If you’ve spent hours grinding Palworld’s late-game areas looking for a powerhouse that can both tank boss hits and wipe out entire enemy outposts in seconds, you’re probably wondering how to get Xenogard in Palworld. This dual-type dragon and dark pal is one of the strongest non-legendary picks in the game, and it’s well worth the effort to track and capture one. I’ve spent over 40 hours testing different spawn routes and capture strategies for this pal, and I’ve broken down everything you need to know to avoid wasting time on dead ends. Unlike common pals you can catch in the starting grasslands, Xenogard requires specific prep, and skipping steps will almost always lead to you getting one-shot before you can throw a sphere.
Prep You Need Before You Try to Get Xenogard in Palworld
First, you need to make sure you’re properly geared and leveled before you head out to hunt. Xenogard spawns at levels 40 to 48 in the wild, and its ranged dark and dragon attacks can take out underleveled players in a single hit. I learned this the hard way when I tried to catch one at level 38, and its Dark Blast move knocked me off a cliff before I even got close enough to see its stats.
The non-negotiable items and requirements you need to bring are:
- A minimum player level of 45 to withstand at least two direct hits if your pal faints mid-fight
- Ultra Spheres or higher — regular or great spheres have less than a 5% catch rate even when Xenogard is at 10% health, so don’t waste your stock
- One ice or fire type pal around level 45 to deal controlled damage, since dragon/dark types are weak to both elements (never use normal or psychic type pals, they deal zero damage to Xenogard)
- One support pal with low-damage stun moves like Stun Spray, to freeze Xenogard without accidentally killing it when it’s low on health
- At least 3 Honey Treats to boost your catch rate if you go through multiple spheres without success
You also want to clear out any other hostile pals in the surrounding area before you engage Xenogard. The volcanic biome is full of aggressive fire types that will aggro on you mid-fight, and getting ganked by a random Blazamut while you’re throwing spheres is one of the most frustrating ways to lose a Xenogard spawn.
Xenogard Spawn Locations and Best Hunting Routes
Most players miss Xenogard spawns the first few times they visit the volcanic biome because they don’t know it only appears at night. Xenogard never spawns during daylight hours, no matter how many times you reset the area, so you’ll need to wait for in-game night (which lasts roughly 10 real minutes) before you start your hunt. If you don’t want to wait, you can sleep in a bed at your base to skip straight to night instantly.
The most consistent spawn spot is the ruined stone fortress in the northwest section of the volcanic biome, right next to the large lava lake. Fast travel to the Volcanic Peak waypoint, then head west along the cliff edge until you see the broken stone walls. Xenogard usually spawns either on the roof of the main fortress structure or in the courtyard inside the walls. I usually circle the fortress twice to check all spawn points, and if I don’t see one, I fast travel to the nearest desert waypoint and immediately come back to reset the spawn pool.
There’s also a rare chance a level 50 alpha Xenogard will spawn in the basement of the fortress. This variant has much higher base stats than regular Xenogard, but it deals 30% more damage and has a 15% lower base catch rate. I only recommend going for the alpha variant if you have Legend Spheres available, otherwise you’ll burn through dozens of Ultra Spheres for a low chance of success.
Step-by-Step Capture Process for Xenogard
Once you spot a Xenogard, don’t run straight at it. It has a 30-foot aggro range, and it will fire a ranged Dark Blast attack at you before you can get close enough to send out your pal. Instead, creep to the edge of its aggro range, then send out your ice or fire type pal first to draw its attention. Don’t let your pal use any high-damage explosive moves, because you’ll risk killing Xenogard before you can get its health low enough to catch.
Follow these steps once the fight starts to maximize your chances of success:
- Let your damage pal land light hits until Xenogard’s health drops to 10% or lower — you can check its health bar at the top of your screen to avoid over-damaging it
- Swap to your stun pal and land 2 to 3 stun hits to freeze Xenogard in place. The stun lasts for 8 seconds, which gives you enough time to throw 2 to 3 spheres before it wakes up
- Stand at least 10 feet away from Xenogard while throwing spheres, to avoid getting hit by its wake-up attack if the capture fails. Its melee attack can knock you back 20 feet, and you’ll lose the stun window if you get knocked down
- If you use 6 or more Ultra Spheres without a successful catch, throw a Honey Treat at Xenogard. This lowers its resistance to capture and boosts your catch rate by 25% for 30 seconds
I can’t stress enough how important it is to avoid explosive moves during this process. I once accidentally blew up a level 47 shiny Xenogard with my Blazamut’s Fire Explosion move when its health was at 8%, and I was gutted for days. If your damage pal has explosive moves in its default kit, manually switch to basic attacks before you start the fight to avoid this mistake.
Optimizing Your Xenogard for Combat and Base Work
Once you successfully catch your Xenogard, you’ll want to level it up and build its skill set to make the most of its high base stats. Xenogard has the third highest attack stat of any non-legendary pal, plus it has a level 3 mining skill, so it works great both as a combat pal and a base worker for high-tier ore mining.
Prioritize leveling its attack and HP stats first when you spend your stat points. You can put a few points into defense if you plan to use it as a tank for boss fights, but its main strength is its high damage output, so you’ll get more value out of attack points. I also recommend teaching it the Dragon Roar and Dark Barrage moves as soon as you unlock them, since they deal AOE damage that can wipe out entire groups of enemies in one hit.
If you catch a male and female Xenogard, you can breed them at your base’s breeding farm to get a baby Xenogard with better passive skills. Look for passives like Dragon Strength, Dark Resistance, and Attack Up to make your bred Xenogard even stronger than the wild version. Just don’t put Xenogard in the same base section as light-type pals like Lifmunk or Ignis — they’re natural enemies, and they’ll fight constantly if they’re left near each other. I made this mistake once, and I came back to my base after a mining run to find half my storage chests destroyed from their brawl.
Getting your first Xenogard will completely change how you play Palworld, from taking down the toughest tower bosses to clearing out high level ore veins in minutes. Don't get discouraged if your first few capture attempts fail, even with perfect prep, the random number generator can be unforgiving sometimes. Now that you know how to get Xenogard in Palworld, you can head out to the volcanic biome tonight and start hunting for your own perfect specimen. If you find a shiny one, be extra careful with those last hits, they're worth every second of the grind.