: basic tools and 3 starter Pals.

Punch trees (3 hits each) — collect 10 Wood
Pick up stones from the ground — collect 10 Stone
Open inventory → Craft tab → make 1 Stone Pickaxe and 1 Stone Axe
Open inventory → Craft tab → make 3 Pal Spheres (1 Paldium Fragment each — break blue crystals on the beach)
Equip the pickaxe (press E on PC) and mine 5 more Paldium Fragments for backup spheres

Pal	Why	How Many	Where
Lamball	Handiwork Lv 1, Transport Lv 1 — your first base worker	2-3	Spawns right on starting beach
Cattiva	Mining Lv 1, Handiwork Lv 1 — mines stone while you explore	1-2	Same beach area as Lamball
Foxparks	Kindling Lv 1 — essential for cooking and smelting	1	Near trees and grassy areas

How to catch: Punch or club each Pal until HP is ~20-30%, then throw a Pal Sphere. Don't kill them — if they faint, find another.

Once you have 3+ Pals, it's time for a base. Location matters more than you think.

Factor	What to Look For
Flat terrain	Flat grassland — building on slopes causes Pal pathing issues
Near trees & stone	You need wood and stone within walking distance
Open space	At least 8x8 foundation tiles of clear land for future expansion
Avoid cliffs	Pals fall off and get stuck

Open build menu (B on PC) → place Palbox on flat grass (cost: 1 Paldium Fragment, 8 Wood, 3 Stone)
Open Palbox → assign 2 Lamballs and 1 Cattiva to your base
Build Feed Box (20 Wood) — place it near the Palbox center
Put any Red Berries you've collected into the Feed Box
Build Primitive Workbench (15 Wood, 10 Stone) — unlocks more crafting recipes
Build Wooden Walls (10 Wood each) around your core area — at least 6 pieces for a basic perimeter

Why the Feed Box is #1 priority: Without food, Pals stand still with "Hungry" status. Nothing gets built. A full Feed Box = a working base.

Now that your base has food and walls, get a combat-capable Pal for safer exploration.

Pal	Type	Why	Where
Direhowl	Dark	Strong early game, fast mount once you craft its saddle	Grasslands near starting area
Rushoar	Normal	Easy to catch, decent damage, can be mounted	Near trees and rocks
Lifmunk	Grass	Ranged partner skill (SMG mode) — great for hit-and-run	Forest areas

Craft a Wooden Club at the Primitive Workbench (5 Wood) — better than fists for lowering HP
Head to grassland, find a Direhowl, lower its HP with the club
Throw a Pal Sphere when it's at ~25% HP
Once caught, add Direhowl to your party — it now follows and fights with you
Explore the nearby area to find your first Lifmunk Effigy (green glowing statues) — these increase your capture power

Don't...	Why	Do This Instead
Challenge an Alpha Boss (glowing icon on map)	Level 10+ boss will one-shot you at Lv 2-3	Wait until Lv 10+ and bring 5 Pals
Build base on a slope	Pals get stuck, can't pathfind	Find genuinely flat ground
Ignore the Feed Box	Pals go hungry → stop working → base dead	Always keep 50+ Red Berries stocked
Use all Pal Spheres on one Pal	If it breaks free 3 times, you're wasting resources	Move to an easier target or lower HP more
Go out at night without a torch	Harder to see, stronger wild Pals spawn	Craft a Torch (2 Wood + 2 Fiber) at workbench

Problem	Why	Solution
Pals won't work	Feed Box is empty	Fill Feed Box with Red Berries — each Pal eats ~1 berry per 5 minutes
Can't craft Pal Spheres	No Paldium Fragments	Break blue crystal nodes on the beach (look for glowing blue rocks)
Died and lost items	No bed placed	Build a Bed (5 Wood, 3 Fiber) at your base — sets your respawn point
Base is too dark at night	No light source	Build a Campfire (3 Wood) or Torch (2 Wood, 2 Fiber)
Pals fell off a cliff	Base built near edge	Deconstruct walls near edges and build new ones further in

Which Pal Sphere should I be using? → Basic Pal Sphere (Power 7) is enough for Lv 1-10 Pals → Palworld Sphere Guide
How do I catch Pals more efficiently? → Back bonus gives +50% capture rate → How to Catch Your First Pal
Where should I move my base later? → Starting beach is fine for Lv 1-15, then move to central plateau → Best Base Locations in Palworld 2026