All 27 mining-capable Pals in the game, tiered S → C by Mining Lv from pal-stats.json. Tier band determines which ore nodes a Pal can break; the rest is element synergy and catch difficulty. Every entry is verified live against the dataset — the build fails if a paldb refresh drifts a Mining Lv value.
Every minable node in Palworld has a tier requirement — from Lv 1 (basic Stone outcrops) up to Lv 4 (Pal Metal Ore). A Pal with work_suitability.mining ≥ the node tier will mine it; below the threshold, the Pal will stand next to the rock and refuse the job. Mining speed scales with the Pal's Work Speed stat, but the tier gate is binary — a Lv 3 Pal will never break a Pal Metal Ore vein no matter how fast it works.
Want the full work-suitability matrix for any specific Pal? Open the per-species page — the full Paldex indexes everything by element, tier, and work suitability.
Three signals, with Mining Lv as the dominant gate:
pal-stats.json. Lv 4 = S, Lv 3 = A, Lv 2 = B, Lv 1 = C.| Tier | Pal | Mining | Element | Partner Skill | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S |  Astegon | Lv 4 | Dragon · Dark | Black Anklyosaur | Astral Mountains (cliff plateaus, night-time spawns) |
| S |  Blazamut | Lv 4 | Fire | Magma Kaiser | Mount Obsidian + volcanic biomes (level 50 area) |
| A |  Anubis | Lv 3 | Ground | Guardian of the Desert | Anubis Desert (single-spawn boss point) |
| A |  Menasting | Lv 3 | Dark · Ground | Steel Scorpion | Anubis Desert at night (nocturnal spawn) |
| A |  Digtoise | Lv 3 | Ground | Drill Crusher | Central biomes (~level 20) |
| A |  Bastigor | Lv 3 | Ice | Blizzard Crash | Feybreak DLC region |
| A |  Cryolinx Terra | Lv 3 | Ground | Electro Hunter | Astral Mountains caves |
| A |  Reptyro Cryst | Lv 3 | Ice · Ground | Ice-Loving Beast | Astral Mountains (Ice biome subset) |
| A |  Reptyro (base) | Lv 3 | Fire · Ground | Ore-loving Beast | Mount Obsidian volcanic caves |
| B |  Paladius | Lv 2 | Neutral | Holy Knight of the Firmament | World boss spawn (level 50) |
| B |  Necromus | Lv 2 | Dark | Dark Knight of the Abyss | World boss spawn (level 50) |
| B |  Mammorest Cryst | Lv 2 | Ice | Ice Crusher | Eastern Wild snow biome variant |
| B |  Mammorest | Lv 2 | Grass | Gaia Crusher | Eastern Wild (Grassy Behemoth Hills variant) |
| B |  Quivern | Lv 2 | Dragon | Sky Dragon's Affection | Dessicated Desert (level 30+ spawns) |
| B |  Penking | Lv 2 | Water · Ice | Brave Sailor | Sea Breeze + Twilight Dunes coastal regions |
| B |  Sootseer | Lv 2 | Dark · Fire | Grave Robber | Sakurajima DLC region |
| B |  Tombat | Lv 2 | Dark | Ultrasonic Sensor | Forgotten Island caves + cemeteries |
| B |  Dumud | Lv 2 | Ground | Soil Improver | Bamboo Groves + central biomes |
| C |  Cattiva | Lv 1 | Neutral | Cat Helper | Starter biome (Windswept Hills) |
| C |  Fuddler | Lv 1 | Ground | Ore Detector | Starter biome (early-game caves) |
| C |  Depresso | Lv 1 | Dark | Caffeine Inoculation | Forgotten Island + Marsh Island (cave spawns) |
| C |  Rushoar | Lv 1 | Ground | Hard Head | Windswept Hills + Plateau of Beginnings |
Most guides rank Pals by Mining Lv and stop there. In practice, you choose a miner per resource: the cheapest Pal that clears the node first, then the optimum you switch to once you can field an S/A-tier roster. The table below cascades both — early pick (works on day one) and the optimum once you've unlocked higher tiers.
