Best Pals for Combat Tier List (November 2024)

This is Game8's Palworld Tier List for which Pals are the best to use for combat! If you're planning to get into the game and just don't know which Pals to use, this list will get you started in the right direction. Read on to find out what Pals to use in your team and why you should use them.

The Best Pals Overall
Combat Pals Tier List	Base Pals Tier List	All Mounts Tier List
Ground Mounts Tier List	Flying Mounts Tier List	Water Mounts Tier List
Best Glider Pals Tier List

Best Pals for Combat from Sakurajima

Tier	Pals

These are our combat rankings for the new Pals introduced in the Sakurajima Summer Update. Do note that the rankings are based on their stats and a Pal's combat effectiveness can change depending on builds and team compositions.

List of All New Pals (Sakurajima Update)

Best Pals for Combat Tier List

Tier & Element	1st	2nd	3rd	4th
Neutral	Paladius	Selyne	Fenglope	Gorirat
Fire	Jormuntide Ignis	Blazamut	Blazamut Ryu	Incineram
Grass	Warsect	Lyleen	Quivern Botan	Verdash
Ground	Anubis	Knocklem	Menasting Terra	Warsect
Electric	Orserk	Helzephyr Lux	Beakon	Grizzbolt
Water	Jormuntide	Suzaku Aqua	Relaxaurus	Azurobe
Ice	Frostallion	Cryolinx	Vanwyrm Cryst	Reptyro Cryst
Dragon	Blazamut Ryu	Jormuntide Ignis	Jetragon	Astegon
Dark	Frostallion Noct	Shadowbeak	Bellanoir Libero	Necromus

How to Get the Strongest Pal

Jump to a section!
Craft the Best Weapons Available Breed for the Perfect Pal Acquire Powerful Moves (Active Skills) Try to Get the Best Passive Skills Boost Stats Using Pal Souls Use the Pal Essense Condenser

Craft the Best Weapons Available

Craft Ranged Weapons

Ranged weapons are generally better than using melee weapons thanks to their range and typically higher damage. For beginners, it's recommended to craft an Old Bow and Arrows as soon as possible.

Eventually, you can work your way up to craft Guns which should become your main weapons of choice later on.

Best Weapons Tier List

Breed the Perfect Pal

Pals that are bred can inherit the characteristics of its two parents. This means that the parents inherent skills and other stats are then adopted by the offpsring.

An offspring can learn its parents Active Skills and Passive Skills and because of this, you'll potentially have a Pal that has skills it normally cannot learn.
Breeding Combos and Guide

Signature Passive Skills Can Be Inherited

Signature Passive Skills like Legend and other Passive Skills that increase the damage of Element Attacks can be inherited by an offspring when a Pal is bred with a Legendary Pal.
Palworld Breeding Calculator

Acquire Powerful Moves (Active Skills)

Active Skills are abilities that Pals use during battles. Each Pal can have up to three active skills and players can swap these out with other skills.

You can also use Skill Fruits in order to get other Moves onto any Pal even if it cannot learn the move via Level Up!

How to Get Skill Fruits

Some Skills are Unique to a Set of Pals

Some skills are unique to a certain subset of Pals. For example, Paladius is the only Pal who is able to learn Spear Thrust naturally.

Try to Get the Best Passive Skills

Passive Skills are permanent traits that affect an individual Pal.

These passives can provide both positive and negative effects to your Pal's stats. Be sure to check out your Pal's Passive Skills when considering to invest in building a certain Pal or not!
Best Passive Skills and How to Get

Boost Stats by Using Pal Souls

To use Pal Souls, you will need to have access to a Statue of Power. These can be found out in the open or crafted with Stone and Paldium Fragments to build. Once the statue has been completed, approach it and select Enhance Pals.

Statue of Power Guide: How to Upgrade Catch Power and Pals

Use the Pal Essence Condenser

Increasing a Pal's rank will subsequently increase its Partner Skill Level. This effectively increases that Partner Skill's efficacy, such as an increase in damage or effectiveness.

In addition to increasing the Partner Skill Level, a Pal that has successfully undergone distillation will also receive an increase to their Max HP, Attack, and Defense.
Pal Essence Condenser: How to Rank Up Pals

Top Pal Rankings and Explanation

Notice!	We are still in the process of adding the new Pals from the Sakurajima Update to this section. Check back later for a more detailed explanation on their rankings!

