Best Base Locations in Palworld
Most "best base" guides give you 10 screenshots and an opinion. We did the opposite: counted every resource node in our 3158-node map dataset, totalled them per biome, and ranked the biomes by what they actually produce. Pick the base location that matches your current resource bottleneck.
Top 5 biomes for a base
#1 — Twilight Dunes
Mid-game (coal + ore monster)The desert biome holds the densest coal cluster on Palpagos by a wide margin, and pairs it with the most ore nodes of any region. Spawn band is mid-game (Lv 10-25), so you can settle here well before endgame content. The trade-off: harsh sun damage and predator Pals nearby — bring Heat Resistant gear and a strong Pal team.
- 312× Ore
- 261× Coal
- 33× Crude Oil
- 15× Sulfur
- 19× dungeon
#2 — Astral Mountains
Endgame (dungeon-circuit base)Highest dungeon density in the game plus a strong ore-and-sulfur deposit. Lv 35-50 endgame band, so this is where you settle once you've cleared the towers and want to farm dungeon-tier loot. Cold biome — pack Cold Resistant gear or Heat-element Pals.
- 264× Ore
- 85× Coal
- 42× Sulfur
- 3× Pure Quartz
- 38× dungeon
#3 — Mt. Obsidian
Sulfur specialist (gunpowder + crude oil)The volcano biome ties ore and sulfur at high counts — sulfur in particular is hard to find elsewhere, and you need a lot of it for ammo, explosives, and high-tier weapon recipes. Endgame Lv 30-40 zone with extreme heat — Heat Resistant armor is mandatory.
- 156× Ore
- 156× Sulfur
- 56× Coal
- 25× Crude Oil
- 16× dungeon
#4 — Windswept Hills
Starter base (early-game progression)The default starting zone. Highest dungeon count for an early biome (good XP + chest loot) plus a healthy ore deposit. No coal or sulfur, so you'll need to relocate or set up a satellite base later — but for your first 15 levels this is the friendliest landing zone.
- 86× Ore
- 32× dungeon
#5 — Sakurajima (DLC)
DLC endgame (Pure Quartz specialist)Sakurajima (Lv 40-55 DLC zone) has the largest Pure Quartz deposit in the game — over 80 nodes, which dwarfs every base-game region. Pure Quartz gates late-game electronics and lab-grade recipes, so a Sakurajima base is the move once you've cleared the DLC towers.
- 185× Ore
- 102× Pure Quartz
- 28× Crude Oil
- 17× Coal
- 15× dungeon
Top 5 named base spots
Five community-converged spots, each anchored to a fast-travel statue in our marker data. Sorted from early-game to mid-game so you can move your base in stages rather than committing to one biome.
Plateau of Beginnings
Early gameThe default starter spawn. Open flat ground around the statue, easy to wall off, with ore nodes plus Paldium fragments nearby. No coal here — you'll relocate once Tech Lv 8+ unlocks Stone Pickaxe.
Bridge of the Twin Knights
Early gameNorthwest of Desolate Church. Sits at the intersection of high-density Leather-dropping Pal spawns (Direhowl, Eikthyrdeer, Mossanda). The go-to spot for an early Leather farming base before you need coal.
Cinnamoth Forest
Mid gameBamboo Grove transition zone with a cluster of ore nodes plus a coal node near the statue. Mid-game pivot base — you can survive here without Heat Resistance, and the level band (10-25) matches Twilight Dunes farming runs you'll launch from the same statue.
Sealed Realm of the Guardian
Mid gameVerdant Brook plateau next to the dungeon entrance. Coal + ore nodes clustered close, and the elevated terrain blocks most raid paths. The community pick for a mid-game permanent base — most YouTube guides feature this spot.
Duneshelter
Mid gameThe Twilight Dunes settlement statue. Drops you at the doorstep of the densest coal cluster on Palpagos (277 nodes) plus the most ore on the island. Bring Heat Resistant gear — the biome itself damages you. Pure mid-game farming base.
Coordinates above are Pindrop's internal map system (used in our interactive map). In-game coordinates may differ by a small offset depending on your map menu — use the landmark name as the authoritative reference and the number as a tie-breaker.
