You're halfway through your Palworld playthrough, you've got a solid base, a crew of reliable Pals, and you've caught a handful of low-level Alpha Pals. But then a high-level raider party rolls through, and your stone spears and basic bow don't do enough damage to fend them off. That's when you realize you need to learn how to make gunpowder in Palworld to craft proper firearms, grenades, and heavy defense turrets that will keep your base safe even from the toughest threats. I've spent dozens of hours testing different crafting routes and farming spots for required materials, so this guide will save you the hassle of guessing what you need and where to find it.
What You Need Before You Learn How to Make Gunpowder in Palworld
First, you have to hit player level 21 to unlock the gunpowder tech node in the Technology menu. It costs 2 technology points to unlock, so if you've been spending points on random decor or low-priority tools, you might need to grind a bit of XP by catching Pals or completing base missions first. You'll also need access to at least a Primitive Workbench, though upgrading to a High Quality Workbench later will let you craft gunpowder alongside other ammo and weapons in the same spot, saving you time running between stations.
You don't need any rare Pal abilities to craft it, but assigning a Pal with a level 2 or higher Handiwork trait to your base workbenches will cut crafting time by almost 40%, which makes a huge difference when you're cranking out 50+ batches for raid prep. You can also craft it manually if you don't have a Handiwork Pal available, but that will take significantly longer for large orders.
Where to Farm All Required Gunpowder Materials Efficiently
The base recipe for gunpowder is 2 units of Charcoal, 1 unit of Sulfur, and 1 unit of Stone per batch. You probably have tons of stone lying around from base building, but charcoal and sulfur are the two materials most new players struggle to find consistently. I've tested dozens of farming spots across the map, and these are the fastest, most low-effort locations to stock up on everything you need:
I usually spend 20 minutes every other run farming sulfur and wood, which gives me enough materials to make 200+ batches of gunpowder, enough to last through multiple raids and crafting sessions for new weapons. If you don't want to travel to the desert, you can also get small amounts of sulfur as a drop from defeating Fire-type Alpha Pals, but that's way less efficient than farming nodes directly. Even if you only make gunpowder occasionally, stocking up on these materials once a week will keep you from running out when you need it most.
Step-by-Step Process to Craft Gunpowder and Use It Effectively
Once you have all your materials collected, crafting gunpowder is straightforward. First, unlock the gunpowder tech node if you haven't already, then interact with any workbench in your base. Scroll to the "Resources" tab, select gunpowder, choose how many batches you want to make, and confirm the craft. If you have a Handiwork Pal assigned to the workbench, they will start crafting it immediately, otherwise you can craft it manually by holding the interaction button. If you're making gunpowder for the first time, start with 20 batches to test how much you use for your regular playstyle.
Now, what do you actually use gunpowder for once you have it? The most common uses are for crafting ammo for firearms like the shotgun, assault rifle, and sniper rifle, which are far more powerful against high level Pals and raiders than any melee or bow weapon. You can also use gunpowder to make grenades, which are perfect for taking out groups of raiders or weakening large Alpha Pals before you engage them directly, and for crafting base defense turrets that will automatically attack any enemies that get within range of your base. I always keep at least 50 batches of gunpowder in my storage at all times, so I don't run out in the middle of a raid when I need to refill ammo for my turrets.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Making Gunpowder in Palworld
I've made almost every possible mistake when first learning to craft gunpowder, so these tips will save you a lot of wasted time and resources. First, don't try to farm sulfur in the desert before you have at least level 2 heat resistant armor, otherwise you'll take constant heat damage and have to leave after a few minutes. I made that mistake on my first run, and only got 12 sulfur before I had to run back to base to heal.
Second, don't waste all your charcoal on gunpowder if you're still upgrading your base. You need charcoal for a lot of other crafting recipes like metal ingots, so always make sure to keep at least 100 charcoal in reserve for base upgrades before you start cranking out gunpowder batches. Third, don't forget to assign a Handiwork Pal to your workbench when crafting large amounts of gunpowder. Crafting 100 batches manually takes almost 15 minutes, but a level 3 Handiwork Pal can do it in less than 5 minutes, freeing you up to do other tasks like farming more materials or exploring new areas.
The last mistake I see a lot of new players make is leaving gunpowder in unlocked storage chests near the edge of their base. Raiders will target storage chests first, and if they steal all your gunpowder, you won't have any ammo to use against them. Always store your gunpowder in locked chests near the center of your base, where raiders can't reach them easily.
At the end of the day, learning how to make gunpowder in Palworld is a game-changing step that will let you take on the hardest content the game has to offer, from high level Alpha Pal raids to endgame boss fights. You don't need any super rare materials or endgame tech to make it, just a bit of prep work to farm the required materials and unlock the tech node. Once you start crafting it regularly, you'll wonder how you ever played the game without access to powerful firearms and base defenses. If you have your own tips for farming materials faster, drop them in the comments below.