If you’ve spent any time building out your Palworld base and crafting high-tier items, you’ve probably hit a point where oil becomes one of the most sought-after resources in the game. You might be asking yourself exactly how many oil rigs are in Palworld, and where you can find them to keep your supply steady. Oil is used for everything from making polymer for advanced electronics to fuel for vehicles and powerful weapons, so tracking down every available oil rig is a game-changer for mid to late-game progress. I’ve spent over 80 hours running across the Palpagos Islands mapping resource nodes, so I’ve got all the details you need to stop hunting for crude oil and start stockpiling it efficiently.
How Many Oil Rigs Are in Palworld, Exactly?
Right now, there are a total of 18 permanent oil rig nodes scattered across the Palpagos Islands, plus 2 temporary, event-specific oil rigs that only appear during limited-time in-game events. That number doesn’t count the small, scattered oil seeps you can find on beaches and in desert areas, which only give a tiny amount of oil per harvest. The permanent oil rigs are the only ones that let you set up automated farming with Pals, so they’re the only ones worth prioritizing for long-term base planning. You won’t unlock the ability to interact with oil rigs until you reach level 32 and unlock the Oil Pump crafting recipe, so don’t waste time hunting for them early on when you can’t use them anyway.
It’s worth noting that the number of permanent oil rigs hasn’t changed through any recent game updates, so you don’t have to worry about your favorite farming spot getting removed in a patch. The temporary event rigs only drop special, event-exclusive oil variants that can be traded for limited-time items, so they don’t count for standard production needs.
Where to Find Every Permanent Oil Rig in Palworld
The vast majority of oil rigs are concentrated in two areas of the map: the arid Desert Biome in the southwest, and the Volcanic Biome in the northeast. A small handful are also located on isolated islands off the north coast, for players who want to set up a remote oil farming outpost away from aggressive high-level Pals. I recommend bringing a flying Pal like Jetragon or Nitewing when you go scouting, since many oil rigs are located on steep cliffs or isolated patches of land that are hard to reach on foot. You should also bring a few combat Pals around level 35 or higher, since most oil rig locations are patrolled by hostile Pals like Anubis, Magma Wyrm, and Reindrix that will attack you on sight.
For quick reference, here’s a breakdown of oil rig counts by biome:
If you’re setting up your first oil farming base, stick to the desert oil rigs first. They’re easier to reach earlier in the game, and the surrounding area has flat land perfect for building storage and power infrastructure to run your oil pumps. If you’re playing on a PvP server, the frozen island rigs are a great hidden option, since most players don’t bother traveling that far north early on.
Tips to Maximize Oil Production From Your Rigs
Just finding an oil rig isn’t enough to keep your supply flowing—you need to set it up correctly to get the most oil per hour. First, you’ll need to craft an Oil Pump for each rig you want to use, which requires 20 ingots, 10 screws, 5 cement, and 3 circuit boards to build. Once you place the pump on the rig, you’ll need to assign a Pal with the Watering work suitability trait to run it, since the pump uses water to extract crude oil from the ground. The higher the Pal’s Watering level, the faster they’ll produce oil, so prioritize Pals like Suzaku or Relaxaurus Lux that have level 3 Watering if you can get them.
There are a few common mistakes new players make that cut their oil production by half or more. First, don’t put multiple oil pumps on the same rig—each rig only supports one pump, and adding extra won’t give you any extra oil. Second, make sure your pump is connected to a power source if you’re using the upgraded electric oil pump variant, otherwise it won’t run at all. Finally, build a few storage chests right next to your oil pumps so your Pals don’t have to walk long distances to drop off harvested oil, which cuts down on wasted work time.
You can also boost your overall oil output by placing producer statues near your oil pump setups. These statues increase the work speed of all nearby Pals by up to 25% when fully upgraded, which adds up to hundreds of extra units of oil per day of in-game time. If you’re playing on a server with other players, try to claim oil rigs that are further away from popular spawn points first, since the closest desert rigs are often the first to be claimed or raided by other players.
Should You Build Your Main Base Near an Oil Rig Cluster?
This is one of the most common questions I get from players who just unlocked oil production, and the answer depends on your playstyle. If you mostly focus on crafting and base building, building your main base near a cluster of 4 or more oil rigs in the desert is a great call, since you won’t have to travel back and forth to a remote outpost to get your oil supply. You’ll have easy access to all the oil you need for crafting, and you can expand your base to process the oil into polymer and fuel on site.
That said, there are some downsides to building near oil rigs. Most oil rig clusters are located in biomes with extreme temperatures, so you’ll need to invest in heat or cold resistant gear for yourself, plus heating or cooling units for your base to keep your Pals comfortable. The areas around oil rigs also have far more aggressive Pals than starting biomes, so you’ll need to set up defensive walls and turrets to stop raiders from destroying your oil pumps.
If you prefer exploring and catching Pals over base building, you’re better off building a small outpost near an oil rig cluster and keeping your main base in the starting grasslands. You can send Pals to work at the outpost to farm oil for you, and just fast travel to the outpost every few in-game days to pick up your stockpile. Just make sure you unlock the fast travel point nearest to the oil rig cluster first, so you don’t have to make the long trip by foot every time you need to restock on oil.
At the end of the day, knowing how many oil rigs are in Palworld and where to find them takes a lot of the guesswork out of late-game resource farming. You don’t need to claim all 18 permanent rigs to keep your supply full, even if you’re crafting high-tier items nonstop—claiming 5 to 6 rigs early on is more than enough for most players. Take your time scouting locations that fit your playstyle, set up your pumps correctly, and you’ll never run out of oil for all your crafting needs again. If you’re still struggling to find specific rigs, try marking every oil node you find on your map as you explore, so you don’t waste time revisiting areas you’ve already checked.