22 hand-picked combat Pals tiered S/A/B/C from a pool of 300 fighters, with counter callouts and game-stage badges. Tier order is anchored to live stats from pal-stats.json, so this guide cannot drift out of date when the game patches.
Every Pal in Palworld has three primary combat stats — HP, melee attack and shot (ranged) attack, and defense — plus a primary element. The game multiplies attack by an element multiplier when a hit lands (super-effective = ×1.5, resisted = ×0.5). That makes both raw stats and the element pairing matter: a B-tier Pal with an effective element often beats a higher-tier Pal whose attack is resisted. The tier table below captures both axes — raw combat score is the spine, the per-element table is the swing.
Tier order is anchored to a single transparent formula. We compute it for every Pal at build time and assert the picks below match their score band — if the data drifts (a patch nerfs an entry, or paldex renames a Pal), the build breaks rather than silently shipping stale rankings.
S-tier = legendary-rarity Pals (combat score ≥ 450). A-tier = top non-legendaries (≥ 420). B-tier = reliable mid-game picks (≥ 380). C-tier = early-game / budget picks that punch above their raw score because of element coverage or partner-skill utility.
See also the full sortable list at /palworld/tier-list/combat (300-row table, no commentary). This page adds the curation, counters, and stage layer that the data-only table doesn't.
Pick by element when prepping for a Tower boss or alpha hunt. The table below is computed live from the primary element of each Pal in pal-stats.json, ranked by combat score.
| Element | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neutral | Paladius 484 | Hartalis 462 | Tetroise Primo 413 | Celesdir 405 |
| Fire | Blazamut 469 | Knocklem Ignis 440 | Moldron 436 | Flaracle 424 |
| Grass | Dandilord 460 | Silvance 452 | Ophydia 447 | Lyleen 432 |
| Ground | Cryolinx Terra 442 | Anubis 435 | Knocklem 432 | Dualith Noct 425 |
| Electric | Azurmane 442 | Grizzbolt 426 | Fenglope Lux 391 | Beakon 374 |
| Water | Panthalus 600 | Neptilius 473 | Faleris Aqua 413 | Suzaku Aqua 409 |
| Ice | Frostallion 494 | Bastigor 479 | Cryolinx 442 | Moldron Cryst 442 |
| Dragon | Shaolong 487 | Blazamut Ryu 480 | Jormuntide 475 | Jormuntide Ignis 475 |
| Dark | Frostallion Noct 512 | Necromus 492 | Shadowbeak 483 | Bellanoir 465 |
| Tier | Pal | Score | Element | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S |  Frostallion Noct | 512 | Dark | Endgame |
| S |  Frostallion | 494 | Ice | Endgame |
| S |  Necromus | 492 | Dark | Endgame |
| S |  Paladius | 484 | Neutral | Endgame |
| S |  Jetragon | 469 | Dragon | Endgame |
| A |  Shadowbeak | 483 | Dark | Endgame |
| A |  Bastigor | 479 | Ice | Mid |
| A |  Jormuntide | 475 | Dragon · Water | Mid |
| A |  Blazamut | 469 | Fire | Endgame |
| A |  Anubis | 435 | Ground | Endgame |
| B |  Wumpo Botan | 422 | Grass | Mid |
| B |  Incineram | 422 | Fire · Dark | Early |
| B |  Grizzbolt | 426 | Electric | Mid |
| B |  Suzaku | 404 | Fire | Mid |
| B |  Reptyro | 412 | Fire · Ground | Mid |
| C |  Vanwyrm | 371 | Fire · Dark | Early |
| C |  Direhowl | 335 | Neutral | Early |
| C |  Foxparks | 262 | Fire | Early |
| A |  Solenne | 421 | Dark · Neutral | Mid |
| A |  Orserk | 453 | Dragon · Electric | Endgame |
| C |  Gobfin | 315 | Water | Early |
| C |  Lyleen | 432 | Grass | Endgame |
Passive skills stack multiplicatively up to four per Pal. The list below is the practical combat short-list; effects come straight from our passive-skill data, so they move when the game does.
| Passive | Effect | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Musclehead | Attack +30%; Work Speed -50% | Work Speed −50% — combat-only loadout |
| Ferocious | Attack +20% | None — universal S-tier passive |
| Lucky | Attack +15%; Defense +15%; Work Speed +20% | Only rolls on alpha (boss) spawns — rare to find |
| Burly Body | Defense +20%; Immune to Flinch | Negligible — small loss of stamina recovery |
| Hard Skin | Defense +10% | None — common, easy to stack |
| Legend | Attack +20%; Defense +20%; Movement Speed increases 20% | Rolls on Legendary Pals; breeding can also produce it, since a child can roll passives neither parent had. |
Sources: palworld.wiki.gg/wiki/Passive_Skills, in-game tooltips.