| Resource | Min Lv | Early pick | Optimum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stone | Lv 1 | Cattiva or Fuddler (rarity 1, starter biome) | Digtoise — same Lv 3 cap as Pure Quartz |
| Iron Ore | Lv 2 | Dumud (rarity 4) or Penking (rarity 6) | Digtoise — Lv 3 mines faster + breeds in cheap |
| Coal | Lv 3 | Digtoise — first Lv 3 you can realistically catch | Anubis — Lv 3 + Handcraft Lv 4 stacks on the smelter chain |
| Sulfur | Lv 3 | Digtoise (cheapest Lv 3) | Reptyro — Lv 3 mining + Fire kindling at the same base |
| Pure Quartz | Lv 3 | Digtoise | Anubis — same Lv 3 + Handcraft synergy on circuit boards |
| Hexolite | Lv 3 | Bastigor or Cryolinx Terra (Feybreak DLC catches) | Astegon — Mining Lv 4 oversaturates the node |
| Pal Metal Ore | Lv 4 | No alternative — Lv 4 only | Astegon or Blazamut — the only two Pals in the game that mine it |
Stone. Used for almost every base structure recipe. Any Lv 1+ Pal works; speed-up only matters past the first 5 hours.
Iron Ore. The first ore that gates progression — needed for ingots, pickaxe upgrades, and most weapons. Skip B-tier and breed straight to Digtoise if you can.
Coal. Needed for refined ingots + gunpowder. The full where-to-mine breakdown lives in the coal guide.
Sulfur. Used for gunpowder + tech-tier explosives. Sulfur nodes cluster in volcanic biomes — pair the miner with a heat-tolerant teammate.
Pure Quartz. Circuit-board input for late-tech weapons. Where-to-mine coverage in the Pure Quartz guide.
Hexolite. Feybreak-update ore. Nodes cluster in Astral Mountains caves; community testing puts node tier at Mining Lv 3 minimum. DLC-gated.
Pal Metal Ore. The endgame gate. If you can't field one of these, your Pal Metal Mine structure stalls and you can't craft the late-tech weapon tier.
Passive skills roll on capture or breeding. These five stack their effect with the Pal's base Mining Lv — roll any of them on your S/A-tier miner and the same Pal mines 15-50% faster. Stack up to four passives per Pal via breeding pass-through.
| Passive | Mining effect | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Artisan | +50% work speed | Strict best-in-slot for any base worker — no downside. |
| Work Slave | +30% work speed | −30% defense. Fine on a base-bound miner that never fights. |
| Serious | +20% work speed | No downside. Stack with Artisan if you roll both. |
| Lucky | +15% work speed | +15% attack. Pure upgrade — gold-glow Lucky variants only. |
| Conceited | +10% work speed | −20% defense. Worse than Work Slave, take only if no roll. |
Source: passive-skill effects cross-checked against palworld.wiki.gg/wiki/Passive_Skills. Lucky-variant rolls are Pal-wide, not mining-specific.
Beyond field-rock breaking, several base structures generate a continuous ore supply when a miner Pal is assigned to them. Once placed, a base-bound miner with Artisan or Work Slave passives will run them 24/7 without player intervention.
Mining Lv 4 — breaks every ore node including Pal Metal Ore
Mining Lv 4 · Dragon/Dark · Astral Mountains (cliff plateaus, night-time spawns)
Astegon is the strongest mining Pal in the game on paper — Mining Lv 4 breaks every node tier including Pal Metal Ore, and the Dragon/Dark typing means he doubles as a top-tier combat partner when not at the base. Worth the trek to the Astral Mountains.
Mining Lv 4 · Fire · Mount Obsidian + volcanic biomes (level 50 area)
The Fire-element answer to Astegon. Same Mining Lv 4, same node coverage, but Blazamut also passively Kindles attached crafting stations — pair him with a Pal Metal Ore farm and the smelter chain runs on a single creature. Late-game catch but worth the wait.
Mining Lv 3 — covers Iron, Coal, Pure Quartz, Sulfur
Mining Lv 3 · Ground · Anubis Desert (single-spawn boss point)
The mid-game miner most players reach first. Mining Lv 3 covers everything up to Pure Quartz, and Anubis brings Handcraft Lv 4 as a side benefit — so the same Pal mines AND speeds up your assembly lines. Single-target catch (one fixed boss spawn) but reliable.
