Palworld world difficulty settings: Which should you choose?

While Palworld is built to challenge your survival instincts, you can choose the level of difficulty you face on Palpagos Island. To help you decide what’s best for you, this article will explore the various difficulty settings Palworld offers. 

All world difficulty settings in Palworld and what they mean

Upon loading up a new game and adjusting the world settings, you’ll have the following difficulty modes to choose from:

1. Casual: The easiest mode
2. Normal: A medium experience
3. Hard: Expect multiple difficult moments
4. Custom: Set your own rules

When to choose the Casual world difficulty setting in Palworld

Palworld’s Casual world preset is perfect for anyone new to survival games who doesn’t want to get beaten down by the dangers of Palpagos Island. You can indulge in all the building and crafting you desire while capturing and sheltering Pals without facing too much of a challenge.

• You can catch Pals easily and gain more XP than the Normal or Hard modes. 
• Resources are more easily obtainable and you can incubate eggs faster. 
• Battling Pals and enemies is easier.
• You don’t lose your resources or receive a penalty for dying. 

When to choose the Normal world difficulty setting in Palworld

As a novice in survival games but a lover of challenge, I chose Palworld’s Normal world preset—and I haven’t regretted it. Casual is relaxing and fun, but for me, survival games are all about overcoming the odds, and Normal mode offers a perfect balance of fun and difficulty. 

• Catching Pals, finding resources, incubating eggs, and all other actions are slightly more difficult than in Casual mode. 
• Upon dying, you’ll drop your equipment and materials where you died, but you can return to the same spot to collect them after you respawn.

When to choose the Hard difficulty setting in Palworld

If you’ve been playing survival games forever and love being challenged at the highest level, Palworld’s Hard world mode should entice you. That said, be ready to face ferocious Pals and Palworld’s most unforgiving threats. 

• Pals are not only harder to catch, but also much more hostile.
• Resources are harder to find and incubating eggs takes much longer. You’ll also gain less XP. 
• Upon death, you’ll drop everything, including Pals, where you died.

Which world difficulty should you choose in Palworld?

Palworld’s Normal difficulty setting is probably the best point to start at, thanks to the balance it offers. I’d steer clear of Hard mode at the start, because it’s just too demoralizing to lose everything after grinding to collect all those items in the first place. If you’re new to the genre, you can try the Casual mode, but you might find it a bit too monotonous after a while.

If none of the difficulty presets suit you, I suggest going for the Custom world difficulty mode, where you can customize your experience according to your liking. If you’re wondering what the best Custom world settings are for Palworld, check out our guide to help you make your choice.