Legendary, endgame catch.
Dark · CS 512
Frostallion's Dark variant — a tougher frame than Frostallion (135 defence to its 120), and the Black Steed partner skill turns you into a flying mount that changes your attack type to Dark, inflicts Blind and adds up to +40% Attack. The strongest standard legendary on raw score at 512; only Panthalus (600) rates higher.
Counters: Shaolong (Dragon/Water vs Dark)
Ice · CS 494
The Ice legendary. Ice typing is super-effective vs Dragon (the most common late-game element family), partner skill changes the player's attack to Ice while mounted. Also a flying mount.
Counters: Blazamut Ryu (Dragon/Fire vs Ice)
Dark · CS 492
Half of the Twin Knights of the Mountain. After 1.0 its partner skill is Dark Knight of the Abyss — a ground mount with a double jump that pulls a Paladius out of your party to attack alongside you whenever Twin Spears fires, so the pair is now one combo rather than two separate mounts. Endgame catch behind a hard boss fight.
Counters: Shaolong (Dragon/Water vs Dark)
Neutral · CS 484
Necromus's Neutral counterpart, with higher base defense. Neutral does NOT mean no weakness: our own type chart makes Neutral weak to Dark, so a Dark boss punishes a blind Paladius run. It is strong against nothing in return.
Counters: Frostallion Noct (Dark vs Neutral)
Dragon · CS 469
The fastest flying mount in the game (ride_sprint_speed 3,300). Aerial Missile partner skill turns you into a flying gunship. Catch via a level-50-area boss fight.
Counters: Frostallion (Ice vs Dragon)
Top non-legendary, endgame-ready.
Dark · CS 483
Dark flying mount and still the best non-legendary Dark pick at combat score 483 — though Panthalus (600) and Shaolong (487) now outscore it among non-legendaries. Modified DNA enhances Dark attacks by 15–30% while mounted, which is still the cleanest endgame mount-and-shoot for boss farms.
Counters: Shaolong (Dragon/Water vs Dark)
Ice · CS 479
Ice tank from the Sakurajima update. 140 HP still puts it among the bulkiest non-legendaries, but Panthalus (180) and both Mammorest forms (150) now out-soak it. Blizzard Crash makes it a ground mount that swings an ice hammer while you ride — a beatstick you sit on, not a bench Pal.
Counters: Blazamut Ryu (Dragon/Fire vs Ice)
Dragon · Water · CS 475
Dragon/Water — rare dual-element coverage. Rideable on water surfaces, hits hard against Fire targets, and chains decent Dragon AOE skills. Mid-Endgame staple.
Counters: Frostallion (Ice vs Dragon/Water)
Fire · CS 469
Fire-tier brawler. Mining Lv 7 means he doubles as a S-tier base worker when not deployed — uniquely useful in a small roster. Catch in the Mount Obsidian volcanic biome.
Counters: Panthalus (Water vs Fire)
Ground · CS 435
The mid-game combat backbone. Ground typing wipes the Electric Tower; comes with Handcraft Lv 6 + Mining Lv 6 for base utility. Single boss spawn in the Anubis Desert — predictable to farm.
Counters: Dandilord (Grass/Dark vs Ground)
Dark · Neutral · CS 421
Not a damage dealer — a damage multiplier for YOU. Untainted Maiden raises the player's Attack by 30-80% while in party, but only if every Pal in the party is a different species, so it taxes the usual habit of stacking duplicates. Its own combat score (421) is mid-table; you field it for the buff.
Counters: Frostallion Noct (Dark vs Dark/Neutral)
Dragon · Electric · CS 453
Dragon/Electric, combat score 453. Ferocious Thunder Dragon gives the Pal fighting alongside you +1-5% Attack and Defense per bullet you land, stacking up to 30 times — so a fully stacked ramp is worth up to +150% on your active Pal, and it rewards sustained automatic fire rather than burst.
Counters: Frostallion (Ice vs Dragon/Electric)
Mid-game reliable.
Grass · CS 422
Grass beatstick whose tankiness comes from the Heavyweight passive 1.0 gave it (Defense +20%, immune to knockback). After the work-suitability rebalance its base value is Transporting Lv 6 and Lumbering Lv 5, plus Planting and Handiwork Lv 3 — no Watering. Cheaper to reach than the Sakurajima legendaries.