Mining Lv 3 · Dark/Ground · Anubis Desert at night (nocturnal spawn)
Roams the same biome as Anubis but only at night — same Mining Lv 3 with Dark typing. Useful if you want a Pal that mines by day and counter-attacks Dark-weak enemies in the field. Nocturnal capture = bring a flashlight or wait for night cycles.
Mining Lv 3 · Ground · Central biomes (~level 20)
The early-A-tier favourite. Digtoise reaches Mining Lv 3 at rarity 5 — meaning you can catch him long before Anubis or Astegon. He's the bridge Pal: starter rocks at Lv 1, then upgrade-in-place to Digtoise for everything up to Pure Quartz nodes.
Mining Lv 3 · Ice · Feybreak DLC region
Mining Lv 3 from the DLC roster. Bastigor's Ice element makes him useful in mixed-element bases (Watering substitute if you cool the Cooler). DLC-gated — skip if you're on the base game.
Mining Lv 3 · Ground · Astral Mountains caves
Terra variant of Cryolinx — the Ice typing flips to Ground, and Cryolinx Terra gains Mining Lv 3. Decent late-game catch if you've already cleared the Astral Mountains for Astegon scouting.
Mining Lv 3 · Ice/Ground · Astral Mountains (Ice biome subset)
Cryst variant of Reptyro — Ice + Ground. Mining Lv 3 plus a passive Cooling effect that keeps adjacent stations from overheating in fire-heavy bases. Niche, but the only Pal that combines miner + cooler.
Mining Lv 3 · Fire/Ground · Mount Obsidian volcanic caves
Base Reptyro — Fire + Ground at Mining Lv 3. Same mining output as Reptyro Cryst but the Fire typing kindles instead of cools, which is the right call if your base is built around a campfire. One of the most reliable A-tier picks.
Mining Lv 2 — Stone, Coal, Iron only
Mining Lv 2 · Neutral · World boss spawn (level 50)
World boss Pal with Mining Lv 2 — overqualified for the role but lands here because you don't catch a Paladius for mining specifically. Slot him in if he's already in your roster from the boss fight.
Mining Lv 2 · Dark · World boss spawn (level 50)
Same boss-tier story as Paladius — Mining Lv 2 is the bonus, not the reason to catch him. Use as a fallback miner when your A-tier picks are out on the field.
Mining Lv 2 · Ice · Eastern Wild snow biome variant
Mining Lv 2 with Lumberjack Lv 4 — best dual-role Pal in the B-tier band. If your base has both stone and wood stations, Mammorest Cryst covers both jobs single-handed.
→ Stats, spawn map, and breeding parents for Mammorest Cryst
Mining Lv 2 · Grass · Eastern Wild (Grassy Behemoth Hills variant)
Base Mammorest at Mining Lv 2 — same dual-role profile as the Cryst variant. Easier catch but no Cooling effect.
Mining Lv 2 · Dragon · Dessicated Desert (level 30+ spawns)
Mining Lv 2 plus a usable flying mount. The only reason to catch a Quivern for mining is if you're already using him as your mount — otherwise pick a higher-tier ground miner.
Mining Lv 2 · Water/Ice · Sea Breeze + Twilight Dunes coastal regions
Mining Lv 2 plus Lv 2 Watering and Lv 2 Cooling — Penking is the swiss-army-knife mid-tier Pal. Won't out-mine an Astegon but covers more base roles per slot than anything else in B-tier.
Mining Lv 2 · Dark/Fire · Sakurajima DLC region
Sakurajima-update addition with a unique partner skill (Grave Robber — sometimes digs up extra items while in the team). Mining Lv 2 is its day-job, but the bonus loot makes Sootseer the pick if you're farming with the team mechanic rather than the base-bound one. DLC-gated.
Mining Lv 2 · Dark · Forgotten Island caves + cemeteries
Mid-rarity Dark-typed Pal with a useful Ultrasonic Sensor partner skill — surfaces nearby wild Pal positions when active. Mining Lv 2 makes Tombat the right pick when you want a B-tier miner that doubles as a scout on field trips.
