Your base location determines how efficiently you gather resources, breed Pals and defend against raids. A bad spot means running across the map for ore or rebuilding after every raid. A good spot puts everything within reach.
What makes a good base location
- Flat terrain: building on slopes wastes space and creates gaps in walls. A flat area lets you place workbenches, farms and storage efficiently.
- Nearby ore: metal and coal are the bottleneck in mid-to-late game. A base near ore nodes saves hours of travel.
- Fast travel point: being close to a fast travel statue lets you return quickly after exploring.
- Water: some Pals and crafting recipes require water. A base near a river or lake is convenient.
- Defensible: bases get raided by wild Pals. A location with natural chokepoints (cliffs, narrow paths) is easier to defend.
Top base locations
1. Plateau of Beginnings
The starting area is underrated. Flat ground, nearby trees, stone and a fast travel point. Perfect for your first base. It lacks metal ore, so plan a second base for mid-game.
2. Near the Sealed Realm of the Swordmaster
A flat area surrounded by metal and coal nodes. Close to a fast travel point and a dungeon for XP farming. One of the most popular choices for a main base.
3. Mount Obsidian area
Late-game territory with abundant sulfur and high-level Pals. The terrain is challenging but the resource density is unmatched. Bring fire-resistant Pals.
4. Verdant Brook
A green valley with water, trees and moderate ore access. Good for breeding-focused bases because the mild temperature keeps egg hatching efficient.
Server considerations
- BaseCampMaxNum: the default is 3 bases per guild. Raise this to 5 to let players spread across the map.
- Multiple guilds: on a multiplayer server, popular locations fill up quickly. Spread bases out to reduce entity density in one area, which helps server performance.
- Base radius: each base has a fixed radius. Overlapping bases from different guilds can cause conflicts. Communicate with your players about spacing.
Can I move my base?
Not directly. You need to dismantle the Palbox (which destroys the base) and rebuild at the new location. All placed structures are lost. Move items and Pals to your inventory or another base first.
How many bases should I have?
At least two: one near your starting area for early resources, and one near ore for mid-to-late game crafting. A third base near a dungeon or raid zone is a luxury.
Do NPCs attack all bases equally?
Raids target your active bases. Having more bases means more potential raid targets, but also more Pals defending each location.
Build your bases on a Palworld server at HostValues.
