Palworld has a massive roster of creatures to catch, breed, and deploy, but not all Pals are worth your time. Whether you're pushing through high-level raids, automating your base into a production machine, or just trying to get across the map faster, the right Pal makes an enormous difference. This tier list covers the best Pals across combat, base work, and traversal, updated for the 1.0 release that added over 70 new Pals and reshuffled the meta considerably.
How does the tier list work?
Ranking Pals purely by base stats misses the point. A high Attack number means nothing if a Pal's skill animations are slow and easy to interrupt. High Work Suitability is wasted if the Pal's pathing AI sends it wandering across the base instead of doing its job. This list weighs real in-game utility: how Pals actually perform during raids, how consistently they work at base stations, and how they handle terrain during traversal.
S-tier combat Pals ranked
Combat tier list: who wins fights?
High-level raids and Alpha Boss encounters demand Pals with strong elemental coverage, signature active skills, and Partner Skills that amplify your own damage output. The current meta rewards dual-element Pals with area-of-effect pressure and legendary stat lines.
S tier: the best combat Pals in Palworld 1.0
Hartalis is a standout addition in 1.0. The ability to completely block incoming attacks while mounted turns otherwise punishing raid encounters into manageable fights. Jetragon remains the gold standard for players who want a combat mount that also doubles as the fastest traversal tool in the game. After testing both against late-game Alpha encounters, Jetragon's missile bombardment while airborne is still one of the most consistent damage patterns available.
Anubis has been a community favourite since early access launched in 2024, and it holds up. The sidestep mechanic is genuinely useful in prolonged fights, and its Handiwork Lv 6 means it pulls double duty at your base. The breeding combo has changed in 1.0, so use Shadowbeak + Blazamut or check a current calculator for the full list of valid combos.
A tier: strong picks that won't let you down
Selyne and Xenogard are primarily obtained through the Meteorite Event, so prioritise participating in that event if you want them. Astegon's ore-drop Partner Skill is one of the best quality-of-life upgrades for late-game resource farming, but you need to actually be mounted on it when mining for the bonus to apply.
B tier: solid mid-game options
C tier: situational picks
Grizzbolt and Mossanda Lux deserve a mention for newer players specifically. Both come with weapon-firing Partner Skills that let you bulldoze through enemy camps early on, which makes them punching well above their tier for the first dozen hours of the game.
Prunelia crop yield boost
What are the best base Pals in Palworld 1.0?
Base Pals are judged on Work Suitability level, AI task prioritisation, food consumption, movement speed, and whether their Partner Skill adds something the base actually needs. A Pal with Lv 4 in three different jobs that constantly switches between them is often less useful than a specialist that stays locked onto one critical task.
For a deeper breakdown of which Pals cover specific base roles, the best base Pals guide covers every job from farming to mining with recommended Lv 8 specialists.
S+ tier: the base workers you build around
Prunelia is the crop management Pal that changes how food networks function. Its Prayer for Abundant Harvest Partner Skill directly boosts base crop yields, which means fewer farming plots needed to keep a large Pal workforce fed. If you're running a serious late-game base, Prunelia is non-negotiable.
Astegon is the mining benchmark. Its high Mining level combined with a physical frame that stays grounded at ore nodes makes it far more consistent than lighter Pals that drift away mid-task.
Shroomer Noct does something no other Pal does: it reduces the sanity decay rate of other working Pals inside your base. Less sanity loss means less downtime across your entire workforce, which compounds into significant production gains over time.
Helzephyr Lux handles power generation during the day and switches to high-speed transporting at night, covering two critical jobs without needing a replacement shift.
Jormuntide at Lv 4 Watering finishes large farming plots and mill operations faster than anything else in its class. It belongs in every serious food-production base.
Beegarde is the only Pal that produces Honey, which is a required ingredient for Cake, which is required for breeding. No Beegarde means no breeding loop. Simple as that.
S tier: premier production workers
- Lullu accelerates crop growth cycles to keep feed boxes stocked
- Suzaku stays locked onto Kindling tasks without wandering, keeping furnaces constantly running
- Mimog combines chest-opening utility with fast movement speed for base transport cleanup
- Orserk brings Lv 8 Electricity generation alongside Handiwork and Transporting
- Bellanoir Libero contributes Lv 7 Medicine Production and Lv 6 Handiwork at base
A tier: highly competent workers
Anubis is an elite Handiwork specialist at Lv 6, but its high Transport and Mining levels can pull it away from assembly lines at inconvenient moments. It's still one of the best crafting Pals in the game, just not quite as focused as the S+ picks.
Lyleen handles planting and medicine production efficiently but has high food consumption that requires active management compared to leaner specialists.
Jetragon saddle required for flight
What are the best mounts in Palworld 1.0?
Mounts split into three categories: ground, flying, and water. Each has its own S tier, and the best choice depends entirely on where you're exploring.
Best flying mounts
Jetragon is the fastest flying mount in the game. Crossing the full map in minutes is not an exaggeration. It sits in its own S+ category alongside Xenolord, which adds the Meteor Wings skill for increased aerial sprint velocity, and Frostallion, which balances flight speed with Ice elemental combat conversion.
Shadowbeak and Faleris round out S tier. Shadowbeak is the smoothest hybrid of traversal and Dark damage output. Faleris is the fastest non-legendary flyer and the natural stepping stone before you can access the S+ options.
Ragnahawk earns its A-tier spot for a specific reason: its compact frame fits through tight cavern passages where larger mounts like Astegon get stuck. If you're doing dungeon runs, Ragnahawk is often the smarter choice over a technically faster but physically larger mount.
Remember that you need to craft each Pal's saddle before you can ride it. Finding Jetragon means nothing if you haven't unlocked and built the saddle.
Best ground mounts
Paladius is the best ground mount. Triple jump plus high sprint speed handles vertical terrain better than anything else on the ground. It shares the same Alpha spawn location as Necromus at Dessicated Desert (447, 679), so you can target both in the same run.
Ophydia is a solid A-tier pick for long flat-terrain travel thanks to smooth sliding physics and strong stamina conservation.
Best water mounts
Neptilius leads water traversal with the ability to leap high above the water's surface, which makes scaling ocean cliffs and rocky islands far less frustrating. Jormuntide is the alternative if you want infinite ocean travel without any stamina drain at all.
Neptilius ocean leap mechanic
How do you get the best Pals?
Most S-tier Pals fall into one of three acquisition methods: Alpha Boss spawns, Raid Boss summons, or breeding. The Raid Boss Pals (Hartalis, Bellanoir Libero, Xenolord, Blazamut Ryu) are summoned using their respective Slabs, with the egg appearing in your inventory after the fight. For Pals like Jetragon and Necromus, you're heading to their fixed Alpha locations.
Breeding is the most reliable path to getting high-stat versions of any Pal, since you can stack passive skills through multiple generations. The best breeding combos guide covers the most efficient routes from beginner Pals all the way up to World Tree-tier creatures, and if you're still setting up your breeding farm, the breeding combos and Cake recipe guide walks through the full setup.
For everything else added in the 1.0 update, the full Palworld guides collection covers new Pals, accessories, and major changes in detail.