Building a base in Palworld is one of the first objectives you will need to tackle in your adventure, but it may leave new players unfamiliar with Pocketpair's survival game wondering where to begin. Building a base is actually very simple and only requires a few steps. However, it is also important to choose a good location so you can get off to the best possible start. In this section of our guide, we will share some useful tips and all the key details you should know before getting started.
The first thing you need to do in Palworld before you can build a base is reach at least character level 2. You can do this almost immediately after starting a new game simply by gathering your first resources and unlocking the first Fast Travel statue you come across near the beginning.
Once you reach level 2, open the game's menu and go to the "Technology" tab. Here, you can unlock the crafting recipe for the Palbox.
The Palbox is essentially the structure that brings your base to life. To craft one from the Build Menu (the B key by default on PC), you will need the following materials in your inventory:
These resources are basic and easy to obtain. Wood and Stone can be picked up directly from the ground while exploring, although chopping down trees and mining gray rocks with tools is much more efficient. Paldium Fragments, meanwhile, can be obtained from blue-colored rocks, found randomly on the ground throughout the world, or occasionally gathered by mining ordinary rocks.
Once you can build the Palbox, you will see an area around it outlined in blue. Everything inside this boundary is part of your base. In other words, this is the area where you can build additional structures and where the Pals assigned to your base will work.
And that's pretty much it. Those are the basics of building a base. The system naturally becomes much more complex as you progress, but this gives you a solid foundation to start from.
As we mentioned at the beginning of this guide, choosing a good location for your base will help you progress more efficiently and keep useful resources close at hand. Below, we recommend several locations where you can build a base at different stages of the game:
The map below shows the best place to start your adventure and build your first base:
This location is close to many of the best early-game Pals to capture during your first few hours, and they will be extremely useful for working at your base. You will also find basic resources such as Wood, Stone, Berry Seeds, and Paldium Fragments nearby without much trouble. Finally, the base is surrounded by narrow paths and chokepoints, making this a relatively easy location to defend against unexpected raids.
The following map shows an excellent location for building a base where your Pals will have a nearby source of Ore to gather:
At this location, you will find an uphill slope containing several Ore deposits that can be mined. Both you and any Pals with the Mining Work Suitability can gather Ore here and later refine it into Ingots. This is perfect for continuing your progression and crafting many advanced Technology recipes.
The following map shows an excellent location where you can build a base near several Coal deposits, as well as additional Ore:
Coal is one of the materials you will need most as you progress through the game and unlock new Technology recipes. The location highlighted here, on the ridge of a mountain near a lake and waterfall, contains a large number of Coal deposits.
Remember that your base can be upgraded to higher levels to unlock various special rewards. For example, the higher your base level, the more Pals you can assign to work there. You can even increase the maximum number of bases you are allowed to build throughout the world.
To upgrade a base, approach the Palbox and open the "Base Upgrade" menu (the V key by default on PC).
Here, you can check the objectives you need to complete before upgrading your base. These objectives usually involve building structures for your base, such as a Workbench, Logging Site, Hot Spring, and so on. Keep an eye on these objectives and work toward completing them so you can continue progressing smoothly through the game.