SS Tier

Game8's Palworld Combat Tier List

Pal	Reason
Jormuntide Ignis	Best Pal for Overall Combat ・Fire is currently the best offensive type. ・Dragon is an amazing type for End-game due to abundance of Dark types ・Learns Dragon Meteor and Fire Ball, two AoE Skills with 150 Power ・Fire attacks are enhanced when mounted thanks to its Pal Skill.
Jetragon	Effective Dragon Attacker ・ Its Active Skills make it a very effective Pal for battle. ・ Incredibly fast. ・Can be used with a Missile Launcher.
Frostallion	Best Ice Pal ・Can learn Cryst Breath which deals decent continuous damage. ・Ice attacks are enhanced when mounted and gives an Ice infusion to attacks thanks to its Pal Skill.
Frostallion Noct	Solid Dark Element Pal ・ Can learn Dark Laser which can deal good damage. ・Can be chain bred to have both Siren of the Void and Lord of the Underworld. ・ Can learn Crystal Wing, an Ice Element Skill with 110 Power.
Paladius	Best Neutral Pal ・Also one of the faster running mounts in-game. ・Can learn Spear Thrust which deals decent damage and protects it from damage. ・Can learn Pal Blast which deals AoE damage at 150 Power.
Jormuntide	Best Water Pal ・Water is good against Fire Pals. ・Dragon is an amazing type for End-game due to abundance of Dark types ・Learns Hydro Laser and Dragon Meteor, two AoE Skills with 150 Power
Anubis	Best Ground Pal ・Can be bred early to mid game by breeding a Vanwyrm and Azurobe together. ・Great survivability thanks to its Pal Skill granting it a sidestep mechanic. ・Learns Ground Smash, an AoE Ground Skill with 140 Power
Orserk	Best Electric Pal ・Can learn Kerauno which deals decent damage and protects it from damage by flying. ・Increases drops from Water Pals, good for grinding Pal Fluids.
Warsect	Best Grass Pal ・Can learn Solar Blast which deals decent damage. ・Can learn Giga Horn which can push bosses around giving you room to breathe. ・Defense is enhanced when fighting and gives a Fire infusion to attacks thanks to its Pal Skill.
Lyleen Noct	Best Healing Pal ・Better than its standard counterpart thanks to it not being weak to Fire. ・Great at Handiwork and Medicine Production when not in use. ・Can still deal decent damage with its access to Dark and Ice attacks.

Jormuntide Ignis and Jormuntide are the Best Dragons in SS Tier

Jormuntide Ignis and Water Jormuntide are by far the best Dragons.
However, Anubis should not be slept on because of its Pal Skill that grants it a sidestep, and Ground Smash, a strong Ground Skill with 140 Power.

Shadowbeak is the best Dark Pal in this tier, with dark being an overal great Element, and useful Skill options.