Counters: Blazamut Ryu (Dragon/Fire vs Grass)
Fire · Dark · CS 422
Fire/Dark dual-element — the best dual-typing in the rarity-4 bracket. Carries you from Lv 22 well into the mid-30s with above-curve melee numbers.
Counters: Panthalus (Water vs Fire/Dark)
Electric · CS 426
The best Electric minigun platform — Yellow Tank lets you rapid-fire a minigun from the saddle — though Azurmane now leads the element on raw score, 442 to Grizzbolt's 426. Still the backbone of an Electric Tower clear and of early Pal Effigy runs (1.0 reworked Lifmunk Effigies into "Pal Effigy").
Counters: Aegidron (Dragon/Ground vs Electric)
Fire · CS 404
Fire flying mount. Post-1.0 its Wings of Flame carries no attack component at all — it raises this Pal's own Movement Speed by 5-25% for each other Fire Pal in your party, so it is a travel skill, not a shooter combo. Take it for the speed and bring damage elsewhere.
Counters: Panthalus (Water vs Fire)
Fire · Ground · CS 412
Fire/Ground tank. Slow on the ground, but 1.0 gave it the Heavyweight passive (Defense +20%, immune to knockback), so it holds position through hits that stagger the rest of the B tier. Roll Earth Emperor on top and its Ground damage gains another 30%.
Counters: Panthalus (Water vs Fire/Ground)
Early/budget picks.
Fire · Dark · CS 371
The first reliable flying mount most players reach (Lv 21–25). Dual Fire/Dark element gives you a swing pick for two-thirds of the early bestiary. Still useful at endgame as a fast-travel scout.
Counters: Panthalus (Water vs Fire/Dark)
Neutral · CS 335
Early-game (Lv 5–15) sprint mount — its partner skill is Direhowl Rider, which simply moves slightly faster than most mounts. Catches you up to Lv 25 quickly through pure ground speed; outgrown once Vanwyrm unlocks.
Counters: Frostallion Noct (Dark vs Neutral)
Fire · CS 262
The Lv 3–6 starter Fire choice. Huggy Fire partner skill turns Foxparks into a flamethrower equip — single-handedly carries the Hill of Beginnings and the first Tower fight.
Counters: Panthalus (Water vs Fire)
Water · CS 315
Water-typed party amplifier. Its Angry Shark partner skill raises the PLAYER's Attack by 10-20% while in party — the player only, and a range rather than a flat 20%. Still one of the most-used C-tier slots in long boss fights.
Counters: Orserk (Dragon/Electric vs Water)
Grass · CS 432
Grass support with a healing partner skill. Not a top damage dealer but the only Pal in the C-tier roster that can keep your team alive during the level-30+ alpha hunts.
Counters: Blazamut Ryu (Dragon/Fire vs Grass)
Combat splits three ways in Palworld — and the same Pal isn't always best for each. Pick by encounter type:
Tower bosses
Element-buffed pick. Ride a mount whose partner skill actually switches your attack type to the tower's weakness — Ragnahawk (Flame Wing → Fire) for the Ice Tower, Frostallion Noct (Black Steed → Dark) for the Neutral Tower. Suzaku Aqua no longer qualifies for the Fire Tower after 1.0: Wings of Water only raises its own Movement Speed by 5–25% per other Water Pal in your party. For Water there is no clean flying option — Azurobe's Waterwing Dance does change your attack type to Water but can only be ridden to travel on water — so bring Finsider and trigger Water Gun, which changes your attack type to Water and increases Attack by 30–50%.
Alpha hunts
Highest-DPS rideable. Shadowbeak (Modified DNA) and Necromus dominate when you want the alpha down in two clips. Mounted, you bypass most ground AOEs.
PvP (raids, arena)
Meta is unstable. Top legendaries when allowed (Necromus, Jetragon, Frostallion Noct). Lobbies that ban legendaries shift to high-passive Anubis or Bastigor with Musclehead + Ferocious stacked.
For Tower boss farms and alpha hunts specifically, prefer a rideable combat Pal — mounted, you sidestep the boss's ground-AOE windows. Top picks (highest combat score among rideable Pals):
Run them through the tower bosses guide (level + weakness per tower) for the cleanest clear order.
Six levers stack on top of the species pick:
Sources: in-game stats from games/palworld/data/pal-stats.json (combat score, element, rarity), counter lookups from games/palworld/lib/counter-pals.ts, passive numbers cross-checked with palworld.wiki.gg/wiki/Passive_Skills. Tier picks audited 2026-08-17 against pal-stats.json and the 1.0 changelog.
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