Palworld Faces a Tightrope Walk Regarding One Future Mechanic

Mixing elements of survival, open-world, and monster-capturing gameplay, Palworld has established itself as a unique title even among its numerous competitors. Many game-changing ideas for Palworld, like the upcoming Sakurajima update, aim to ensure that it retains its distinctive identity while giving players more engaging content. However, one mechanic that is likely to come in the future may be met with divisive reactions, depending on its implementation.

Palworld has many creatures called Pals with unique abilities and varying power levels that players can defeat or capture. Although they can be useful in many ways, players who repeatedly encounter those they don’t need often kill them. While the developers have stated that exterminating Pals is illegal, the only time players are punished for the act is when butchering them in front of NPCs. But that may change in the future as there is a plan for an update that makes NPCs attack the player upon witnessing the killing of any in-game creature.

The Pros and Cons of NPC Aggression for Killing Pals

Palworld has many materials to farm, and one of the easiest ways of doing so is by killing wild Pals or butcher the ones they own. Having NPCs act aggressively toward such actions could lead to difficulties such as:

• Having to play more cautiously and ensure there are no witnesses within the vicinity
• Earning a wanted status, which could result in being overrun by hostile human NPCs and losing progress
• Turning an easy farming method into a tedious chore by giving it penalties

Although such a change has its downsides, it also has some benefits. Having the players be more careful means they must be more aware of their surroundings, giving extra depth to battles. Being hounded by hostile NPCs can also be an advantage, as players can use their best powerful combat Pals to engage and farm materials that normally drop from human enemies. Although it will still mean that materials that come from the creatures themselves will be slightly more difficult to obtain, there is at least a proper trade-off.

How the NPC Aggression Mechanic Can Change Palworld

Major Palworld updates such as the Sakurajima patch for June 27 show that the developers intend to keep the game interesting by introducing new mechanics and features. Should the future ever include one where NPCs are hostile towards players for killing Pals, it may change certain gameplay aspects. For example, it could lead to more human characters roaming around the overworld instead of being stationed at certain spots. While there are faction enemies that players encounter, they are already established as hostile from the start.

Having seemingly peaceful NPCs traversing the islands can make the world feel more immersive but also more dangerous. Their possible aggression towards the player can make combat more difficult but also engaging. This type of change would require Pocket Pair to balance where and how these NPCs might spawn to avoid overbearing combat, making it hard to implement until all possible issues are noticed and fixed.

Such an update to the aggression mechanic could also lead to the introduction of new equipment. Palworld has many outfits and weapons that help give players the edge they need during battle. With NPCs becoming hostile to witnessing the killing of Pals, Pocket Pair can create new items that prevent the players from being detected during the act. This can effectively introduce things like silencer attachments or bombs that confuse or blind targets to avoid a criminal status.

Palworld has a lot of mechanics that separate it from its monster-capturing competitors, but an update to its NPC behavior could help further cement its unique identity. Pocket Pair has already considered implementing such a change in the future, but it will llikely require a lot of time and testing to ensure that it does not disrupt the game’s overall balance.

Palworld

Pocket Pair’s Palworld is a creature-collection game set in an open-world. Entering early access on January 19, 2024, the project blends survival, building, farming, monster breeding, and shooter elements.

Released

January 19, 2024

Developer(s)

Pocket Pair, Inc.

Publisher(s)

Pocket Pair, Inc.

Engine

Unreal Engine 5

ESRB

T For Teen Due To Violence

How Long To Beat

36 Hours

X|S Enhanced

Yes

File Size Xbox Series

6 GB (February 2024)

Number of Players

1-4 (Co-Op); 32 Players Server Limit

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