Why You Should Capture Humans in Palworld
Palworld, the hit game by Pocketpair, took the gaming world by storm in early January. Amassing over 2.1 million concurrent players at its peak, this overnight sensation is a survival shooter game featuring capturable creatures, called Pals, that you can use in battle or for base-building. However, did you know that aside from capturing Pals, you can also capture the human residents of Palpagos Island?
But why would you do this? Isn’t the game primarily about capturing Pals, not humans? The simple answer: it's a game mechanic designed to enhance your experience. Why not explore it to its fullest?
Jokes aside, the game explicitly labels the capturing of humans as a ‘cruel’ and ‘inhumane’ practice, frowned upon by Palworld society. Yet, I have observed no significant long-term repercussions in my gameplay from capturing humans.
In reality, capturing humans in Palworld offers limited benefits. As combat units, humans possess only a basic weak skill, ‘punch,’ and cannot use any weapons. They are equally ineffective at base work, having only a level 1 Handiwork skill. Moreover, humans are challenging to catch with the Pal Sphere, making them poor choices for both combat and base labor.
Despite these drawbacks, there are compelling reasons to capture humans. Read on to discover why!
1. Collect humans like Pals
Contrary to expectations, the developers have placed significant emphasis on human NPCs in the game. A Reddit user, Glynnavyre, compiled a comprehensive list of unique humans in Palworld, which I've expanded to include the Reincarnated Guy (Uncatchable but offers free pizza) and Tower Bosses.
List of all unique humans in Palworld
Open World:
- Black Marketeer
- Burly Merc
- Cowardly Islander
- Cowardly Victim
- Desert Runaway
- Expedition Survivor
- Guard (unique PIDF that guard some Red Wandering Merchants)
- Mercenary With a Wounded Knee
- Reincarnated Guy (Uncatchable)
- Resigned Islander
- Skilled Islander
- Vagrant Challenger
Fisherman’s Point:
- Flame-worshipping Villager
- Fish-loving Villager
- Over-caring Villager
- Pal Merchant
- PIDF Slacker
- Sensitive-nosed PIDF Officer
- Star-loving Villager
- Wandering Merchant (1)
- Wandering Merchant (2)
Small Settlement:
- Enthusiastic Amateur Researcher
- Gossiping Villager
- Innkeeper
- Pal Merchant
- Reliable PIDF Officer
- Village Chief
- Wandering Merchant
Duneshelter:
- Kind Desert Inhabitant
- Pal Merchant
- PIDF Bonfire-lover
- PIDF Goody Two-shoes
- PIDF Grunt
- Timid Desert Inhabitant
- Wandering Merchant (1)
- Wandering Merchant (2)
- Warmblooded Desert Inhabitant
Enemies:
- Brothers of the Eternal Pyre Martyr
- Free Pal Alliance Devout (Bat)
- Free Pal Alliance Devout (Crossbow)
- PAL Genetic Research Unit Executioner
- PIDF Elite
- PIDF Guard
- PIDF Infantry
- Syndicate Cleaner
- Syndicate Crusher
- Syndicate Elite
- Syndicate Grenadier
- Syndicate Gunner
- Syndicate Hunter
- Syndicate Thug (Bat)
- Syndicate Thug (Gun)
Tower Bosses (Uncatchable as of patch 0.1.5.0):
- Zoe & Grizzbolt
- Lily & Lyleen
- Axel & Orserk
- Marcus & Faleris
- Victor & Shadowbeak
Unlike Pals, who are recorded in the Paldex, tracking captured humans requires manual effort to ensure you've collected them all. Before patch 0.1.5.0, a glitch allowed players to capture Tower Bosses, but this has since been corrected. However, the feature might return in future updates, or you can experience it now via a Palworld mod.
2. Sell them
Just like Pals in the game, humans can be sold to merchants. However, only the Black Market Merchant is willing to purchase humans, as other merchants will become suspicious of you if you attempt to sell humans. Humans in Palworld range from anywhere between 200 gold to 2500 gold, depending on their level. While it may not be as profitable or efficient as other methods of making money, this is still a quick way to raise some capital if you ever find yourself short a few gold.
3. Capture merchants for easy trade access
Capturing human merchants is the most common reason players choose to capture a human in Palworld. Merchants are unique humans who sell equipment, weapons, crafting goods, and Pals. There are four types of merchants in the game:
- Wandering Merchant (Green)
- Wandering Merchant (Red)
- Pal Merchant (Blue)
- Black Marketeer
Each merchant found in the game carries unique items that may not be found with the same merchant in another region. Additionally, merchants are scattered all over Palworld, and accessing them can sometimes be a hassle. So, instead of tracking down the specific merchant that carries the supplies you need, why not capture them all and keep them in your base so you can have access to them whenever you want?
To access their inventory, you can:
- Assign them as a base Pal and access their inventory by talking to them.
- Put them in a Viewing Cage and access their inventory by talking to them. This method can be a bit more tricky because it requires the merchant to be near the edge of the viewing cage for you to be able to talk to them. Alternatively, you can use the Viewing Cage hole and bed glitch to get easier access to the merchants in your Viewing Cage.
Note: If you are playing on a multiplayer server and capture a merchant, that merchant will not respawn for a long while. You can theoretically deny other players access to merchants by capturing them every time they respawn. Just keep in mind that this is a form of griefing, and moderators of that server may not tolerate this behavior.
4. Butcher them
If capturing humans is considered inhumane, then the act of "butchering" a human NPC can be considered a war crime in Palworld. Similar to Pals, who drop items when butchered using the Butcher Knife, humans will also drop items upon being butchered. These items can range from gold and bread to ammo and Pal Spheres. While you can use this method if you need items or gold, it is generally more profitable to sell humans than to butcher them for items.
5. Roleplay
Palworld is a game that celebrates creativity in building infrastructure. It offers hundreds of unique items that players can use to construct and decorate their bases. With these tools, players can create nearly anything they imagine, ranging from cozy wooden cabins to full-on castles. Captured humans can be used as additional decorations for your structures. For example, you can create a cool-looking bar tavern and then assign your humans to the area, making it appear like a bustling tavern.
A Reddit user, Prusyakish, took this mechanic to an inventive level by constructing a full-blown maximum-security prison that housed over 150 human Black Marketeer merchants and a handful of PIDF Security Guards acting as wardens.
This highlights the vast creative potential in Palworld, where your imagination sets the boundaries. Dive in, capture some humans, and see what unique creations you can bring to life.
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Patrick Yu is a Senior Project Manager at Level Interactive and has 8 years of experience writing business, legal, lifestyle, gaming, and technology articles. He is a significant contributor to Acer Corner and is currently based in Taipei, Taiwan.
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