Summary

  • A friendly new NPC in Palworld warns players about the dangerous Oil Rig stronghold controlled by the Syndicate.
  • Strangely, this NPC doesn't appear in the game's most recent patch notes.
  • The newest patch has decreased enemy firepower around the Oil Rig, making it less difficult for players to access.

A new NPC has been added to Palworld despite not being mentioned in recent patch notes by publisher and developer Pocketpair. Palworld has seen numerous changes over the summer, including a new Syndicate stronghold full of aggressive enemies, and this strange yet friendly NPC is tied directly to this area.

Palworld's Sakurajima Update added a lot of new features to the game when it was released on June 27, including the addition of 14 new Pals and 10 fusion Pals. The massive content update also added more places for players to explore, including the new island of Sakurajima, the Arena in Dessicated Desert, and the Rayne Syndicate-controlled Oil Rig stronghold, located off the eastern coast of Marsh Island. However, an additional patch hit Palworld in late July which has added in the new NPC.

Pocket Pair releases a new Palworld update adding new world settings along with several balance adjustments
Palworld Releases New Update for July 2024

Developer Pocket Pair releases a new Palworld update, adding new world settings along with several balance adjustments, bug fixes, and more.

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An even more recent update has patched in a friendly NPC who warns players about the presence of the high-level stronghold location. As pointed out on Reddit by user 7max-er, the friendly Cautious PIDF Officer NPC now spawns on Marsh Island, despite not being mentioned by Pocketpair in the game's most recent patch notes. If approached and interacted with, the officer will mention that the Oil Rig in the distance was built by the Syndicate and is a dangerous place that players should avoid. The officer can be found standing just to the east of the location when players fast-travel to Marsh Island.

New Palworld NPC Warns Players About The Oil Rig Stronghold

While there has been no explanation for the officer's exact purpose in the game, it may be to warn some players that the Oil Rig might be too dangerous for them to take on. Marsh Island is a relatively low-level area, and the difficulty curve spikes tremendously once Palworld players get to the Oil Rig, if they can make it there at all. While the Syndicate Gunners and Grenadiers make for a very difficult encounter without the proper combat technology and high-level Pals, players without sufficient stamina will drown trying to swim to the Oil Rig, and a powerful laser defense system will shoot players on flying mounts out of the sky.

Despite the new NPC warning players of the dangerous nature of the stronghold, the most recent patch for the game's version 0.3.4, released on July 29, also states that the difficulty of the Palworld Oil Rig Stronghold has been lessened somewhat. While it doesn't get into specifics, one note states that enemy firepower has been decreased in that location. Additionally, the patch addresses a bug that had previously made the treasure chest at the Oil Rig disappear for some players.

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Palworld Tag Page Cover Art

Palworld
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Open-World
Shooter
Survival
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Systems
PC-1 PlayStation-1 Xbox-1
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Top Critic Avg: 71 /100 Critics Rec: 58%
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Released
January 19, 2024
ESRB
T For Teen Due To Violence
Developer(s)
Pocket Pair, Inc.
Publisher(s)
Pocket Pair, Inc.
Engine
Unreal Engine 5
Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer
Cross-Platform Play
Xbox Series X|S, pc
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WHERE TO PLAY

SUBSCRIPTION
DIGITAL
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In this game, you can peacefully live alongside mysterious creatures known as Pals or risk your life to drive off a ruthless poaching syndicate. Pals can be used to fight and breed, or they can be made to work on farms or factories. You can even sell them or eat them.
Survival: In a harsh environment where food is scarce and vicious poachers roam, danger waits around every corner. To survive, you must tread carefully and make difficult choices...even if that means eating your own Pals when the time comes.
Mounts & Exploration: Pals can be mounted to traverse the land, sea and sky—allowing you to traverse all kinds of environment as you explore the world.
Collect all kinds of exciting Pals to fight, farm, build, and work for you in this completely new multiplayer, open world survival and crafting game!

Number of Players
1-4 (Co-Op); 32 Players Server Limit
Genre(s)
Open-World, Shooter, Survival
How Long To Beat
36 Hours
File Size Xbox Series
6 GB (February 2024)