It’s always an exciting feeling to be in the final phase of a long wait for something that you think is really cool, isn’t it? That’s exactly what we’re feeling for Palworld 1.0, a version of the popular titles that’s been a long time coming, and is looking like quite a meaningful upgrade to the world it presents us with as it exits Early Access.
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We’ve been touching upon them from time to time, as the studio tells us more, but with the final release being as close as it is, we thought it best to get a closer look at what’s coming, and perhaps help you decide if this one was worthy of a weekend with cancelled plans. Well, keep your calendars handy as we take you through what you can expect from the upcoming update. Let’s go.
1. An Entirely Reworked Progression Curve
If you happen to have missed Pocketpair’s communications director Bucky telling us about that long list of changes, you’re going to be very excited to know that there’s going to be a lot of change coming to the world across the entirety of the adventure. There’s an improved early game, a more balanced and fleshed-out midgame, and the endgame content you’re already familiar with supplemented by new additions.
That’s a solid rethink of the game’s entire narrative and exploratory structure, and it should make this version of Palworld feel like a new beast altogether. It’s also a strong reason to consider the next entry on this list quite well if you’re a returning player.
2. Starting Over Might Be A Good Idea
Given that there are changes across the journey for you to discover and make use of, you might want to think about a new playthrough despite your old saves working with the new update. That’s because you might be missing out on a lot if you just load up an endgame save, with the redesigned progression loop’s new advantages slipping by you.
It’s a great indication that Pocketpair has rebuilt the very route you take through the whole experience, while adding in a very attractive final destination in the World Tree.
3. A Mission-Driven Story Structure
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If there was a complaint we had about Palworld’s Early Access build, it’s that uncovering lore about the Island and its mysteries could feel rather disjointed, with the bosses and gameplay systems not connecting back to the narrative well enough for it all to come together cohesively.
Well, that’s about to change as Version 1.0 is bringing a series of story-driven missions to the table, ensuring that your exploration and gameplay now act as bridges over narrative structural gaps, letting you discover the Island better than before while also letting you come to terms with what’s changed in the new update. That’s definitely a win-win.
4. A Reworked World Map
It would have been easy to just add a giant new region with a lot of things to do to the existing map before calling it a day, but we’re glad Pocketpair isn’t taking that route. There are going to be improvements to existing areas that make them feel more “alive”, while new areas are indeed a part of the new content making its way to the game.
We can’t wait to find out if the original version’s uneven density is going to be addressed to give the overall world more purpose, and whether the additional square mileage builds on that to make this the definitive version of the game’s world.
5. The World Tree
We’re very happy that the World Tree is finally coming into play, since we’re the type of gamers who just can’t see something we know is going to be a part of the fun at some point, but just can’t access it yet. The Tree has been at the edge of our goals for too long, and 1.0 bringing it into the playable experience is very welcome.
We believe having it accessible can add a new layer of direction to fresh playthroughs, giving the impression that everything our characters are doing is in service of reaching a final destination that’s now within our grasp. That’s a very welcome narrative and geographical endpoint for an adventure that really needed them in our book.
6. Mechanically Reworked Tower Bosses
If you’ve decided on a new playthrough and are expecting to blaze a path through bosses and towers in your path, think again. Things are different this time around, and enemies and bosses have been reworked to be more dynamic and engaging when you take them on.
The developers claim that they’re different enough to warrant a change in strategy, so you might want to stay on your toes and prepare for a few tough battles on your way to the World Tree. Of course, new bosses are also a part of the mix, so your time in the updated world is likely not going to feel too familiar even if you’re a player who’s been diligent about seeing it all.
7. The New and Improved Wildlife Sanctuaries
We loved Wildlife Sanctuaries in the Early Access build, and we’re thrilled that they’re getting an overhaul in the final one. They’re going to function as more than just restricted zones with rare Pals that feel kind of interchangeable. They’re bringing distinct ecosystems, powerful bosses, rare Pals of course, barriers and drones for you to work around, and unique materials and landscapes, all of which could make them viable endgame ecosystems for you to work with.
It could make grabbing those extra few levels and some potentially great Pals all the more engaging as you rebuild a new character to match your previous endgame build, or go in an entirely new direction if you so choose.
8. Overhauled Raids
It isn’t just about new content being added to Raids but about a complete overhaul of their mechanics that has us pretty eager to see what’s new. It’s no secret that Raids could feel a little repetitive and we’re hoping that the new changes are going to do something about that.
The overhaul is definitely coming with 1.0, although the exact specifics have been kept under wraps, and we’re guessing they’re going to be an important talking point once they’re out in the open. We’re pretty optimistic that things are going to improve, keeping how the rest of the game is being overhauled in mind.
