If you’ve ever spawned into a new Palworld save and immediately got chased down by a snarling tiger-type Pal or a fire-breathing fox that won’t stop attacking your starter Lamball, you’ve already encountered what are predator pals in Palworld. Most new players write these Pals off as annoying, run-of-the-mill hostile mobs that only get in the way of collecting resources or building their first base. But they’re actually some of the most versatile, high-value allies you can add to your team at any point in your playthrough. This guide breaks down everything you need to know to make the most of these powerful creatures, no matter your playstyle.
Core Traits That Define Predator Pals in Palworld
Predator Pals are the naturally aggressive, carnivorous Pal variants that spawn in nearly every biome across the Palworld map. Unlike neutral or herbivore Pals that run from you if you get too close, predator Pals will actively chase and attack you or any smaller Pals that enter their patrol territory, unless you’re 10 or more levels higher than them. They have a few consistent traits that set them apart from other Pal types.
First, they get natural 15-20% attack stat bonuses compared to neutral Pals of the same level and rarity, which makes them far stronger for combat right out of the gate. They also only eat meat, so you won’t be able to feed them berries or farm produce to keep their mood up. Most also have combat-focused partner skills, like extra damage against herbivore Pals or passive resistance to common status effects like poison or burn. I used to avoid the low-level Tigerpaws near my first base because they one-shot my Lamball every time I got close, but once I caught one at level 10, it carried me through my first tower boss fight with zero extra support.
Key Advantages of Adding Predator Pals to Your Team
The biggest benefit of keeping predator Pals on your team is that they eliminate the need to swap out your utility Pals every time you run into a random hostile encounter or base raid. You can keep a farming Pal and a predator Pal on your active team at the same time, so you don’t have to fast travel back to base to swap loadouts when you want to explore a new biome. A lot of new players don’t realize they also have great utility for base work, not just fighting.
Predator Pals assigned to base guard duty get a hidden 30% higher chance to repel raids without taking any damage, so you don’t have to interrupt your exploration trips to run back and defend your base. They also collect twice as much raw meat when sent on hunting parties as neutral Pals, which makes it much easier to stock up on food for your whole base. If you’re just starting out, these are the three best low-level predator Pals to target first:
- Tigerpaw: Spawns in all starting grassland biomes, has a 25% extra attack buff against herbivore Pals, and has solid lumbering stats for chopping wood for your base.
- Foxcinder: Fire-type predator found on low-level mountain edges, can smelt ore in your base and easily repel early grass-type raids without extra support.
- Wolfang: Ice-type predator found in northern grassland areas, has a very high speed stat that makes it perfect for transport and chasing down rare fleeing Pals.
I still have a level 50 Tigerpaw on my endgame team, because its passive attack buff stacks so well with endgame damage accessories that it outperforms even some legendary Pals for open-world exploration.
Common Mistakes to Avoid With Predator Pals
For all their benefits, predator Pals can cause a lot of unexpected headaches if you don’t manage them properly. The most common mistake new players make is feeding them the wrong food. If you give them berries or farm produce instead of meat, their mood drops 40% faster, they stop completing assigned base tasks, and they might even attack other Pals in your base if their mood gets low enough. Always keep a stock of raw or cooked meat near their feeding station to avoid this issue.
Another common mistake is assigning them to base tasks they’re not suited for. Predator Pals have 70% lower efficiency for farming, watering, and planting tasks, so you’re wasting their potential if you make them tend to your berry farms instead of guarding your base or chopping wood. You also shouldn’t let them roam free in the same base area as small herbivore Pals like Chikipis or Lamballs. If their mood drops below 30%, they will attack and potentially kill these smaller Pals, which can wipe out your entire farm in a few minutes if you’re not paying attention. Don’t forget to level their guardian passive skill first if you’re using them for base defense, too—this skill gives your entire base a 15% damage resistance buff when they’re on guard duty, which is way more valuable than a small attack boost for most players.
How to Catch and Train Predator Pals Effectively
Catching predator Pals is a little trickier than catching neutral Pals, but it’s not hard once you know the right tricks. First, never throw a Pal Sphere at a full-health predator Pal—your catch chance will be less than 5% even for low-level variants. Get their health down to 10-15% first, and apply a status effect like sleep or paralysis to boost your catch rate by 35% instantly. You can also place raw meat near their patrol area to distract them: they’ll stop to eat the meat and won’t attack you for 10 full seconds, which gives you enough time to sneak behind them for a back catch bonus that adds another 20% to your catch chance.
Once you catch a predator Pal, train them by taking them on hunts instead of using experience scrolls to level them up fast. Pals that level up through actual combat get small random passive stat boosts that experience scrolls don’t provide, which adds up to a much stronger Pal at max level. You should also take 10 seconds to pet your predator Pal every time you return to your base—regular petting boosts their mood by 20% and gives them a 10% damage buff for 2 full hours of play time, which is a tiny effort that makes a huge difference in tough boss fights. If you’re training a rare predator Pal, equip it with a mood boosting accessory as soon as you can, to cut down on how much meat you need to feed it to keep it happy.
At the end of the day, knowing what are predator pals in Palworld and how to use them properly can turn a frustrating early playthrough into a smooth, fun experience. You don’t have to collect every single predator Pal to get value, either—even one or two well-trained ones can cover your combat, base defense, and hunting needs for most of the game. Take time to test different variants, see which ones fit your playstyle, and don’t be afraid to go after that high-level predator you’ve been avoiding for weeks. It might end up being your new favorite Pal partner for all your adventures.