Palworld Base Defense Roster — Best Pals & Layout to Survive Raids
Raid Threat Levels
| Raid Tier | Trigger | Enemy Composition | Loss if Unprepared |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 — Local Bandits | After first 10 hours | 5–8 Lv 15 bandits with Old Bows | Minor — 1–2 fences destroyed |
| Tier 2 — Syndicate Squad | After 20+ hours | 8–12 Lv 25 Syndicate troops with Muskets | Moderate — 4–6 buildings destroyed if Pals are away |
| Tier 3 — Syndicate Strike Team | After 40+ hours | 12–15 Lv 35 with Shotguns + 1 boss | Significant — risk of losing worker Pals to death |
| Tier 4 — Black Market Raid | After 60+ hours / boss tower clears | 15+ Lv 45 with Assault Rifles + paired Pal boss | Severe — can lose entire base wall if undefended |
| Tier 5 — Pal Raid (rare) | Random; high-level base | Wild Pal pack (Alpha + minions) | Variable — depends on Pal types attacking |
Defense Pal Roster — 5-Slot Standard Layout
| Slot | Recommended pick | Why / notes |
|---|---|---|
| Slot 1 — Anchor (AOE) | Mossanda Lux | Electric AOE attacks; covers wide area; ranged |
| Slot 2 — Bruiser | Anubis | Ground melee + high damage; stops raiders at chokepoint |
| Slot 3 — Healer / sustain | Lyleen Noct | Field heal + plant attacks; keeps defense Pals alive |
| Slot 4 — Mobile DPS | Blazehowl (or Blazehowl Noct) | Fast moving fire DPS; chases fleeing raiders |
| Slot 5 — Tank | Astegon (or Mammorest, Bushi Noct) | High HP sponge; draws enemy fire away from worker Pals |
Why You Need Dedicated Defense Pals
Worker Pals (Astegon for Mining, Anubis for Handiwork) will fight back when raiders attack their work zone, but their combat AI is poor — they often run to engage rather than holding position, leading to chase deaths. Dedicated defense Pals are assigned to the 'Defense' slot in your Pal Box, which makes them stand at predetermined defense points and engage raiders within their patrol radius without abandoning post.
The Defense slot is separate from the regular Worker assignment. You can have 5 Defense Pals AND 15 Worker Pals at the same base simultaneously, totaling 20 Pals on duty. Defense Pals do not perform work tasks — they exclusively combat raiders. This means you pay a 'slot cost' for defense (one of your 5 active party slots), but in exchange, your worker Pals stay productive during raids.
Without dedicated defense, even a well-equipped base can lose 2–3 buildings per raid as worker Pals get killed and respawn. The economic loss (destroyed buildings + lost work time) over a long campaign is significant. Defense is the single highest-ROI investment after your first 30 hours of play.
Defense Pal Options Ranked
| Pal | Element | Defense Style | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mossanda Lux | Electric | Ranged AOE attacks | S — covers entire wave |
| Lyleen Noct | Plant + Dark | Healer + ranged DPS | S — only consistent healer |
| Anubis | Ground | Melee chokepoint defender | S — high damage anchor |
| Astegon | Dark | Tank + mining utility | A — durable but slow |
| Blazehowl (Noct) | Fire (+ Dark variant) | Fast pursuit DPS | A — chases fleeing raiders |
| Bushi Noct | Dark | Melee tank | B — solid alternative to Astegon |
| Helzephyr | Dark | Flying ranged Dark | B — useful but glass |
| Suzaku | Fire | Fast aerial DPS | B — leaves base too easily |
| Jetragon / Frostallion | Dragon / Ice | Legendary high DPS | C — overkill; better in party |
Verdict: Mossanda Lux + Anubis + Lyleen Noct is the optimal 3-Pal defense core. Add Blazehowl and Astegon to fill the 5 slots. Don't assign legendary Pals (Jetragon, Frostallion) to base defense — they're better in your active party for content runs.
Base Wall and Turret Layout
Pal Metal Walls are the highest-tier wall you can build (Tech Lv 38). They have 5–10× the HP of Stone Walls and absorb significantly more damage. Build a complete perimeter wall around your base footprint. Leave only one gate as the entry/exit point — funneling raiders into a single chokepoint lets your defense Pals concentrate fire.
Inside the perimeter wall, build a second 'inner' wall around critical buildings (Breeding Farm, Egg Incubator cluster, Pal Healing Lab). If raiders breach the outer wall, the inner wall buys you time to engage them before they destroy production buildings. This 'concentric defense' is the gold standard for endgame bases.
Auto-Turrets unlock at Tech Lv 28. Place 4–6 around your perimeter, focused on the gate chokepoint and high-traffic raider approach paths. Auto-Turrets fire automatically at hostile entities within range and burn through ammo (Handgun Ammo or higher depending on turret type). Mass-produce 200+ ammo per turret before raids escalate. Better turret variants (Mounted Machine Guns) unlock at higher tech levels with proportionally higher ammo demands.