S Tier

Game8's Palworld Combat Tier List

Pal	Reason
Shadowbeak	Best Dark Attacker ・Also one of the faster flying mounts in-game. ・Can learn Divine Disaster which has CC and AoE damage. ・Can be chain bred to have both Siren of the Void and Lord of the Underworld. ・Dark attacks are enhanced when mounted thanks to its Pal Skill.
Bellanoir Libero	Great Dark Pal ・A powerful Dark Attacker and can supplement its weakness to dark by having a Passive that also boosts Ice damage. ・Great attacker for the team but has low maneuverability.
Necromus	Great Dark Pal ・ A powerful Dark Attacker, but is limited by its weakness to common Dragon Element Pals. ・Decent movement speed
Blazamut	Effective Fire Attacker ・Fire is currently the best offensive type. ・Can learn Rock Lance which is a single target 150 Power move. ・Fire attacks are enhanced when mounted thanks to its Pal Skill.
Grizzbolt	Powerful Electric Pal ・ Can be equipped with a minigun that deals massive amounts of damage. ・ Can learn Dark Laser which can deal good damage. ・ Electric Ball can home in on enemies.
Suzaku	Useful Fire Pal ・ Can buff Fire Attacks when mounted. ・ Fire Ball can cover a wide area and deal damage.
Incineram Noct	Effective Dark Pal ・ Ignis Rage covers a wide area and is able to damage enemies in that space. ・ Fire Ball can cover a wide area and deal damage. ・ A powerful Dark Attacker, but is limited by its weakness to common Dragon Element Pals.
Cryolinx	Strong Ice Pal ・Can learn Blizzard Spike which deals AoE damage at 130 Power. ・Can learn Cryst Breath which deals decent continuous damage.
Fenglope	Effective Neutral Pal ・ Can learn Pal Blast which deals AoE damage at 150 Power. ・Can learn Blizzard Spike which deals AoE damage at 130 Power.
Lyleen	Useful Grass Pal ・ Can learn Solar Blast which deals decent damage. ・ Can restore HP during battle.
Menasting	Powerful Ground and Dark Pal ・ Can learn Dark Laser which can deal good damage. ・ Rock Lance is a reliable way to damage opposing Pals.
Selyne	Strong Unique Attacks and Partner Skill ・ Has two powerful unique Neutral attacks. ・ Partner Skill boosts Fire and Dark damage while mounted.
Xenogard	Balanced Attack and Defense ・ Both Attack and Defense stats are high, but doesn't. ・ Jack of all trades, but master of none.
Blazamut Ryu	Effective Dragon Pal ・ Has better stats than regular Blazamut. ・ Partner Skill boosts Dragon damage while mounted.

Necromus and Jetragon are Consistent Pals

Necromus and Jetragon are stong Pals that are useful in combat and as rideable mounts. They are always useful when in your party, and will consistently be good at whatever you need them to do.

Grizzbolt is another strong Pal in this tier, that is strong in battle and as a mount.

Suzaku is also great, thanks to its Partner Skill and Fire Ball Skill.

A Tier

Game8's Palworld Combat Tier List

Pal	Reason
Astegon	Great Dark and Dragon Typing ・ Learns Dragon Meteor and Dark Laser two powerful Skills with 150 Power
Bellanoir	Solid Dark Element Pal ・ Can learn strong Skills like Apocalypse and Umbral Surge. ・Great attacker for the team but has low maneuverability and cannot be bred down to get Lord of the Underworld but can get Siren of the Void.
Incineram	Solid Typing in Fire and Dark ・ Can learn strong Skills like Shadow Burst and Ignis Rage.
Relaxaurus Lux	Electric and Dragon Element Pal ・ Can learn strong Electric Skills like Lightning Bolt and Lightning Strike.
Vanwyrm Cryst	Ice and Dark Pal ・ Dark and Ice typing gives it decent matchups against Dragon Element Pals ・ Can learn Dark Laser and Blizzard Spike, two powerful Skills
Relaxaurus	Dragon and Water are a Great Element Combination ・ Learns Dragon Meteor, a strong 150 Power Dragon Element Skill. ・ Great Water Element Skill Options.
Reptyro	Fire and Ground Element Pal ・ Can learn Rock Lance which is a single target 150 Power move. ・ Ignis Rage covers a wide area and is able to damage enemies in that space.
Verdash	Quick Grass Element Pal ・ Can learn Solar Blast which deals decent damage. ・ Can learn Spine Vine, a Grass Element Skill that homes in on enemies.
Gorirat	Solid Neutral Pal ・ Can learn Pal Blast which deals AoE damage at 150 Power.
Petallia	Decent Grass Element Pal ・ Can learn Solar Blast which deals decent damage. ・ Can learn Spine Vine, a Grass Element Skill that homes in on enemies.

Dark Pals Are Strong in This Tier

Astergon, Frostallion Noct, and Incineram are carried by their solid Dark Elemental typing in this tier, while Relaxaurus Lux is a consistent and reliable Electric Dragon Pal.

