Pupperai is a Ground-type Pal added in Palworld 1.0, and while its base work stats are thin, its Partner Skill makes it one of the strongest early combat picks. Best Boy raises your melee weapon damage while Pupperai sits in your party, and it does not need to be on the field to do it. That single trait is the whole reason to build a melee squad around it.
Quick answer: Keep Pupperai and Gobfin in your party for stacked melee damage boosts, add Warsect for a survival barrier, Loupmoon for attack speed, and a damage-conversion Pal like Wixen on the field. All five buffs are passive, so only the conversion Pal actually fights beside you.
How Best Boy works
Best Boy increases your melee weapon damage by 10% at first, scaling up to 35% as you improve the Partner Skill level. The bonus applies as a passive effect the moment Pupperai is in your active party. You do not have to summon it, which is the key to the build, since your field slot is free for a different Pal.
Note: Best Boy does not stack with a second Pupperai, so one copy is all you need for the melee bonus.
Where to find Pupperai in Palworld 1.0
Pupperai spawns close to the starting area, so you can grab one early. Look along the beach section of Windswept Hills near the Grassy Behemoth Hills Fast Travel point, around coordinates (172,-475). It shows up during both day and night in the wild, and you can also hatch it from eggs or breed it if you already have a pair.
The full melee team and where to catch each Pal
Four of the five party members provide passive buffs, so only your damage-conversion Pal is summoned to fight. The rest stack their effects while stored in your party. Here is the roster, what each one contributes, and where to find it.
| Pal | Effect | Where to catch |
|---|---|---|
| Pupperai | Best Boy: +10% to +35% melee weapon damage | Windswept Hills beach near Grassy Behemoth Hills (172,-475) |
| Gobfin | +10% to +20% melee weapon damage | Goblin’s Turn Fast Travel, Verdant Brooks (149,-208) |
| Warsect | Barrier after five melee hits within 5–9 seconds | Near Sealed Realm of the Mystic Dungeon, Verdant Brooks (120,-61) |
| Loupmoon | +15% to +30% melee weapon attack speed | Moonless Shore, Verdant Brooks, Bamboo Groves (night) |
| Wixen | Converts your damage to Fire, +30% to +50% attack | Near Altar of the Windcaller Fast Travel (347,-71) |
Gobfin doubles down on the melee boost from Pupperai, so the two together push your weapon damage significantly before you even factor in gear. Warsect is the survivability piece. Once you land five melee hits inside the short window, it wraps a barrier around you, which is what lets you trade blows up close without getting deleted.
Loupmoon speeds up your swings, which does two things at once. Faster hits raise your overall damage per second, and they also help you reach Warsect’s five-hit barrier trigger sooner. Wixen is the one Pal you actually put on the field. It converts all your damage to Fire and adds a large flat attack increase, so it doubles as your combat companion and your final damage multiplier.
Best weapons for the Pupperai build
The build scales with whatever melee weapon you can craft from the Technology Tree, so use the strongest one available at your level. Around Level 20 the Primitive Sword covers you, and you can move up to the standard Sword near Level 30. Higher tiers arrive later, with the Katana at Level 47 and the Beam Sword at Level 57.
If you want reach while still counting as melee, the Terra Blade is worth chasing. Its schematics come from the hidden Terraria dungeon near the Isle of Eternal Summer, around (-420,-787).
Using Skutlass as a swap-in weapon
Skutlass gives you a burst option. Its Partner Skill turns the Pal into a katana that deals 2,600 base damage when activated, then it reverts after a short window and enters a cooldown, during which you swap back to a crafted weapon. You can find Skutlass along the shore of the Anubis Dunes just outside Bamboo Groves, around (-130,-79).
To fit Skutlass in, drop Loupmoon from the party. The attack speed buff only affects your own weapon and does nothing for another Pal acting as your blade, so it is the cleanest cut. With the rest of the team intact, you keep the stacked melee damage, the Fire conversion, and the Warsect barrier while cycling Skutlass for spike damage.
Once the party is assembled, you will notice the buffs applying without summoning anything but your field Pal, which confirms the passive stacking is live. From there it is just a matter of keeping your melee weapon current and staying inside Warsect’s barrier while Pupperai and Gobfin carry the damage.