Mining Lv 2 · Ground · Bamboo Groves + central biomes
The cheapest B-tier catch on this list at rarity 4. Dumud's Soil Improver partner skill boosts Ground-Pal attack power — pair with Anubis on a desert expedition and your team mines AND fights harder. Good early bridge into the Lv 2 tier.
Mining Lv 1 — Stone only (starter rocks)
Mining Lv 1 · Neutral · Starter biome (Windswept Hills)
Cattiva is the first mining Pal almost every player ends up with — Mining Lv 1 breaks starter rock nodes only, but at rarity 1 she's catchable in the first 20 minutes of the game. Replace her the moment you can catch a Digtoise.
Mining Lv 1 · Ground · Starter biome (early-game caves)
Same Mining Lv 1 as Cattiva but Ground-typed and considerably faster work animation. The right pick if you want a starter miner that also contributes to Terra-line breeding combos (Robinquill Terra = Robinquill + Fuddler).
Mining Lv 1 · Dark · Forgotten Island + Marsh Island (cave spawns)
Rarity-1 Dark-typed Lv 1 miner — the same starter-bracket as Cattiva, useful when you're farming on the Forgotten Island side of the map and don't want to fly home for a different C-tier slot. Keep on light Stone duty until Digtoise unlocks.
Mining Lv 1 · Ground · Windswept Hills + Plateau of Beginnings
Rarity-1 Ground starter at Mining Lv 1 with a partner skill that lets you ride it as a mount in the very first hour. Treat Rushoar as a transitional miner only — it pulls double duty as your first transport while you work toward Digtoise.
Use Pindrop's breeding calculator to find the cheapest parent pair for any mining Pal on this list. Most A-tier picks are direct breeding products from mid-game parents — no Astral Mountains expedition needed.
Astegon and Blazamut share the top spot at Mining Lv 4 — both break every ore-node tier in the game including Pal Metal Ore. Astegon edges out for raw output because his Dragon/Dark typing also lets him double as a combat companion on field expeditions, while Blazamut is fire-locked at the base.
Only Astegon and Blazamut clear Pal Metal Ore — it requires Mining Lv 4 and no other Pal in the game has that. If you can't field one of those two yet, your Pal Metal Mine structure will stall, so prioritise unlocking either: Astegon in the Astral Mountains (Dragon/Dark, nocturnal) or Blazamut in the Mount Obsidian volcanic biome.
Coal needs Mining Lv 3 minimum. Digtoise is the cheapest answer (catchable around level 20, breeds in cleanly) and Anubis is the optimum since his Handcraft Lv 4 also speeds the smelter chain coal feeds into. The full coal-node map and route plan lives in Pindrop's where-to-get-coal guide.
Yes — most mining Pals have secondary work suitabilities. Anubis adds Handcraft Lv 4, Penking covers Watering and Cooling, Mammorest Cryst adds Lumberjack Lv 4, and Reptyro Cryst passively Cools nearby stations. The full work-suitability matrix for every Pal is on each species page.
Yes — work suitability isn't inherited cleanly, but it appears on the child based on species, not parent stats. If you breed for a species whose data lists Mining Lv N, the result has Mining Lv N regardless of which parents you used. Use Pindrop's breeding calculator to find the cheapest parent pair for any mining Pal.
Higher Mining Lv unlocks higher-tier nodes — Lv 3 caps at Pure Quartz, Lv 4 unlocks Pal Metal Ore (the late-game blocker). The mining speed difference is smaller (~20% per tier) but the node-tier gate is binary: a Lv 3 Pal will stand next to a Pal Metal Ore vein and refuse to mine it.
Catch a Cattiva or Fuddler from the starter biome for Mining Lv 1, then upgrade to Digtoise (Mining Lv 3 at rarity 5) by around level 20. Digtoise carries you all the way to the late game — you only need to replace him with Astegon or Blazamut when you hit Pal Metal Ore content.
Sources: Mining Lv values from games/palworld/data/pal-stats.json (extracted via blaynem/paldex). Node tier mechanics cross-verified against palworld.wiki.gg/wiki/Work_Suitability.