B Tier

Game8's Palworld Combat Tier List

Pal	Reason
Bushi	Fire Element with Coverage Options ・ Ignis Rage covers a wide area and is able to damage enemies in that space. ・ Access to Lightning Strike, a 120 Power Electric Element Skill ・Also has access to Wind Cutter and Icicle Cutter, which are Grass and Ice Element Skills respectively.
Beakon	Electric Pal with Ground Coverage ・ Learns Lightning Bolt, a 150 Power Electric Skill. ・ Also gets access to Sand Tornado, a Ground Element Skill that covers space on its sides. ・ Relies on player mounting it to increase its Electric damage.
Reptyro Cryst	Ice element Pal with Ground Coverage ・ Can learn Rock Lance which is a single target 150 Power move. ・Can learn Blizzard Spike which deals AoE damage at 130 Power.
Helzephyr	Solid Dark Element Pal ・ Can learn Dark Laser which can deal good damage. ・ Wings of Death Partner Skill increases the damage of Dark Element attacks while mounted.
Galeclaw	Normal Pal with Ground and Grass Coverage ・ Can learn Pal Blast which deals AoE damage at 150 Power. ・Also has access to Grass Tornado and Sand Tornado, which are Grass and Ground Element Skills respectively.
Elizabee	Decent Grass Element Pal ・ Can learn Solar Blast which deals decent damage. ・ Can learn Spine Vine, a Grass Element Skill that homes in on enemies.
Robinquill Terra	Pal with Ground and Grass Coverage ・ Can learn Rock Lance which is a single target 150 Power move. ・ Can learn Solar Blast which deals decent damage.
Quivern	Pal with Plenty of Coverage Options ・ Learns Dragon Meteor, a strong 150 Power Dragon Element Skill. ・ lso has access to Grass Tornado and Aqua Burst, which are Grass and Water Element Skills respectively.
Azurobe	Fast Swimming Mount ・Learns Hydro Laser and Dragon Meteor, two AoE Skills with 150 Power. ・ Fast Swimming Mount

Coverage Is King

Bushi tops this tier being a Fire Elemental Pal with access to coverage options.

Beakon is a strong Pal in this tier being able to cover Ground as well as Electric.

Reptyro Cryst and Helzephyr are also in this tier, as both have access to powerful Skills.

C Tier

Game8's Palworld Combat Tier List

Pal	Reason
Univolt	Powerful Rideable Mount ・ Learns Lightning Bolt, a 150 Power Electric Skill. ・ Swift Deity Partner Skill applies Electric damage when ridden as a mount.
Blazehowl	Strong Rideable Mount ・Learns Pal Blast and Dragon Meteor, two powerful Skills with 150 Power. ・ When ridden as a mount, Hellflame Lion makes opposing Grass Pals drop more items when defeated.
Loupmoon	Reliable Pal in Battle ・ Can learn Dark Laser which can deal good damage. ・ Claws Glistening in the Dark allows it to attack nearby enemies, assisting you in battles.
Vaelet	Good against Ground Element Pals ・ When fighting together, Purification of Gaia makes opposing Ground Pals drop more items when defeated. ・Can learn Solar Blast which deals decent damage.
Foxcicle	Consistent Ice Element Pal ・ Increases the power of Ice Pals when in battle using its Aurora Guide Partner Skill. ・ Can learn Blizzard Spike which deals AoE damage at 130 Power.
Lunaris	Useful Neutral Pal ・Learns Pal Blast, a powerful Skills with 150 Power. ・ Can increase your max carrying capacity when in your party with its Antigravity Partner Skill.
Chillet	Reliable Dragon Pal ・ Learns Dragon Meteor, a strong 150 Power Dragon Element Skill. ・Adds Dragon Damage to your party's attacks with its Wriggling Weasel Partner Skill.
Broncherry	Reliable Grass Pal ・ Can increase your max carrying capacity when ridden thanks to its Overaffectionate Partner Skill. ・Can learn Solar Blast which deals decent damage.
Digtoise	Useful Ground Pal ・ Powerful Drill Crusher Partner Skill, which follows you when activated and efficiently mines Ore. ・Can learn Rock Lance which is a single target 150 Power move.nl] ・Has Water Element Coverage Options.

Pals Used for Partner Skills

The Pals in this tier are mainly utilized for their useful Partner Skills.

Partner Skills that deal extra damage or cause extra item drops from defeated Pals take the top four spots in this tier.

