Summary

• The Sakurajima update for Palworld introduced numerous new features, including Pal Skins, lockpicking, meteorite events, and PvP Arena.
• The update also added new Pals, weapons, buildings, and the Sakurajima island, increasing replayability and variety for players.
• The update is a significant step forward for Palworld's future and showcases what can be expected.

Palworld's Sakurajima update has finally arrived and with it comes a myriad of changes from the base game. Palworld launched with massive success in January 2024, setting indie player count records on Steam. This success also came with enormous profits for developer Pocketpair, suring the development cost by a wide margin. This ongoing success has resulted in this first large content update.

Palworld's success came from a simple strategy, making the grind easy and giving players what they want. Though the community claimed "Pokémon with guns" was met with some controversy, it filled a need missing in both the survival and creature catcher genres. The survival grind was massively lessened due to base mechanics allowing captured Pals to collect most necessary resources. Overall, Palworld can be seen as a very player-friendly game built upon its great gameplay cycle.

10 All-New Pal Skins

A Fresh Coat

The smallest addition to Sakurajima arguably has the most potential to be great or horrible for players. Pal Skins are cosmetic options for captured Pals. To apply the new Pal Skins, players must build a Pal Dressing Facility, which can be researched at level one. Currently, it is unknown how skins will be acquired as more are added in.

Building a Pal Dressing Facility costs 10 Stone and 10 Paldium Fragments.

The Sakurajima update added one Pal skin given away for free. That skin is the Sunglasses Cattiva, which is just a Cattiva wearing a pair of sunglasses. Though simple, it is the first step into what could be an extremely creative and entertaining skin system for the future of Palworld. Another option, while unlikely, could be opening up for player-created mods to import more skins into solo worlds or private servers.

9 Lockpicking Is A New Looting System

Cracking Open the Fun

The Sakurajima update added a new looting system known as lockpicking. Lockpicks come in three tiers: Copper, Silver, and Gold Keys. Lockpicks are semi-expensive to make, requiring Ingots, Paldium Fragments, Nails, and Pal Ingots for tier three, but are worth the investment. This is because Lockpicks are considered key items, so they do not consume an inventory spot or break.

If this spot cannot be found, the attempt will be called a failure.

The lockpicking minigame itself is rather simple and could even be compared to the likes of Fallout. Players need to use the tools to find the sweet spot of the lock that will allow it to turn and unlock. If this spot cannot be found, the attempt will be called a failure. Luckily, as previously stated, this does not break the lockpick and will restart the minigame.

8 Meteorite Events Bring New Threats

Falling Stars & Fierce Foes

Crashed meteorites are a new event that can occur near a player's active base. These events will cause a meteorite to crash from the sky carrying an assortment of loot, but they can also be mined themselves for Meteorite Fragments. Luckily, meteorites can be mined with any version of the pickaxe. An important note for Meteorite crashes is that they will only spawn if there are no active loot drops.

Meteorite events also have a chance to spawn one of three Space Pals. The two that can spawn anywhere are Xenovader (Dark-Type) and Xenogard (Dragon-Type). Both of them are extremely strong Pals to match their rarity and are good at Lumbering and Mining, respectively. On Sakurajima, Meteorite events have a chance to spawn Selyne. Seylne is a Dark/Neutral Pal that can be used for medicine or crafting.

7 Boss Tower Hard Mode

The Gauntlet Awaits

A new replayability option added to the Sakurajima update was a hard mode for Boss Towers. This can be unlocked by beating each Tower in its regular mode. The award for beating Towers on hard mode is increased drops along with a chance to gain a cosmetic item from the boss's costume.

However, these hard-mode boss fights are one of the most challenging encounters in the game. Bosses and NPCs, which have increased spawns, also get massive buffs to health and damage. With this, it is entirely possible for Pals and players to be instantly killed if hit with an attack. In this regard, it is best to go into these fights with the best Pals at maximum levels, along with as many players as possible.

6 New Buildings In Sakurajima

Building Boom in Paradise

Sakurajima added a handful of buildings to make the survival aspects of Palworld even easier. The two biggest additions of these are the Sulfur Mine and Coal Mine. These two ores originally could only be found spawning naturally and thus required their own base. However, the addition of these two buildings makes this unnecessary and increases player freedom for base establishment.

