If you’ve ever stood in front of your primitive furnace waiting to smelt your first set of metal tools, only to realize you have zero coal to fuel it, you know how frustrating this gap can be for new players. I spent my first three hours running in circles looking for coal deposits before I stumbled on my first reliable spot, and I wasted so much time fighting low-level Pals that I could have spent crafting better gear. This guide breaks down exactly where to mine coal in Palworld for every stage of your playthrough, plus hacks to cut your farming time in half so you can get back to catching Pals and building your base.
Where to Mine Coal in Palworld for Early-Game Players
If you’re still below level 20 and haven’t unlocked fast travel to far biomes yet, you don’t have to trek across dangerous areas to get coal. The most accessible early spot is northeast of the Plateau of Beginnings, along the small rocky ridge that separates the starting grasslands from the first coastal area. The coal nodes here are small and spread out, but there are no hostile Pals higher than level 12 in the area, so you won’t have to worry about getting jumped mid-harvest.
You don’t need fancy gear to mine here, either. A stone pickaxe is enough to harvest early coal nodes, though it will take a few extra swings per deposit. Each node gives you between 2 and 4 pieces of coal, which is more than enough to fuel your first few furnaces and craft basic metal armor. I usually stop here for 10 minutes every time I start a new playthrough, and I leave with enough coal to last me until I hit level 25.
One small catch: this spot only has 8 coal nodes total, so it’s not good for bulk farming. If you need more than 50 coal at a time, you’ll want to move on to the mid-game spots once you’re strong enough.
High-Yield Coal Locations for Mid to Late-Game Bulk Farming
Once you hit level 30 and have a decent set of metal armor, you can start farming coal in higher-yield spots that give you hundreds of pieces per trip. The most popular spot for bulk coal is the Mount Obsidian southern slopes, located in the far southwest of the map. This area is packed with dense coal nodes mixed with iron and sulfur deposits, so you can farm three high-demand resources in one run.
Keep in mind that this area is full of level 35+ Pals, including aggressive Anubis and Reindrix that will attack you on sight. Bring at least a metal pickaxe for 2x faster harvesting, and bring a few high-level combat Pals to clear the area before you start mining. I usually bring my level 40 Grizzbolt to take out roaming Pals, and I can get 200+ coal in 15 minutes here without any interruptions.
If you’re also farming ice ore for late-game crafting, the foothills west of the Frozen Ward are another great option. The coal nodes here are mixed with ice deposits, so you can stock up on both resources at the same time. Just make sure you bring cold-resistant armor, as the temperature here drops fast and you’ll take damage if you stay too long without proper gear.
Tips to Speed Up Coal Mining and Reduce Farm Time
You don’t have to spend hours swinging a pickaxe to get all the coal you need. I’ve tested dozens of farming hacks over my 200+ hours of playtime, and these are the only ones that actually make a noticeable difference in how fast you can stock up:
- Bring Pals with the Mining Level 3 skill (like Digtoise, Astegon, or Reindrix) to auto-harvest nodes 3x faster than you can alone. Digtoise is available as early as level 20, so you don’t have to wait for late-game Pals to unlock this benefit.
- Build a small outpost near high-yield coal spots with a Palbox, so you can fast travel back and forth without running across the map. You can also assign mining Pals to the outpost to auto-collect coal while you’re off doing other tasks.
- Clear hostile Pals from the area first before you start farming, so you don’t get interrupted mid-harvest. Nothing is more annoying than having to stop halfway through breaking a node to fight a random Anubis that snuck up behind you.
- Use a refined metal pickaxe if you have it, as it cuts node break time by 50% compared to a basic metal pick. It’s worth the extra iron to craft one if you plan on farming coal for more than 10 minutes at a time.
I use all of these tips every time I farm coal, and I can get enough coal for 100 gunpowder and 200 steel ingots in less than 20 minutes. Setting up an outpost is the biggest game-changer, by the way. I have a small base near Mount Obsidian with 4 Digtoise assigned to mining, and I come back to 300+ coal every time I go exploring for a few hours.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Mining Coal in Palworld
Even if you know all the best spots, it’s easy to make small mistakes that waste your time or resources. I’ve made all of these mistakes at least once, so you don’t have to.
First, don’t head to high-level coal spots before you’re ready. I made the mistake of going to Mount Obsidian at level 18 my first playthrough, and I got one-shot by a roaming Anubis before I even spotted a coal node. Wait until you have at least metal armor and a level 30 combat Pal before you try to farm there.
Second, don’t waste coal on basic furnace fuel when you can use wood. Early-game smelting only requires 1 fuel per ingot, and wood is way easier to farm in bulk than coal. Save your coal for gunpowder, steel ingots, and late-game crafting recipes that specifically require coal as an ingredient.
Third, don’t forget to mark coal spots on your map as soon as you find them. It’s easy to forget where small early-game nodes are, and you don’t want to spend 20 minutes looking for them again when you run out of coal mid-crafting session. You can also add notes to the map markers to remind yourself if the spot is good for quick small runs or bulk farming.
Coal is one of the most versatile resources in Palworld, and you’ll need hundreds of pieces if you want to craft high-level gear, weapons, and base upgrades. You don’t have to spend hours running across the map looking for deposits, either: pick the right spot for your level, use the farming tips we covered, and you’ll never run out of coal again. Now that you know where to mine coal in Palworld, you can spend less time farming and more time building your perfect base and catching rare Pals.