D Tier

Game8's Palworld Combat Tier List

Pal	Reason
Katress	Decent Dark Element Pal ・ ・Can learn Dark Laser which can deal good damage. ・ Can also learn a number of consistent Dark Element Skills like, Nightmare Ball, Spirit Flame, and Shadow Burst.
Grintale	Normal Pal with Ground Coverage ・Can learn Pal Blast which deals AoE damage at 150 Power. ・ Can throw boulders at enemies with Stone Cannon.
Rooby	Consistent Fire Element Pal ・ Fire Ball can cover a wide area and deal damage.
Dumud	Reliable Ground Element Pal ・ Ground Element Pal with reliable Ground Skills
Kelpsea	Good Dragon and Water Coverage ・ Learns Hydro Laser and Dragon Cannon, two reliable and damaging Skills
Swee	Reliable Neutral Pal ・ Fluffy Ability increases its stats when in battle ・ Neutral Pal with Ice Element Coverage
Dinossom Lux	Decent Electric Dragon Pal ・ Can enhance Electric Attacks when mounted using its Thunder Dragon Partner Skill
Dinossom	Decent Grass Dragon Pal ・ Can enhance Grass Attacks when mounted using its Fragrant Dragon Partner Skill
Elphidran	Useful Against Dark Pals ・ Opposing Dark Pals drop more items when Elphidran is ridden as a Flying Mount, thanks to its Amicable Holy Dragon Partner Ability. ・ Learns Dragon Meteor, a strong 150 Power Dragon Element Skill.
Teafant	Good Water Skills ・ Learns Hydro Laser, an AoE Skill with 150 Power ・ Can heal teammates with Partner Skill, Soothing Showerge

Better Options in Higher Tiers

While D tier Pals can find niche uses, there may be better alternatives in upper tiers.

Pals in this tier are reliable but will not dominate in battle.

Criteria for Tier Placings

The following are the criteria to be met when ranking Pals for Combat.

Tier	Criteria
	SS Tier Pals are the best in the game when it comes to dealing raw damage. These pals are usually rare and reserved for end-game content.
	These Pals are still solid additions to your team and can help you take down almost any boss in the game.
	Pals in A Tier are often the best to use in the later part of the game but are usually outclassed by Pals in the SS and S Tier.
	B Tier Pals are often amazing at the middle point of the game but whill eventually fall off once you get to more difficult areas.
	C Tier Pals are usually reserved for those who are getting around to a decent chunk of the game. These pals can serve you well early game but will get overwhelmed once you reach harder areas.
	D Tier Pals are usually best used for the beginning of the game to help you quickly progress through the game.

Contributions to a Battle

These Tiers are determined by how drastically a match is altered by a Pal being on the field. This is usually due to its strong Offensive presence where a Pals's impactfulness can find itself a spot on our list.

Type Matchups are Taken into Account

While stats play a huge factor, just being a Fire element which is super effective on two types will bump you up a few spots on the list despite having lower stats.

Inversely, Neutral elements get a few spots bumped down despite being strong due to the abundance of power Dark-types in the end game and at Night.

Palworld Element Type Matchup Chart

Pals Who Can Heal Earn a Spot

For each tier, there is a Pal of each Element but you will notice some have an extra Pal included. These Pals are usually ones that can heal the player through their Pal Skills which is useful in tight situations.

Pal IV Stat Checker

Use Game8's IV Stat Calculator to Find Pals With Perfect Talent Values!

Use our Palworld IV Calculator to calculate the IVs of your Pals Attack, Defense and HP Stats in Palworld!

Our IV Checker will allow you to check the individual value of each of your Pal's Stats with both Passive Skills applied or just the base values to see which of your Pals are the strongest of their species!

Palworld IV Stat Calculator

Palworld Related Guides

Best Pals Tier List

Tier Lists by Role

Best Pals Tier Lists
Best Pals for Combat	Best Base Pals	Best Pals for Mounting

Pal Mount Speed Tier Lists

List of All Mount Pals Tier Lists
Flying Mounts Tier List	Ground Mounts Tier List
Swimming Mounts Tier List	Glider Pals Tier List

Work Suitability Tier Lists

All Pal Work Suitabilities
Kindling	Watering	Planting
Handiwork	Gathering	Cooling
Lumbering	Mining	Transporting
Generating Electricity	Medicine Production	Farming