If you’ve spent any time grinding late-game Palworld, you’ve almost certainly heard of Paladius, the holy knight Pal that stands out as one of the strongest all-around companions you can add to your roster. It hits hard, doubles as one of the fastest desert mounts in the game, and gives your entire party a passive defense boost when it’s active. This guide breaks down exactly how to get Paladius in Palworld, from prepping your party to securing the capture without wasting dozens of high-tier spheres.
Prep Required Before You Hunt for Paladius
Paladius is a level 50 legendary Pal that spawns alongside Necromus, its dark-type counterpart, so you can’t show up to the fight underprepared and expect to walk away with a new companion. I learned this the hard way on my first run, when I showed up with a handful of Hyper Spheres and a level 42 party, only to get wiped out in less than two minutes. You don’t need endgame perfect gear, but you do need a few key items to set yourself up for success.
- At least 20 Ultra Spheres or 10 Legendary Spheres to maximize capture odds, as regular Hyper Spheres have less than a 3% success rate against full-health Paladius
- 1-2 level 45+ Dark type Pals with high single-target damage moves like Shadow Ball, since Paladius is weak to dark type attacks
- Heat-resistant armor if you’re exploring the desert spawn zone during the day, as high temperatures will drain your stamina faster than you can replenish it
- Stamina-restoring food to outrun Paladius if it charges at you unexpectedly, or to keep up with it if it tries to flee mid-fight
- A Grappling Gun to quickly reposition if Necromus flanks you during the fight, or to get to high ground where both Pals can’t reach you
You’ll also want to make sure you have at least one empty slot in your Pal party before you head out, there’s nothing worse than successfully capturing Paladius only to realize you have to send it straight to your Palbox and miss out on testing its abilities right away. If you have a Pal with the Capture Boost passive skill, bring it along as a support unit, that bonus stacks with the effects of high-tier spheres to raise your success rate significantly.
Exact Spawn Locations to Find Paladius in Palworld
Paladius only spawns in one specific area of the map, so you don’t have to waste hours wandering every biome looking for it. It lives exclusively in the northwest desert biome, in the open sandy area just west of the Deep Sand Dunes fast travel point. You’ll see a large broken stone statue in the middle of the spawn zone, that’s the exact marker you’re looking for to know you’re in the right place.
It only spawns during in-game night, between 20:00 and 4:00, so if you arrive during the day you can set up a small portable camp and sleep until nightfall to skip the wait. If you get to the zone at night and don’t see Paladius, don’t panic, sometimes only Necromus spawns on the first load. Just fast travel to a nearby point, wait 2-3 in-game hours, and travel back to reset the spawn pool. I had to reset three times on my first hunt, so it’s totally normal to have to repeat the process a few times.
Before you wait for Paladius to spawn, take 5 minutes to clear out all the other aggressive Pals in the surrounding area. Anubis and other high-level dark types spawn frequently in this zone, and there’s nothing worse than getting ambushed by a random level 48 Anubis mid-fight with Paladius and Necromus. Clearing the area first lets you focus entirely on the two legendaries without extra distractions.
How to Get Paladius in Palworld: Safe Capture Strategy
Once you spot Paladius, don’t run straight at it, both Paladius and Necromus will aggro immediately, and you’ll be stuck fighting two level 50 legendaries at once if you don’t take a smarter approach. The easiest way to avoid taking unnecessary damage is to use your Grappling Gun to climb on top of the broken statue or a tall nearby rock that’s too high for both Pals to jump up to. From this vantage point, you can send out your dark type Pals to attack without taking any return damage.
You can choose to take down Necromus first if you want to eliminate the extra threat, but if you’re only focused on capturing Paladius you can target it directly. Don’t use AoE attacks under any circumstances, it’s way too easy to accidentally kill Paladius before you get a chance to throw a sphere. Stick to single-target dark moves to chip its health down slowly, and stop attacking once it hits 10-15% health for the best capture odds.
If you have a Pal with a stun or paralysis move, use it on Paladius once it’s low on health, status effects raise capture rates by roughly 30% according to community tested stats. Start throwing your Ultra or Legendary Spheres as soon as it’s stunned, and don’t stop if it breaks out of the first few. It usually takes 3-5 Ultra Spheres to capture Paladius when its health is low and it’s stunned, so don’t panic if you don’t get it on the first try. I’ve had runs where it took 7 spheres, so just keep throwing until you get the success notification.
Top Uses for Paladius Once You’ve Captured It
All that grind is well worth it once you have Paladius in your party, it’s one of the most versatile Pals in the entire game for both exploration and combat. First off, it’s one of the fastest ground mounts available, and it has double movement speed on sand, which makes exploring the massive desert biome way less of a chore. I used to avoid desert exploration entirely before I got my Paladius, now it’s my go-to mount for any run through that area.
Its holy type attacks are super effective against all dark type Pals, which are some of the most common and dangerous enemies in late-game dungeons. Its partner skill also gives your entire active party a 20% defense boost, which is a game-changer for tough boss fights against endgame enemies like the Tower Bosses. It’s not just a combat Pal either, it has level 3 Handiwork and level 2 Transport skills, so it can pull double duty helping out with crafting and moving items around your base when you’re not out exploring.
There are a few small downsides to note, of course. Its mount ability uses a lot of stamina, so you’ll want to carry plenty of stamina-restoring food if you’re planning to use it for long travel runs. It also doesn’t have any water or cold resistance, so it’s not the best mount for snow or ocean exploration. Those are small tradeoffs for how much utility it brings overall, though.
Now that you know how to get Paladius in Palworld, you can skip all the mistakes I made on my first few attempts and add this powerhouse Pal to your collection in a single run. Take the time to prep the right gear, clear the spawn area before you start the fight, and don’t get frustrated if it takes a few extra spheres to capture. Once you have your own Paladius, you’ll wonder how you ever played the game without it.