If you’ve spent more than a few hours grinding through Palworld’s early to mid-game, you’ve definitely hit that wall where your furnace is sitting idle, and you can’t craft metal ingots, high-tier tools, or heat-resistant gear fast enough. The first question that pops up at that point is almost always where can i find coal in Palworld, and we don’t blame you for searching – this unassuming black rock is one of the most gatekept resources for progressing past the game’s basic build stages. I spent my first 20 hours of playthrough wandering random forests looking for coal veins before I figured out the spawn patterns, so I’ve put together all the tips I wish I had back then to save you the frustration.
Where Can I Find Coal in Palworld: Top Early-Game Spots
You don’t have to wait until you’re level 30 with a full team of combat pals to get your hands on coal. There are several low-risk spots accessible as early as level 10, right near the starting spawn area, if you know where to look. I stumbled on the first of these spots completely by accident when I was running from an angry Chillet that stole my berry stack, so I can confirm they’re super easy to reach even with a basic team of low-level pals.
The most reliable early spot is the northwestern edges of the Starting Plateau, right where the grassy hills start to turn rocky leading down to the ravine. You’ll find 3 to 4 small coal veins scattered along the cliff edges here, each dropping 2 to 3 pieces of coal per mine. That’s enough to get you through your first 10 to 15 metal ingots, which is all you need for your first metal pickaxe and a few upgraded base structures.
Another great early spot is the small coal veins near the Ravine Entrance fast travel point. These are a little further from the starting spawn, but you can unlock the fast travel point as soon as you hit level 8, so you can pop back and forth whenever you need a small top-up of coal. Just watch out for the occasional level 15 Foxparks that spawn in the area, they don’t hit hard but they will interrupt your mining if you don’t shoo them away first.
Best Mid-Game Coal Farming Routes for Bulk Stockpiles
Once you hit level 20 and start upgrading your base to level 4 or higher, you’re going to need a lot more coal than those small early veins can provide. 2 to 3 pieces per node just won’t cut it when you need 200+ ingots to build metal walls, high-tier weapons, and more furnaces for your base. That’s when you’ll want to head to the main coal farming area in the volcanic part of the map.
The southwestern slopes of Mount Obsidian are packed with large coal veins that drop 10 to 15 pieces of coal per node, and there are more than 20 nodes spread across a relatively small area. I use this route every time I start a new playthrough, and I usually come back with 300+ coal in one 10-minute run if I bring my level 25 Digtoise with me. The route runs between the Mount Obsidian Midpoint fast travel point and the Abandoned Mine entrance, and you can loop it repeatedly since nodes respawn every 7 to 10 minutes.
To make the most of this farming route, follow these simple tips:
- Bring at least a level 2 pickaxe to mine coal 3x faster than a basic stone pickaxe, so you can clear an entire node in just a few hits
- Clear any aggressive fire-type pals in the area first so you don't get interrupted mid-mine by a charging Blazamut or a flying Rooby
- Stop at the small ore nodes along the route too, since you'll need iron to pair with coal for ingots, and you’ll save yourself a separate mining trip later
You’ll also want to bring a pal with the Mining Lv 2 skill, like Digtoise or Dumud, to speed up the process even more. These pals can mine entire large coal veins in 2 hits, and they’ll automatically collect the dropped coal for you, so you don’t have to run around picking up every single piece. Just make sure you don’t accidentally set them to aggressive mode, or they’ll run off chasing every pal that walks past instead of mining.
Hidden Coal Spots Most Players Miss
If you play on a busy multiplayer server, the main Mount Obsidian farming routes are usually picked clean by other players, especially during peak play times. That’s when you’ll want to know the hidden coal spots that most players never stumble on, so you can stock up without fighting other players for nodes. I found the first of these spots when I was running from a level 40 Frostallion that chased me down the Snowy Mountain, so I can confirm they’re almost always untouched.
The first hidden spot is the cluster of small islands off the eastern coast of the map, near the pirate camp spawns. There are 6 to 8 large coal veins tucked behind the wooden pirate structures on these islands, and most players skip these islands entirely because they don’t have any rare pal spawns. You can reach these islands with a flying pal like Nitewing as early as level 25, and you won’t run into any other players 9 times out of 10.
The second hidden spot is the cave system under the Snowy Mountain Biome entrance, just north of the Mount Obsidian area. There are 8 large coal nodes back in the deepest part of the cave, plus a handful of sulfur and iron nodes if you need those too. Just bring a torch or a light-type pal like Lifmunk to see the nodes clearly, and watch out for low-level dark pals like Mau that spawn in the shadows. They’re easy to beat, but they will sneak up on you if you’re focused on mining.
What to Do With Coal Once You’ve Farmed It
It’s easy to get carried away farming coal once you find a good route, but it’s helpful to know exactly what you’re going to use it for so you don’t end up with 10,000 pieces taking up all your base storage. I once ran out of storage space entirely because I farmed too much coal on a long run, and I had to dump half of it on the ground to make room for other resources, so trust me when I say it’s possible to have too much of a good thing.
The main use for coal is smelting iron ore into metal ingots, which is the foundation of almost every mid to late-game craft. You need 2 pieces of coal for every 1 iron ore to make 1 metal ingot, so you’ll usually want to farm twice as much coal as iron ore whenever you go mining. You’ll also use coal to craft heat-resistant padding for your snowy biome armor, which you’ll need if you want to explore the frozen northern part of the map without taking constant cold damage.
Late in the game, you’ll also use coal to craft explosive ammo for rocket launchers and grenade launchers, which are essential for taking down high-level boss pals and raiding hard enemy camps. I always keep at least 500 pieces of coal in my base storage at all times, after the time I ran out mid-craft when I was making 100 metal ingots for my base upgrade, and had to run all the way back to the early starting plateau veins to get more. If you end up with extra coal, you can also trade it with other players on multiplayer servers for rare pals or crafting materials you don’t have easy access to.
There’s no need to waste hours wandering random biomes looking for this critical resource once you know the right spawn spots. Whether you’re just starting out and need a few pieces to craft your first metal pickaxe, or you’re farming bulk for a full base upgrade, the answer to where can i find coal in Palworld is a lot simpler than you might think. Don’t forget to bring your mining pals and a durable pickaxe, and you’ll have more coal than you know what to do with in no time. If you find a new spot we didn’t mention, drop it in the comments below to help other players out!