Whether you’re a new player just picking up Palworld for the first time or a returning fan who took a break a few months back, you’ve probably wondered: can you still catch bosses in Palworld after all the patches and balance changes that have dropped since launch? I’ve put 120+ hours into the game across pre and post-update builds, so I’ve tested every part of the boss capture system to give you clear, actionable answers. Boss pals are some of the strongest, most versatile companions you can add to your team, so it makes sense you’d want to know if they’re still obtainable through capture, or if you have to beat them for rewards only now. We’ll cover exactly how the system works now, what changes have been made, and how you can boost your odds of walking away with a boss pal of your own.
Can You Still Catch Bosses in Palworld After Recent Patches?
The short answer is yes, but with a few key distinctions that many players miss, leading to the false rumor that boss captures were removed entirely. Pocketpair has adjusted capture odds multiple times to balance the game, but they never removed the ability to catch regular open-world boss pals. I’ve seen dozens of new players post online complaining they can’t catch a boss, only to find out they’re trying to capture a tower boss like Zoe and Grizzbolt.
Alpha field bosses are still fully catchable as of all current updates. These are the large, glowing pals with the alpha symbol next to their health bar that spawn in fixed open-world locations and across dungeons. They have higher base stats than regular pals of the same species, and often come with rare passive skills that make them far more useful for combat, base work, and exploration.
Tower boss variants are never catchable, even with the best possible capture gear. These bosses are tied to main story progression, and you’ll only earn XP, items, and technology points for beating them. Some limited-time event bosses also can’t be captured, but these are clearly marked in event notes when they go live, so you won’t waste spheres on them by accident.
Key Changes to Boss Capture Odds You Need to Know
Shortly after launch, Pocketpair adjusted base boss capture odds to make high-star bosses feel more like rare, rewarding catches instead of guaranteed drops. The original base capture rate for 3-star alpha bosses was around 5%, which led to most players having a full team of max-tier bosses within their first 20 hours of play. Now the rates are far more balanced, but still accessible if you come prepared.
Your total capture odds are calculated by combining a base rate with a series of modifiers based on your gear, player level, and the boss’s state when you throw your sphere. The most impactful factors include:
- The star rating of the boss: 1-star bosses have an 8% base capture rate, 2-star sits at 3%, and 3-star bosses have a 0.8% base rate before modifiers
- Your sphere tier: Legendary Spheres boost capture odds by 500% compared to basic Pal Spheres, so always use the highest tier you have for bosses
- Health and status effects: Getting the boss to under 10% health and applying a stun, freeze, or burn effect adds a 3x multiplier to your capture odds
- Level gap: If your player level is 5 or more levels below the boss, your capture odds are cut in half, regardless of other modifiers
You can check your real-time capture odds by hovering over the boss with your sphere equipped, so you don’t have to guess if your attempt is even worth the sphere. I once spent 12 Legendary Spheres trying to catch a 3-star Jetragon before I realized I was 6 levels below it, cutting my odds in half the entire time. Don’t make that same mistake.
Don’t waste low-tier spheres on 3-star bosses, as your odds will be effectively zero even with perfect modifiers. Save your Hyper and Legendary Spheres specifically for these high-value targets, and use lower-tier spheres for regular pals and 1-star bosses.
Step-by-Step Tips to Capture Boss Pals Successfully
Even with the adjusted odds, you can consistently catch boss pals if you follow a simple, tested strategy instead of running in and throwing spheres randomly. I use this exact routine for every alpha boss I target, and I land a capture within 5 attempts on average even for 3-star variants.
First, scout the boss location ahead of time to check its level and star rating, then make sure you’re at least the same level as the boss, ideally 2-3 levels higher to get the level advantage modifier. Always save your game before engaging a high-star boss if you plan to capture it, so you can reload if you run out of spheres or accidentally kill it. It takes 10 seconds to save and can save you hours of grinding for replacement spheres.
Next, bring a support pal that can apply non-lethal status effects. Ice-type pals that can cast freeze are my go-to, as frozen bosses can’t attack or run away while you’re throwing spheres, and the status effect gives you that big 3x multiplier. Bring a low-damage weapon like a basic musket or a weak pal attack to whittle the boss down to under 10% health without killing it. If you use a high-damage rocket launcher or legendary sword, you’ll almost one-shot the boss before you get a chance to throw a sphere.
Pals with the "Capture Boost" passive skill will add an extra 15% to your capture odds when they’re in your active party. I keep one low-level capture booster pal in my party at all times specifically for boss hunts, and it’s made a noticeable difference in how many attempts I need per boss. Once the boss is low health and affected by a status effect, stand as close to it as possible and throw your highest-tier sphere. You don’t get any bonus for long-range throws, so getting close eliminates the risk of missing and wasting a sphere.
What to Do If You Can’t Catch a Boss Pal
If you’ve tried 5+ times with proper modifiers and still can’t land a capture, there are a few common issues you can troubleshoot first. Double check that you’re not trying to catch a tower boss or limited-time event boss that’s marked as uncatchable. These bosses have a special icon next to their health bar that differentiates them from regular alpha bosses, so it’s easy to tell once you know what to look for.
If you’re definitely targeting a standard alpha boss, check if you’re carrying a status effect that’s lowering your capture accuracy. Some late-game dungeon debuffs cut your throw accuracy by 50%, so you might be missing even when you’re standing right next to the boss. Leave the dungeon, clear the debuff, and come back if that’s the case.
If you keep failing captures, try grinding for better spheres first instead of wasting resources on low-odds attempts. It’s far more efficient to spend an hour farming Legendary Sphere schematics and materials than to burn through 20 Hyper Spheres on a 3-star boss with 0.2% capture odds. You can also farm lower-star versions of the same boss first to get a feel for its attack pattern, so you don’t accidentally kill it when you come back for the higher-star variant.
You don’t have to catch every boss you encounter, either. If you’re struggling to catch a specific boss for your team, you can always breed a regular version of the same pal and stack passive skills to get comparable stats. It’s a longer process, but it’s a good backup option if you’re having terrible luck with captures.
At the end of the day, if you’ve been asking can you still catch bosses in Palworld, the short answer is a resounding yes, as long as you’re targeting the right boss variants and come prepared with the right gear and strategy. Don’t get discouraged if your first few attempts fail—even with perfect modifiers, 3-star bosses are meant to be rare catches, so the payoff when you finally land that capture is well worth the effort. Whether you’re using your new boss pal for base work, dungeon runs, or PvP battles, they’ll easily become one of the most valuable members of your pal collection.