Palworld has a variety of gameplay aspects: exploring the world, building bases, and capturing Pals. But you can also become an industrial overlord and really exploit the world. MeinMMO editor Sophia Weiß initially wanted to play Palworld pacifistically. But then she encountered NPCs …
I actually only became aware of Palworld shortly before its Early Access release. Pokémon with guns
, as everyone affectionately called it, just couldn’t convince me:
While Pokémon has been with me since my early childhood, I stopped after Emerald. And guns? I aim in shooters about as well as a Oktoberfest visitor after 3 Maß beer. I should take a page from colleague Dariusz – he has put 100 hours into an aim trainer.
But when I delved deeper into the game on January 18, it intrigued me: An open world that I can explore? Very nice. Adorable creatures that accompany me on my journey? Even better! Custom base building and I can stick ivy to walls? Okay, I’m in!
Unfortunately, it turned out completely different.
How my pacifistic cozy game became a battlefield
My approach to Palworld was actually that I just wanted to go with the flow. Here are the points I had on my agenda:
- Explore the world
- Catch Pals
- ???
- Profit
My adventure started quite relaxed with my arrival on the beach. I met my first Pals and worked my way through the tutorial. The whole thing had real Minecraft vibes: I don’t remember the last time I enthusiastically chopped down trees like this. Or stones. Or Pals.
For the first time since Pokémon, I really wanted to catch and get to know all the lovable, cute creatures. It was so sweet seeing them tending the berry fields and chopping wood in my base.
I almost missed the first raid because my hard-working team knocked down the incoming clumsy Pals in seconds.
However, in the shadow of my first tower, my game began to change: There I found a settlement made of metal sheets, inhabited by NPCs dressed in black. NPCs that shot Pals?
The K.O. of my favorite Pal was the beginning of my personal revenge campaign in the style of John Wick.
With the AK-47 into battle: How I became John Wick in Palworld
I wanted to build a cozy base and live with cute Pals. Now I found myself on a crusade against all NPCs that hurt Pals. Specifically: NPCs that hurt MY Pals.
Leading the list were the poachers. Armed with bow and arrow, I cleared out the first camp. My Dinossom proved to be the star of my team: With its attack Dragon Wave
it knocks the sluggish enemies off their feet and finishes them off with its Flora Whip
. I hardly have to do anything.
This is how I clear out one poacher camp after another. I keep my bow, even though I could have a crossbow – it just doesn’t shoot fast enough for my needs. Here and there I help out, but Dinossom and later Arsoks are the MVPs of my campaign.
I actually wanted to avoid it, but unfortunately, Lifmunk has to resort to heavy artillery. Armed with a kind of submachine gun, it sits on my shoulder and takes care of whoever its teammates couldn’t handle. It’s a true team effort.
Later, I also equip my Tanzee with a kind of AK-47 – the enemy ranks are thinning out more and more quickly. Even though a few types of attackers surprise me: The grenadier caught me a few times before I could deal with him. Whatever.
Next to the Syndicate, the Free Pal Alliance is now also on my list. For wanting to save Pals, they treat them and me quite poorly.
And my base? It’s still a bit rudimentary but stable. My priorities were elsewhere. Maybe I will soon establish a second one at a strategically good point and build a real fortress there.
But first, I need to explore the map further. The open world surely has a few more poacher camps that need clearing out. All for my sweet, cute worker bees. I just unlocked the recipe for muskets. From now on, I will also stand at the front myself. Wish me luck.
While I happily play Palworld, I keep coming up with new quality-of-life adjustments that I would like: I would love to be able to hide the UI for screenshots or a photo mode would be nice. What are some things you wish for the game? Check out our survey: What features do you wish for the game?