9. No Place Like Your Home Base
Every world that’s filled with mystery and danger must come with that one place where you can put your feet up after a hard day’s adventuring. Well, your Home Base is where that happens in Palworld, and we’re pretty happy about the new Offshore Building feature being added to Version 1.0.
Building offshore can let you plan your base’s defences better, while also switching things up on the aesthetics and placement fronts. With new structures, building parts, and the ability to use a lot of previously unusable dead space on the coasts, this is a mechanical change that we’re very curious to see in action.
10. The Wing Pack’s New Brand of Traversal
Getting around a world as big as the one on offer in Palworld was always going to be a challenge, and we think Pocketpair’s made a really good call bringing the Wind Pack into the mix. For starters, it frees up a valuable party slot that you’d have otherwise assigned to a flying Pal. That automatically gives you more options for your party composition and its effectiveness in combat and other situations.
The ability to fly around the island all on your own is something we’re quite pleased with, and we’re sure a lot of you newbies and returning players alike are going to agree.
11. New Pals, New Ways To Field Them
We’re not going to dwell too much on the addition of new Pals for you to find out there as you explore the Island’s farthest reaches, going to places familiar and fresh all at once. That was kind of a given. But what we’re very interested in is the fact that some of these new additions come with functionalities that are quite unique.
There’s one that transforms into a two-handed sword, for instance, and that’s the one we’re going to make a beeline for as soon as its possible to try grabbing it. It’s a very exciting addition that could take Pals beyond mounts and passive labour tools, integrating them more directly into Palworld’s combat systems in ways that make sense while also meaningfully evolving its gameplay. We’re hoping that this new update is the start of something creatively beautiful in the long-term.
12. Mid-Game Overhaul
Titles like Palworld often struggle to build meaningful midgame progression loops that bridge the pleasures of early progress and easy leveling to the more challenging late-game rewards that are hard to earn, and equally as satisfying. Getting to a stage where your upgrades are only incremental, while resources get harder to acquire in the required numbers, and recapturing lost ground gets a tad repetitive.
Although Pockpetpair has stayed mum about how it plans to address that particular problem, it’s clear that the midgame has been a major area of focus for the studio, and that it’s being fleshed out in ways that are designed to make it more appealing. We’re going to reserve a verdict for once we’re actually there experiencing it for ourselves, but we think this part of things is certainly headed in the right direction.
13. The New Endgame
With all of the cool things we’ve already spoken about, it’s clear that the progression loop in Palworld is going past the version where it could get a little boring once you were a master of your tech. The endgame expansion that’s been promised is only one part of why getting to be the best version of your character might only be the beginning of a lot of fun to be had in the world.
New Sanctuaries, revamped towers and raids, new places alongside the World Tree, and so much more could make the endgame feel like a world where your progression continues to sustain itself in ways that make sense, leaving behind the old experience’s lack of allure once you have enough stuff unlocked to be an absolute powerhouse. We’ll have to wait and see how this plays out, but we see no reason not to expect a fair bit of fun things to do once you hit your metaphorical peak in the game.
14. You Face A Hard Choice
We know we said it’s recommended to start a new playthrough to see everything 1.0 has to offer, but we’re equally aware that that’s easier said than done. Yes, your existing saves are going to survive, but are you going to use them while missing out on a lot of the new facets being added to the overall experience? Or are you going to leave years of progress, bases, and Pals behind to start over again?
We’d personally use our old saves to try and get to the end of the story while having a new one in order to experience the reworked adventure right from the start, but that’s just us. A new playthrough is going to feel fresh, but will it be enough to justify leaving all the work you’ve put into your current save behind? That’s for you to decide.
15. Changes To Player Side-Combat
Yes, there are new weapons. Yes, there’s new gear for your character to find and equip. Yes, there are new Pals, some of which even double up as weapons. But can all that change the combat system’s affinity towards encouraging the collection of stronger Pals while trying to balance that out with what your player character can do?
We know that there are going to be changes in this department, but we’re curious to see if they are going to be enough to balance out player combat, traversal, and Pal abilities in a way that makes player-driven combat builds more viable. We’d definitely be on board with that, as we hate putting our Pals in any kind of danger, even if they were meant to be on the front lines. It remains to be seen if we’re going to have new ways to deal damage instead of dealing more of it across the board.
And that’s about it with this one. We’re sure excited about finally getting to the World Tree, even if we have to start from scratch to do it. It’s now a matter of waiting out the rest of the week before we see the lot of you on the Island with us!
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