The Craziest Pals In ‘Palword’ Aren’t Pals At All, Albeit Morally Dubious

July 17, 2026 - 01:50

There are obvious ways to build out your team in Palworld. You can find wild Pals you like, capture boss Pals, or breed for perfect stats. But there is one method most players overlook, and it involves creatures that are not technically Pals at all. These are the human NPCs scattered across the map, and they are arguably the most powerful and morally questionable units you can recruit.

Unlike the cute or monstrous Pals you tame, these humans come with their own unique skill sets. You can capture them using the same Pal Spheres, turning a wandering merchant or a hostile syndicate thug into a member of your base. They do not eat, they do not get sick, and they will work tirelessly in your factories or fight alongside you without complaint. They are essentially immortal slave labor with no upkeep.

The moral implications are hard to ignore. The game lets you enslave humans, force them to craft weapons, or send them into battle as cannon fodder. It is a dark twist on the creature-collection genre. While your Pals have visible happiness and sanity meters, these human workers have none. They are tools, pure and simple.

For players looking to optimize their base without worrying about food or rest, capturing humans is the most efficient strategy. It is also the most unsettling. Palworld gives you the choice, but it does not judge you for making it. Whether you see this as a gameplay mechanic or a commentary on exploitation, it is a feature that sets the game apart from anything else on the market.