Full biome comparison table
Every region on Palpagos Islands plus DLC zones, ranked by total resource-node count. Use this to spot the secondary biome that fills whatever gap your primary base has.
| Biome | Total | Ore | Coal | Sulfur | Pure Quartz | Chromite | Hexolite | Crude Oil | Dungeons |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feybreak (DLC) dlc · Lv 50-60 | 856 | — | — | — | — | 249 | 546 | 61 | 15 |
| Twilight Dunes mid · Lv 10-25 | 628 | 312 | 261 | 15 | 7 | — | — | 33 | 19 |
| Astral Mountains endgame · Lv 35-50 | 394 | 264 | 85 | 42 | 3 | — | — | — | 38 |
| Mt. Obsidian endgame · Lv 30-40 | 393 | 156 | 56 | 156 | — | — | — | 25 | 16 |
| Sakurajima (DLC) dlc · Lv 40-55 | 347 | 185 | 17 | 15 | 102 | — | — | 28 | 15 |
| Bamboo Grove mid · Lv 10-25 | 134 | 101 | 17 | 15 | — | — | — | 1 | — |
| Sea Breeze Archipelago mid · Lv 1-30 | 104 | 92 | 1 | 4 | 6 | — | — | 1 | 10 |
| Verdant Brook mid · Lv 20-30 | 90 | 64 | 8 | 1 | 17 | — | — | — | 2 |
| Windswept Hills starter · Lv 1-15 | 86 | 86 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 32 |
| Forgotten Island mid · Lv 30-40 | 61 | 61 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Marsh Island starter · Lv 1-10 | 42 | 25 | 16 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 3 |
| Eastern Wild Island starter · Lv 1-20 | 23 | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 |
How to pick your biome
Three questions, in order:
- What level is your team? Building in a biome above your spawn band means constant alpha aggression and elemental damage. Stay one tier below your current level cap if you want to actually gather resources instead of dying to ambient threats.
- What resource are you out of? Look at the table above. If you're short on coal, the answer is Twilight Dunes. Short on sulfur — Mt. Obsidian. Pure Quartz — Sakurajima (DLC) or Sea Breeze. The biggest gain comes from putting your base on top of your bottleneck.
- Do you need dungeon proximity? If you're past the tower-clear phase and want endgame loot from dungeon runs, set up in Astral Mountains or Windswept Hills — both bundle high dungeon density with respectable resource counts.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the best place to build a base in Palworld?
It depends on what your base needs to produce. For raw mid-game throughput, Twilight Dunes — it holds the most coal and ore nodes on Palpagos Islands by a wide margin. For endgame dungeon farming, Astral Mountains. For sulfur-heavy ammo and weapon crafting, Mt. Obsidian. For DLC late-game with Pure Quartz dependencies, Sakurajima. There's no single 'best' — pick the biome that matches your current bottleneck.
Can you have multiple bases in Palworld?
Yes. You can place up to three bases simultaneously. The typical loadout is one starter base in Windswept Hills (early production + breeding), one mid-game base in Twilight Dunes (coal + ore farming), and one endgame base where your current bottleneck resource lives (Astral Mountains for dungeon mats, Mt. Obsidian for sulfur, etc.).
Does base location affect Pal breeding?
Not directly — breeding works the same across biomes. But certain Pals have temperature preferences (Frostallion + Foxcicle drop sanity in hot biomes; Foxparks + Pyrin do the same in cold). A starter base in temperate Windswept Hills is the safest bet for a breeding hub.
What's the safest biome for an early base in Palworld?
Windswept Hills. It's the default starter region, has a mild climate (no temperature damage), 100+ ore nodes, the highest dungeon density for low-level loot runs, and a friendly Pal spawn band (Lv 1-15). Set up here first, then relocate or expand once you can survive harsher biomes.
Should I move my base later in the game?
Yes — most players move at least twice. The progression most people follow: Windswept Hills (Lv 1-15) → Twilight Dunes or Bamboo Grove (Lv 15-30, mid-game resource farming) → Astral Mountains or Mt. Obsidian (Lv 30+ endgame mat farming). You're not penalized for relocating; the time investment is the only cost.
How did Pindrop rank these biomes?
Live node counts from our map dataset. Every coal/ore/sulfur/quartz/chromite/hexolite/oil node on Palpagos Islands is in our markers-seed.json — we just totalled them per biome and surfaced the picks. Other guides usually rank by screenshots and opinion. The rankings here update automatically if our marker data changes.
Sources: Resource-node counts computed live from games/palworld/data/markers-seed.json (3158 resource nodes counted across all biomes). Region level bands from games/palworld/lib/regions.ts — see our region hub for per-biome detail.