Wall + Turret Layout Checklist
- Pal Metal Wall around the entire base perimeter (5–10× HP of Stone)
- Single fortified gate as the entry/exit chokepoint
- Inner wall around critical production buildings (Breeding Farm, Pal Healing Lab)
- 4–6 Auto-Turrets covering the gate and approach paths
- Spike traps at the gate (cheap area-of-effect damage)
- Hot Spring + Feed Box inside the inner wall (keeps Pals at high sanity)
- Save points (sleeping bag, Old Bed) inside the inner wall — survive even if base is overrun
- Backup ammo stockpile in a chest next to the gate (1000+ ammo for sustained defense)
Raid Timer and Trigger Conditions
Raids are triggered by a combination of base level (number of structures + tier of structures), in-game time elapsed at the base, and your overall game progress (boss towers cleared, Sakurajima entry). The more advanced your base, the more frequent and severe the raids become. There's no way to permanently disable raids without modifying server settings.
On dedicated servers, raids can be set to specific intervals (every 24 in-game hours, every 48, etc.) or disabled entirely. Solo-play raids follow the default scaling — typically every 2–4 hours of active play after the early game. Long uninterrupted play sessions can see 2–3 raids back-to-back at high base levels.
Predictable behavior: raids never trigger while you're physically away from your base (engaged in dungeons, exploring distant regions). To 'cheese' raids, players sometimes leave the base in a paused state by quitting to title screen — but on multiplayer servers this isn't possible. The cleanest solution is to build proper defenses.
Active Defense — What to Do During a Raid
When the raid arrives: immediately swap to your strongest combat Pal (Jetragon, Frostallion Noct) and engage. Use Stun Grenades on the raider squad to interrupt their attacks. Mount your Auto-Turrets if possible (they fire faster with manual control). Move to high ground or a balcony for line-of-sight on the entire battlefield.
Prioritize killing raider snipers (carrying Single-Shot Rifles or Assault Rifles) first — they deal the most damage to your defense Pals and turrets. Then sweep up the melee bruisers. Finally, focus the raid 'boss' (the highest-level enemy in the group, usually with a unique Pal companion).
After the raid: repair all damaged structures immediately (raiders may scout your weakened base if you delay), refill Auto-Turret ammo, rebuild any destroyed traps. Check defense Pal HP — Lyleen Noct will heal them automatically but may need to rest at a bed if HP is critical.
Frequently asked questions
Can I disable raids in single-player?
Yes — in the World Settings, you can modify raid frequency or disable raids entirely. This is set when creating a new world. For an existing world, you can enter the World Settings menu and adjust raid frequency dynamically. Many players turn off raids in single-player to focus on exploration and breeding.
How do I assign a Pal to base defense?
Open the Pal Box at your base, drag the Pal into a 'Defense' slot (usually adjacent to worker slots), and confirm. The Pal will then stand at predetermined defense points and engage hostile entities within its patrol radius. Worker Pals do not auto-promote to defense — you must assign them manually.
Do worker Pals fight back during raids?
Sometimes — they fight if directly attacked but won't actively engage. The combat AI for worker Pals is poor; they often die to focus-fire from raiders. Dedicated defense Pals are mandatory once raids become tier 2+.
What happens if my base is destroyed during a raid?
Destroyed structures must be rebuilt. Lost storage chests are gone permanently with their contents. Killed Pals respawn in the Pal Box but with reduced sanity. Killed wild-caught Pals in your party are permadeath. Always store your most valuable Pals in the Pal Box (not the active party) when offline.
Are Auto-Turrets worth the ammo cost?
Yes. A turret fires 50–100 rounds per raid (varies by raid intensity). At ~5 Refined Ingot per Handgun Ammo crafting, this is 250–500 Refined Ingot per raid. Compared to losing a single Pal Metal Wall section (250 Pal Metal + 50 Stone), turrets are cost-effective.
How do I deal with the Pal Raid (wild Pal pack)?
Pal Raids are rare and feature wild Pals attacking your base (rather than Syndicate raiders). They scale to your base level — early on, a pack of mid-level Pals; later, an Alpha + minions. Use your defense Pals + Auto-Turrets normally; type-matched defense Pals (Fire defense for Ice raids, Ice for Dragon) excel.
Sources & verification
- Palworld Wiki — Raids
- Palworld Wiki — Defensive Structures
- Community base defense layout guides (2025–2026 patches)
Continue this guide path
- ›Palworld Base Building Guide — Layouts, Automation & Production ChainsA well-designed base in Palworld runs autonomously while you explore. This guide covers base level progression, optimal work station placement, Pal capacity, and production chain setup.
- ›Best Combat Pals in Palworld — Top Picks for Fighting & RaidsSome Pals are built for destruction. From the early-game Relaxaurus to the late-game Jetragon and Frostallion, this guide ranks the best combat Pals and explains how to maximize their damage with passive skills.
- ›Palworld Weapon Recipe Progression — Bow to Rocket Launcher PathPalworld weapon recipes unlock as you spend Technology Points, but the order you craft them matters. This guide lays out the optimal weapon recipe progression from the Old Bow at Tech Level 6 through the Rocket Launcher at Tech Level 49, with ammo costs and DPS comparisons.
- ›Palworld Multiplayer Guide — Co-op, Servers & PvP ExplainedPalworld supports both online co-op and dedicated servers for larger communities. This guide explains how to play with friends, set up a server, manage shared bases, and what PvP options are available.