Palworld - Best Starter Pal To Pick

Picking the best starter in Palworld is a more complicated, but perhaps rewarding, process than it is in other creature-collectors. It's a game that combines elements of Pokemon, Breath of the Wild, and even survival-crafting games like Minecraft. It's trying to do a lot all at once, meaning even players familiar with one of those games might be thrown off by the way Palworld subverts expectations using other genres. Here we'll explain what you can expect when going to pick your starter Pal in Palworld.

Which starter should I pick in Palworld?

In Palworld, you'll immediately begin in an open-world setting with all sorts of Pals (the game's version of Pokemon) scurrying around the land. There's no Professor Oak analog here, so in theory, you can pick any Pal you see to be your first Pal. But there's a catch, and that catch signals how the game still wants you to decide from one of three.

Each Pal has a level, and only three particular Pals spawn at the lowest levels (1 and 2), making them your de facto starter Pals. So even though you could, in theory, have a different Pal to start, you'd first need to level up a few times to successfully capture those tougher Pals. And unless you're tweaking the difficulty to make leveling easier, as we explain in our Palworld tips and tricks, you'll want to select a Pal from the following trio:

• Lamball
• Cattiva
• Chikipi

Once you've identified these three, you'll want to pick which one to use your first Pal Sphere (Poke Ball) on. Each Pal in the game has their own Partner Skill (inherent in all of a certain Pal) and a randomized Passive Skill. While the Passive Skill can't be known until you've captured the Pal, you'll learn the Partner Skill for an entire species of Pal once you've captured your first of that species. Similarly, a Pal's stats for Attack, Defense, and Work Speed are somewhat randomized, while their Work Suitability skills are inherent to their species, too.

Lastly, each Pal has a range of Active Skills that can be unlocked as they level up, and one Active Skill will be available right away once a Pal is captured. Below we've organized all of these details by Pal so you can see each starter at a glance.

Lamball

• Partner Skill: Fluffy Shield - When activated, equips to the player and becomes a shield. Sometimes drops wool when assigned to a ranch.
• Active Skill: Roly Poly - Curls into a ball, rolling after any enemies in their way.
• Work Suitability: Handiwork, Transporting, Farming

Cattiva

• Partner Skill: Cat Helper - While in a team, helps carry supplies, increasing the player's max carrying capacity.
• Active Skill: Punch Flurry - Pursues enemies, repeatedly punching them with both of their fists.
• Work Suitability: Handiwork, Transporting, Gathering, Mining

Chikipi

• Partner Skill: Egg Layer - Sometimes lays eggs when assigned to a ranch.
• Active Skill: Chicken Rush - Flies at enemies in their sights, attacking them with their beak.
• Work Suitability: Gathering, Farming

The best starter Pal in Palworld

With all of this information, it's time to pick a best Pal overall. With their helpful Partner Skill making early-game combat much easier, we recommend Lamball as your first Pal to capture in Palworld. Lamball has only two Work Suitability stats to Cattiva's three, but they make up for it given the way they can turn into a shield and help you take on other threats as you find your footing in Palworld. Chikipi, meanwhile, only offers a ranching buff as their Partner Skill, which can be helpful, but play styles can vary greatly, so some players may not dive into ranching for a long while, choosing instead to explore the open world. That's why Lamball is the best starter in Palworld.

However, here's the other wrinkle to be aware of: In Palworld, the time between your starter Pal and your next captured Pal could be just a few minutes. Once you start crafting Pal Spheres and get to grips with the combat systems, you can easily capture one of each of these starters, giving you a small party of all three as you continue on your adventure. If resources are limited or you want to form a special bond with one in particular, go with Lamball, but if you're looking to maximize your efficiency as an explorer, you'll probably want one of each of them as soon as possible--not to mention some of the others exploring the land, too.