Every level in Palworld hands you stat points and technology points, which unlock better spheres, base structures, and the gear you need to capture stronger Pals. Progress feels fast until the mid-30s, then the required EXP climbs sharply. The quickest way through that wall is to stack capture bonuses in the open world while your base Pals grind out EXP in the background.
Quick answer: Capture each Pal species up to 10 times for a large, level-scaled EXP bonus, and run four High Quality Workbenches at your base with Pals crafting arrows on repeat. Capturing always gives roughly double the EXP of killing, so carry plenty of spheres.
The 10-catch bonus is the core of fast leveling
You receive a large EXP bonus for each of the first 10 captures of every Pal species. This bonus scales with your player level and grows roughly in line with the EXP you need per level, so it stays worthwhile from the first island all the way to endgame.
Three facts make this the strongest active method available:
- The bonus ignores the enemy Pal’s level, so a low-level Lamball is worth almost as much as an Alpha boss of the same catch number.
- The bonus ignores World Settings EXP rate, so it remains efficient even on Hard difficulty.
- After the 10th catch of a species, the Pal gives only a few EXP, similar to simply defeating it.
There is no separate reward for hitting exactly 10 of one species. The first 10 catches each pay out a similar bonus, and after that the return collapses. Focus on “completing” easy, common Pals before you go hunting rare ones.
Tip: Capturing a Pal gives close to double the EXP of killing it. In the late game, only kill Pals you have already caught 10 times, purely for their drops.
Reset dungeon Alphas to farm many species at once
An Alpha Pal waits at the end of each dungeon alongside two or three regular Pals of the same species. You can reroll the entire boss room without leaving the dungeon, which lets you cycle through different species and rack up 10-catch bonuses in one spot.
Set up autonomous arrow crafting for passive EXP
Your base Pals generate EXP for you and your party while you are away, and arrow crafting is the most reliable early loop. Each arrow produced gives 2 EXP to the player and every working Pal on Normal difficulty, and a Pal with Handiwork Level 2 (such as Robinquill) turns out an arrow roughly every 1.5 seconds at a High Quality Workbench.
| Crafting setup | EXP per minute | EXP per hour |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Pal crafting arrows | 80 | 2,400 |
| 4 Pals crafting arrows | 320 | 9,600 |
These figures assume Base Level 10 with 10 Pals available and account for Pals working about half the time. Lower base levels still work, just at reduced output.
Note: Party and base Pals keep gaining EXP even while fainted, but Pals stored in the Pal Box gain nothing.
Use Training Manuals and Crystals for instant levels
Training Manuals apply a flat block of EXP to a single Pal, and Training Crystals raise a Pal’s level by one outright. Manuals come from chests in the Wildlife Sanctuary and dungeons, and both items drop from the Bellanoir Raid Boss. Crystals are only obtainable from Bellanoir.
| Item | Effect |
|---|---|
| Training Manual (S) | Grants 100 EXP to a Pal |
| Training Manual (M) | Grants 1,000 EXP to a Pal |
| Training Manual (L) | Grants 10,000 EXP to a Pal |
| Training Manual (XL) | Grants 100,000 EXP to a Pal |
| Training Crystal | Raises a Pal’s level by one |
Raise the EXP rate in World Settings
The EXP rate multiplier in World Settings changes how much EXP you gain from most sources. It ranges from 0.1x for a slower grind up to 20x for very fast leveling. A 20x rate can push you to the cap quickly enough to skip large parts of progression, so 2x to 3x is a steadier choice.
On a dedicated server, set the same value directly in PalWorldSettings.ini:
[/Script/Pal.PalGameWorldSettings]
OptionSettings=(ExpRate=2.0)Two limits are worth knowing. The multiplier does not touch the fixed EXP requirements per level, and it does not change the 10-catch capture bonus, which stays constant regardless of the rate you pick.
Why higher levels feel so slow
Player EXP requirements are the same in every playthrough and climb exponentially. The jump between levels stays near a 20% increase from the mid-teens onward, but the raw numbers balloon at the endgame. Reaching level 50 takes a cumulative 10,727,000 EXP, which is why the 10-catch bonus matters most at high levels.
| Level | EXP for next level | Cumulative total |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 1,153 | 3,137 |
| 20 | 8,743 | 37,987 |
| 30 | 55,737 | 269,864 |
| 40 | 346,719 | 1,721,675 |
| 50 | — | 10,727,000 |
Where to level at each stage
Match your farming spot to your level. The early islands are dense with common Pals for 10-catch sprints, while Sakurajima Island introduced new Pals and enemies and raised the cap to level 55, giving you higher-EXP captures to close out the grind.
- Levels 1-20: Complete 10 catches each of common starter Pals like Lamball and Cattiva on the opening islands.
- Levels 20-40: Loop Alpha bosses, which respawn about every 60 minutes, for large EXP plus Ancient Technology Points and recipes.
- Levels 40-55: Capture high-level Pals in the Wildlife Sanctuaries and around the Astral Mountains, where the 10-catch bonus pays out the most.
In co-op, everyone within range of a kill or capture receives the full EXP, not a split share, so grouping up multiplies the value of every 10-catch run. Combine an open-world capture route with a base that never stops crafting arrows, and even the steep climb toward the level cap becomes a matter of hours rather than a slog.
