Palworld Raids Guide
Base raids are Palworld's pressure valve — they punish unattended bases and reward players who invest in defense. Version 1.0 replaces the old predictable assault system with a wave defense overhaul that keeps even veteran builders on edge. Enemy groups arrive in waves with shifting compositions, varied approach angles, and escalation timers that do not follow a fixed script.
Whether your main base sits on the Plateau of Beginnings or you have expanded into an offshore fortress, understanding the new raid logic is mandatory. This guide explains wave behavior, offshore-specific threats, slab farming during defense, and how to assemble Pal teams that hold the line without micromanaging every fight.
The 1.0 Wave Defense Overhaul
Pre-1.0 raids followed rough templates — a set enemy type, a known direction, a manageable timer. The overhaul introduces multi-phase waves. Early waves send scouts and light attackers to probe weak walls. Mid waves bring siege Pals and ranged units targeting production buildings. Final waves can include Alpha-tier invaders with element advantages against common defensive setups.
Unpredictable enemy waves mean your defense cannot rely on a single chokepoint meta. Build redundant kill zones, assign Pals to overlapping patrol routes, and keep repair materials in chests near every wall segment. The raid defense builds page catalogs layouts tested against multiple wave seeds.
Offshore Raid Threats
Ocean bases trigger offshore raid variants not seen on mainland Palboxes. Aquatic attackers surface from multiple directions simultaneously. Flying siege units bypass low walls entirely and target rooftop production lines. The open water approach removes the natural terrain funnel that mainland builders exploit.
Offshore defenders need elevated firing platforms, anti-air Pal assignments on upper decks, and underwater perimeter checks. Pair this guide with the offshore building guide for placement strategies that minimize blind spots. If you commute to an offshore base using the Wing Pack, arrive before wave timers expire — mid-raid construction is nearly impossible.
Threat Scaling by Base Activity
Raid intensity scales with production output, stored item volume, and time since your last login. High-throughput factories attract heavier waves. Bases left unattended for multiple real-time days accumulate threat. Log in before long absences to reset timers or assign extra guard Pals temporarily.
Slab Farming Through Defense
Slabs are the raid economy's new currency. Defeated invaders and destroyed siege objects drop slabs used in reinforced structures, defensive traps, and technology upgrades tied to the wave system. A well-designed base does not just survive raids — it farms them.
Position kill boxes where guard Pals concentrate fire without damaging production buildings. Use ranged Pals with AoE skills to clear waves quickly and maximize slab drops per minute. Collect slabs immediately after each wave; leaving them on the ground risks despawning during the next escalation phase. Dedicate a chest slot for slab storage and haul them to your main production base during calm periods.
Defense Pal Teams
Assigning random high-level Pals to guard duty wastes potential. Build dedicated defense teams with complementary roles. Tanks with high HP and defensive passives hold bridge entrances and stairwells. Ranged DPS Pals with element coverage — Fire, Water, and Dragon types handle mixed waves — sit on elevated platforms. Flying Pals intercept aerial units before they reach fragile structures.
- Relaxaurus Lux — AoE lightning clears clustered ground waves.
- Anubis — Ground pound skills control chokepoints on mainland bases.
- Jormuntide Ignis — Fire coverage against Nature and Ice invaders.
- Nitewing — Early-game anti-air before legendary flyers are available.
Rotate guard Pals out when their sanity drops — stressed defenders skip abilities and stand idle during critical waves. Keep Feed Boxes and Hot Springs within patrol range of every guard post.
Pre-Raid Preparation Checklist
Before logging off or launching a long World Tree session, run through a short checklist. Repair all walls and gates. Confirm guard Pals are assigned to fixed positions, not wandering work duty. Stock ammo and healing items in base chests for your return. Check raid threat indicators on the Palbox management screen.
During active raids, prioritize protecting production buildings over decorative structures. Let walls absorb damage while Pal teams focus fire on siege units that target furnaces and workbenches. After the final wave, repair immediately — secondary raids can trigger sooner than expected on high-output bases.
Advanced Raid Defense Strategy
Experienced players maintain a mainland raid farm base separate from their main production hub. The farm base uses cheap materials, maximum kill-box efficiency, and slab storage optimized for volume. Production stays safe at a secondary location with lower threat scaling. Study the raid defense builds collection for blueprints you can replicate with mid-game resources before investing in endgame offshore fortresses.
Frequently Asked Questions
What changed about raids in Palworld version 1.0?
Raids received a full wave defense overhaul. Enemy groups now arrive in unpredictable waves with mixed compositions, timers, and escalation patterns. Static spawn lists are gone — each raid scales differently based on base location, threat level, and offshore proximity.
Why are offshore bases more vulnerable to raids?
Water-based bases attract offshore raid variants with aquatic and flying attackers that bypass traditional wall defenses. Open water approaches give enemies multiple entry vectors. Offshore builders need elevated platforms, anti-air Pal teams, and perimeter coverage on all sides.
What are slabs and why farm them during raids?
Slabs are raid-related crafting materials dropped by defeated invaders and destroyed siege structures. They feed advanced defensive recipes and base reinforcement items introduced in 1.0. Active raid defense doubles as a farming route when your base layout is optimized for safe kills.
Which Pals are best for raid defense teams?
Prioritize ranged attackers with AoE skills — Relaxaurus Lux, Jormuntide Ignis, and Anubis excel at crowd control. Tank Pals with high HP and defensive passives hold chokepoints. Flying defenders intercept aerial waves before they reach production buildings.
Can you disable raids entirely?
Raid frequency scales with base activity and location but cannot be fully disabled on standard servers. Reducing base alert level, building in lower-threat biomes, and clearing nearby spawn camps lowers frequency. Offshore and high-production bases always attract more attention.
Where can I find raid defense base layouts?
Our raid defense builds page collects tested layouts for mainland and offshore bases, including chokepoint designs, Pal guard positions, and slab-farming loops optimized for the 1.0 wave system.