In Palworld, players cannot traditionally release captured Pals into the wild as in Pokémon. So once you have captured a Pal in the game, there is no way to release them back into the wild.
However, you can get rid of them if you want to. You can do so by selling them to the Pal Merchant, dropping them in the open world (where they remain in their Pal Sphere for eternity), merging them in a Pal Distillation Pod, or, more gruesomely, butchering them for materials.
We’ll go more in-depth with each of these methods below, but if your question is answered already, you can continue reading about the best Pals for your base. Now let’s see how to get rid of unwanted Pals in the game!
1. Sell Them to the Pal Merchant
If imprisoning your former Pals for eternity doesn’t sound like an acceptable thing to do (we’ll talk about this below), you can always sell your excess Pals in Palworld. This is actually one of the best ways to tackle your problem.
In order to do this, simply find a Pal Merchant – you can find these in Settlements, although they will pop up at your base every now and then too – and interact with them.
Speaking of merchants, make sure you read our previous guide about the Black Market merchant in the game, too.
PRO TIP: You can actually capture Merchants, just as you would capture Pals – and always have one around.
So, when your level is high enough to be able to handle them, capture merchants – especially a Pal Merchant to make Pal selling (and buying) a breeze.
2. Butcher Them!
Believe it or not, there’s actually one in-game item whose sole purpose is that of getting you rid of unwanted Pals.
That item is the Meat Cleaver, and it allows you to butcher your Pals, gaining some materials in return.
Crafting the Cleaver requires x5 Ingots, x20 Wood, x5 Stone, and unlocking the Primitive Furnace with a Kindling Pal present.
Once you have all these, simply equip your Meat Cleaver and interact with your Pal.
3. Release Pals in the Open World
Players have the option to ‘drop’ their Pals in the game’s environment, although you can’t release them and see them roam in the wild again.
However, if you do want to get rid of a specific Pal or more, this is how you do it:
Make sure that the Pal you want to release is in your party. Then, open the Party menu, select the Pal from there and then click the “Drop Pal” option.
This will actually drop the sphere with the Pal inside, and they will stay there until other players collect them. If not, it’s eternal life in a sphere for them.
If you like this, make sure to read how to catch Pals in Palworld – it’s easier now that you know how to also get rid of them!
4. Use the Pal Distillation Pod (aka Condenser)
The Pal Distillation Pod is an in-game item that allows you to fuse copies of the same Pal and get an upgraded version in return.
Getting it requires a bunch of resources, like paldium fragments, ingots, and ancient civilization fragments, but once you have it, you can use it to merge your Pals into better ones.
While you won’t be releasing your captured Pals this way, you’re still getting rid of unwanted ones – and get improved versions of themselves in the process.
We have a complete guide to using the Distillation pod in Palworld, make sure to check it out!
Conclusion
Even though you do lack a simple “release Pal” option in the game, you do have some alternatives that can help you get rid of unwanted characters in the game.
Each method comes with its own set of practical and even ethical considerations (I’m looking at you, Meat Cleaver!), but in the end it’s just a game (with or without AI-generated images) so it’s up for you to decide how to approach this.
Were you able to find a different way to release your Pals into the wild or get rid of them? If so, let us all know by commenting below.
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