Palworld map: which way to go and in what order

The Palworld map is called Palpagos Islands, and it follows a simple principle: the farther from the center, the higher the levels. You start in the mild green region in the middle and gradually work your way to the desert, the frozen regions and finally the endgame areas. Knowing this saves you a lot of pointless deaths. This article shows which way to go, in what order, and how to unlock fast travel.

How the map is put together

Palpagos Islands is the original map, and more areas have been added to it over time: Sakurajima, Feybreak, Sunreach and the World Tree area. Together they make up a world with forests, mountains, desert, volcanic regions and a frozen north.

The rule of thumb is: the center is safe, the edges are not. The farther you travel from the green starting islands, the harsher the environment and the stronger the Pals you’ll meet.

Where you start

You start on the central green islands. The weather is mild, the Pals are low level, resources are easy to reach (mainly Paldium Fragments and ore) and there’s plenty of room for your first base.

Don’t rush to leave. You can play through the first few dozen levels in an area that won’t give you much trouble, and you’ll collect Pals for basic work along the way.

Progression by area

Stage	Where	What to expect
Early game	Central green islands, Eastern Wind, Forgotten Island	Mild environment, low levels, basic resources
Midgame	Bamboo Groves, Moonless Shore	Higher levels, tougher Pals
Late game	Deep Sand Dunes, Land of Absolute Zero	Desert and freezing cold; you need gear that protects you from the temperature
Highest levels	South of Feybreak island	The farther south, the higher the Pal levels
Endgame	World Tree	Recommended from level 70

The most common beginner mistake is heading out for better resources before you have the level and the clothing for it. The desert and the frozen region won’t kill you with enemies but with temperature; without the right gear you won’t get more than a few steps.

Fast travel: activate the towers

Scattered across the map are lookout towers and pillars that, once activated, reveal a large part of the surrounding landscape and also become fast travel points. It’s the only sensible way to get around Palpagos Islands, because crossing the map on foot takes a long time.

A practical approach for the start: unlock every point in your starting area and in the one right next to it, and only then push further. It saves you repeated long trips when you go back for resources.

Where to build your base

In Palworld you don’t build a base “anywhere that looks nice”. You want wood, stone and ore nearby, because those are the three resources you need constantly and your Pals mine them for you automatically. A base next to an ore deposit saves you hours of running around.

That’s why many players set up a second base purely for mining as soon as they have the slots unlocked: one for living and production, the other by a mountain with ore.

What changes on the map

With version 1.0, released on 9 July 2026, the game reached its final form and the map expanded with newer areas. If you come across older guides, check which version they apply to, because the layout of areas and the recommended levels changed during early access.

FAQ

This overview is compiled from publicly available map guides and official game materials, not from our own playthrough. The area breakdown and recommended levels match across sources, but specific Pal levels vary by game version.