The other new buildings include: Cold Food Box, Pal Disassembly Conveyor, and Refrigerated Crusher. The Cold Food Box will work the same as the current one, but keep food fresh longer. The Pal Disassembly Conveyor will be a more hands-off method for disposing of unwanted Pals. Finally, the Refrigerated Crusher will be the upgrade needed for some of the new materials from Sakurajima.

5 New Weapons In Sakurajima

Power Up on the Island

Seven new player weapons can now be obtained in the Sakurajima update. This is arguably the biggest change that does not affect Pals, as player weapons were rather weak in the base game. Some of these weapons are options previously available through Pals, like the Flamethrower and Gatling gun. The other options are new and help fill previously empty roles.

The Laser Rifle is a precise instrument capable of dealing the highest consistent damage outside possibly the Gatling gun.

The two most noteworthy new weapons are the Laser Rifle and Guided Missile Launcher. The Laser Rifle is a precise instrument capable of dealing the highest consistent damage outside possibly the Gatling gun. Meanwhile, the Guided Missile Launcher has the highest damage output in the game but is better at dishing out burst damage. Overall, these new weapons not only give more options but greatly increase non-Pal damage in Palworld.

4 Sakurajima Island & New Tower Boss

Island Paradise & Tower Guardian

Sakurajima is a lush and diverse new island to explore based around a fantastical Japan. The inner parts of the island are forest/swamp biomes, whereas the Northern and Southern peaks are snowy mountains. To reach the island, players need a flying or aquatic mount. However, everything in Sakurajima will be at least level 50, so it is advised to have the proper gear and Pals before setting out. Sakurajima will be the only location where most of the new Pals will spawn.

Sakurajima is also home to the new Moonflowers faction and their boss, Saya. Saya will be one of the toughest encounters in the game, even in regular mode. Her partner of choice is the aforementioned space Pal Selyne. To challenge Saya, it is best to bring strong Dragon-Type Pals that are at least around the maximum level.

3 New Pals In Sakurajima

Befriending the Island

The most popular addition to any creature catcher update is the new creatures. Overall, while counting variants, Sakurajima added 24 new Pals to Palworld. None of these Pals added any new Types, but the majority are useful to players in one way or another. The completely new Pals also come with fresh designs that make them distinctive from the base game.

Outside the three space Pals, great options for combat include the Ground-Types Knocklem and Menasting Terra. For around the base, new options include Shroomer Noct, Sootseer, Dogen, and any of the variants of the base game Pals. Sakurajima found a good balance of Pals to cover both aspects of the game. However, the best part of Palworld is that, unless players care about "Meta picks," any Pal can prove useful throughout the game.

2 Palworld's Oil Rig Stronghold

Oil Rig Adventure

The first of its kind in Palworld, the Oil Rig stronghold poses a unique new endgame challenge. This stronghold can be found to the southeast and will require some form of flying or aquatic mount. However, not only is it filled with Pals and NPCs between levels 50 to 55, but it also has a horde of artillery and sentry turrets.

Thus, preparing the best gear and Pals that can be acquired before heading out is important.

Luckily, the reward for attempting to conquer the Oil Rig is well worth it. The base will be scattered with chests that contain various high-level materials. One such resource is the new Crude Oil, a critical crafting requirement for many of the new items. The Oil Rig will also have some Poachers on it with high-level Pals that can be liberated and captured for player use.

1 Palworld's PvP Arena

Pal versus Pal: The Thrill of the PvP Arena

The biggest change in Sakurajima is the addition of a new PvP arena. Luckily, the system is simple and easy to access. To begin, players need to travel to a small island south of the desert to find the Arena. The Arena will serve as the multiplayer hub that searches for PvP matches.

The way to win is by knocking out the opposing Tamer, but eliminating the enemy Pals will also work.

In its current form, Palworld PvP is a 4v4 match between two players and three of their Pals. Of these three, only one can be mounted, and the other two will act of their own accord. The way to win is by knocking out the opposing Tamer, but eliminating the enemy Pals will also work. Luckily, any damage sustained or ammo used will be replenished after the battle. This all combines to make PvP a risk-free experience for all.

Overall, the Sakurajima update is a huge first step in the future of Palworld. It should be encouraging that an update of this magnitude is as encoming as it is. The only complaint that could be made, and it is a small one, is that more new Pals could be added. Regardless, these major changes to Palworld in the Sakurajima update are a bright sign for the future of the indie creature-catcher.