Endgame Palworld is not a stat contest. Once you are throwing parties at hard-mode tower bosses, Xenolord, and the level 60 Oil Rig, what matters is how fast a Pal’s attack animations resolve, whether its Partner Skill actually buffs you, and whether it can survive long enough to keep that buff running. The 1.0.3 patch shuffled a fair number of those answers, mostly through skill damage fixes and a couple of pointed nerfs.
Quick answer: For Pal-damage runs, breed two to five Knocklem (or Knocklem Ignis) and rotate their Partner Skill with a Dumud booster for full uptime. For player-damage runs, take four Gobfin plus one main Pal, either an element-swap Pal like Frostallion or Felbat for lifesteal.
How these combat Pals were ranked
Every Pal below is judged as an active party member in endgame content, not as a base worker or a travel mount. Four things decide placement: raw attack scaling, how usable the active skills are in a real fight, what the Partner Skill does for you or the rest of the party, and how much investment it takes to get there. A Pal with a huge attack stat and a three-second wind-up loses to one that fires instantly.
Placements assume the Pal is awakened, fully condensed, and running strong passives. The ranking reflects version 1.0.3 as of late August 2026.
Palworld endgame combat Pals tier list (v1.0.3)
S tier Pals clear hard tower bosses and ultra raids with the right build. Everything from C down still works in general late-game play, it just needs more effort or a specific matchup to justify the slot.
| Tier | Pals |
|---|---|
| S | Knocklem, Knocklem Ignis, Bellanoir Libero, Necromus, Frostallion, Frostallion Noct, Blazamut Ryu, Orserk, Felbat, Selyne, Solmora Lux, Vanwyrm Cryst, Maraith, Moldron, Chillet, Neptilius, Hartalis |
| A | Jormuntide Ignis, Xenogard, Xenolord, Bellanoir, Anubis, Bastigor, Azurobe, Pyrin, Univolt, Finsider Ignis, Galeclaw, Lovander, Silvegis, Shaolong, Dandilord |
| B | Jetragon, Lyleen, Lyleen Noct, Jormuntide, Paladius, Wixen, Dumud, Petallia, Herbil, Eye of Cthulhu, Grizzbolt, Aegidron |
| C | Blazamut, Shadowbeak, Menasting, Menasting Terra, Gobfin, Gobfin Ignis, Rayhound, Warsect, Teafant, Helzephyr, Quivern, Bushi Noct |
| D | Relaxaurus Lux, Elphidran, Verdash, Robinquill Terra, Suzaku Aqua |
| E | Vanwyrm, Astegon, Faleris, Croajiro, Ophydia, Katress, Shroomer Noct |
A few placements deserve a note. Felbat sits high purely on lifesteal, which keeps you alive through Oil Rig runs and long boss phases where healing items are too slow. Maraith earned its jump because its farming loop has effectively no cooldown, so it never stops contributing. Vanwyrm Cryst is not a damage dealer at all in practice, it is there for the headshot damage boost it hands the player. Teafant, at the bottom of C, is the same idea in miniature, offering passive healing and nothing else.
What moved in the 1.0.3 update
Most of the movement came from two places, a damage patch that fixed Pals whose skills were quietly underperforming, and nerfs to a handful of previously dominant attacks.
| Pal | Move | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Necromus | Up | Twin Spears damage patch restored its output |
| Blazamut Ryu | Up | Works as both a carry and a party booster |
| Maraith | Up | Zero-cooldown attack loop |
| Xenogard | Up | Holds up well against Bellanoir Libero |
| Pyrin, Azurobe | Up | Better sustained damage than their old tier suggested |
| Shadowbeak | Down | Divine Disasters was nerfed |
| Faleris | Down | Nerfs plus unreliable pathing |
| Astegon | Down | Too clunky to land damage consistently |
| Shaolong | Down | Long attack animations slow its damage |
| Menasting, Menasting Terra | Down | Outscaled by newer options |
| Croajiro, Katress, Ophydia | Down | No longer competitive as active attackers |
The two builds that decide your party
Endgame parties split cleanly into two shells, and which one you pick changes which Pals from the table above are worth breeding.
Pal damage: the Knocklem stack
Knocklem’s self-buff triples attack and defense, which is far ahead of anything else a single Pal brings. Run two to five of them with a Dumud as the booster and rotate so the Partner Skill is always active. Two Knocklems is the minimum for full uptime. The payoff is that one party clears every hard-mode tower with essentially zero player damage, and it does not need legendary weapons to work. The catch is Xenolord, where this shell struggles.
Player damage: four Gobfins and a main
The alternative loads four Gobfin and one main Pal whose Partner Skill either swaps your damage element or gives you lifesteal. Frostallion or Frostallion Noct handle the element swap, Felbat and Lovander cover lifesteal. This is the higher damage ceiling and it is what you need for Xenolord and the Oil Rig anyway, so most players end up building it regardless. It asks more of you, though, since it scales hard with your gear and requires actual aiming.
Note: Pals that rely on a saddle for their Partner Skill are shakier than their raw numbers suggest right now. Mounting and dismissing mid-fight can cause a Pal to drop its attacks entirely, which is why several otherwise strong mounts sit lower here than you would expect.
Passives and condensing that hold these placements up
None of the S tier placements survive on a wild-caught Pal. Every entry assumes the Pal is awakened, fully condensed to four stars, and carrying four combat passives. Getting there is the real cost, and it is why a well-bred A tier Pal routinely outperforms a fresh S tier one.
| Passive | Effect |
|---|---|
| Demon God | Largest single damage increase available |
| Musclehead | Raises attack power |
| Legend | Broad combat boost, legendary Pals only |
| Element bonus | Increases damage of the matching element |
Alongside the party, keep two or three rescue Pals available for raid defense. Blazamut Ryu, Jetragon, Paladius, and Faleris Aqua all fill that role, and the same army you breed for Xenolord will handle Blazamut Ryu and Bellanoir Libero without changes.
Placements players argue about
Four Pals land in very different spots depending on how you play, and it is worth knowing why before you sink thousands of eggs into one.
- Anubis — Huge attack stat, an auto-dodge in combat, and it is obtainable in the midgame. Against that, its element conversion feels awkward to use and it takes extra damage from Grass. Excellent value, fiddly ceiling.
- Jetragon — Unmatched as a flying mount and its missiles hit hard, but as a pure combat slot it is outpaced by dedicated damage dealers. Most parties carry it for mobility, not the fight.
- Shadowbeak — Still an accessible Dark attacker with reliable damage, but the Divine Disasters nerf cut the burst that put it near the top. Fine to use, no longer a priority breed.
- Bastigor — Strong Ice moveset and continuous Ice Hammer damage while mounted, though the mounted-combat quirks noted above blunt it in practice.
If you only have the patience to breed one army, build the Gobfin shell with a Frostallion or Felbat main. It covers Xenolord, the Oil Rig, and every raid boss below them, and it scales with the gear you are already upgrading. The Knocklem stack is the cleaner answer for tower bosses, and it is worth assembling second once your first party is stable.
