How to catch Pals in Palworld

Pals are essential to your survival in Palworld, serving as staunch allies in battle and vital labor at your base. Below, you'll find everything you need to know about catching and managing Pals in Palworld.

Best ways to capture Pals in Palworld

After crafting your first Pal Spheres with Paldium Fragments, you'll need to find a wild Pal to tame. The basic mechanics of catching Pals in Palworld are pretty straightforward: lower the Pal's HP, then chuck a Pal Sphere and hope for the best. However, Palworld throws plenty of curveballs when it comes to capturing these adorable creatures.

Once you've found a Pal you'd like to catch, approach it and throw a Pal Sphere to try and capture it (Q on keyboard or RB on controller). However, even low-level Pals can shrug off Pal Spheres at full health. You'll need to attack the Pal and lower its HP first; I recommend reducing its health to at least below half before throwing a Pal Sphere.

Catching Pals is a risky endeavor, especially for the unprepared. Luckily, there are plenty of strategies you can use to make it easier. Here are all the best methods for capturing Pals in Palworld.

Learn to dodge Pal attacks

A hard lesson I learned early in Palworld is that most Pals will attack the player—even the cute ones. Some Pals like Lamball will use movement abilities to charge at you, while Pals like Foxparks can fire off attacks at a distance. Learn to dodge roll (Ctrl on keyboard or B on keyboard) at key moments to avoid taking damage yourself.

Related: How to assign work to Pals in Palworld

Use weapons, not fists

While you can certainly attack Pals bare-handed, empty fists won't deal nearly as much damage as a real weapon. Even the Wooden Club, the weakest weapon in the game, is a vast improvement over trying to punch a Pal. Doing so will put you in dangerously close range, leaving you vulnerable to attack. Ranged weapons, such as bows or guns, are a great way to lower a Pal's health without endangering yourself.

Raise your Capture Rate

When you throw a Pal Sphere, you may notice the Capture Rate percentage that appears on your screen. As the name suggests, Capture Rate refers to the percent chance that a Pal will remain inside a Pal Sphere and be captured. This percentage will increase each time the Pal Sphere shakes.

One easy way to raise your Capture Rate is to reduce a Pal's health as much as possible. The closer a Pal's HP is to zero, the easier it will be to capture. In addition, certain weapons—like the Fire Bow—can inflict status conditions on a Pal that will further increase your Capture Rate. This is especially effective against stronger Pals.

Aim for single targets

Pals can spawn alone, in pairs, or even in small groups. Lone Pals are much easier to catch, as Pals of the same species will protect each other. If you attack one Lamball, you can expect the rest of its herd to turn hostile against you as well. While this can be favorable for catching multiples of one species, it's much more difficult to throw a Pal Sphere while you're dodging their attacks.

Related: How to get Pal Fluids in Palworld

Bring Pals of your own

If you're looking to take on a high-level Pal, such as Mammorest, you'll stand a much better chance if you bring Pals of your own to attack it. Your party members will team up with you against hostile Pals, lowering their HP and even drawing attacks away from you. Summon Pals from your party (E on keyboard or LB on controller), then attack a wild Pal to initiate the battle.

For more survival game guides, check out How to get Flame Organ in Palworld and Work Suitability, explained - Palworld here at Pro Game Guides!