A new major content update in Palworld left me licking my lips by introducing a new raid boss, but it ended in tears as everything I built was wiped away—and I can blame nobody but myself.
Challenging encounters are nothing new to Palworld—I can recall being torn apart by Zoe and Grizzbolt in our first meeting, but the fight against a new foe, Bellanoir, cut deeper than any wound I previously sustained.
Tackling Bellanoir is not something you can do immediately as there is a few bits of important prep work to complete. The first task is to collect four Bellanoir Slab Fragments, which I found in dungeon chests and at the Wildlife Sanctuary, before then building a Summoning Altar.
I turned the four slab fragments I had collected into a complete slab, which I placed in the Summoning Altar, but then came my big mistake, as I decided to ignore the obvious warning that Palworld threw at me.
I read the message. iItt couldn’t have been clearer, but I fancied my odds. Only a chance that everything could be destroyed? Sounds like you’re being dramatic, Mr Palworld developer. Spoiler alert: They were not.
My confidence was quickly erased when I saw the sheer behemoth that is Bellanoir appear, towering over everything in the environment and leaving even my Alpha Pals looking like newborn puppies.
The realisation began to kick in when I saw the health bar. 294,000 health. My Crossbow was way out of its league but, thankfully, I was at my base, so all the Pals that were slaving away soon took to the fight in a battle of titans.
Things started well. Bellanoir remained at the bottom of the small cliff where my base loomed over and the health was depleting nicely. One by one though, my Pals started to fall, leaving me in a perpetual state of replacing those bested with fresh meat.
Then it all went sideways. Bellanoir unleashed a massive attack that dealt damage to anything in its wake. I soon realised that what was once my cosy home atop a cliff looking out to the sea was nothing more than a field of debris.
By this stage, the 10-minute timer for the Bellanoir fight was nearing its end and I faced the very real prospect of losing everything and having nothing to show for it—but my squad, or what was left of it, rallied and emerged victorious.
I had no time to celebrate though as everything I had built, apart from my farm and a few Pal Beds, had gone. All my storage was destroyed too, leaving literally everything I have ever collected in Palworld scattered across the floor.
Still, I can proudly boast that I defeated Bellanoir on my first attempt despite being massively outgunned. What did it cost? Everything.
Published: Apr 4, 2024 09:31 am