Palworld could have a major problem with an item that's meant to boost your chances of capturing pals, but lowers it instead

Palworld Pal fluids - A Lifmunk with an SMG
(Image credit: Pocket Pair)

There are some practical ways to boost your chances of nabbing a Pal in Palworld—for example, you can get around an initial check by throwing your sphere from behind (called a 'back bonus'). The most reliable way, however, is using a Lifmunk Effigy: Items scattered around the world that boost your capture rate. Or at least that's the idea.

The impact of the humble Lifmunk was tested by Chalenor on YouTube, who "after having to use 15 spheres on an alleged 50% capture chance" did some Palworld science. In their investigations, Chalenor found that a save file with their Lifmunk Effigies turned in was performing significantly worse than a save file with no buffs at all.

As pointed out in the video's comments, there are some issues with Chalenor's methods here even if the evidence seems compelling. For one, their sample size is small for a large-scale probability test. Secondly, Chalenor is using a variety of pals with a variety of levels and HP values, so there could be more factors at play.

On the other hand, something definitely feels funky. In a Reddit thread discussing the potential bug, a rallying cry of 'I knew it!' is downright common. Some players even note that their catch rate on the same pal visibly decreased after using an effigy. Another writes: "I had a level 27 mossanda break out four plus times at 40 health with an ultra sphere. I’m level 39." Players on the game's official Discord are reporting similar problems.

This could always just be a kind of anti-survivorship bias. People with good luck don't tend to take to forums, Discords and threads to complain about it. Anyone who has played XCOM knows that a 95% chance to hit misses more than you'd expect—that's because even though something is improbable, doesn't mean it's impossible.

The gulf between our perception of random chance and the reality of it even causes devs to use 'pseudo-RNG' to keep things feeling smooth, with code dedicated to breaking bad luck streaks. 

Not to mention, games are complex machines. It could be the Lifmunk Effigies, but there could be any number of other factors mucking with the numbers behind the scenes. Something's fishy either way—so it may be best to avoid using Lifmunk Effigies for now and raise your server's capture rate instead.

Best PalsPalworld roadmapPalworld modsPalworld multiplayerPalworld dedicated serverPalworld breeding guide

Best Pals: What to catch early
Palworld roadmap: The early access plan
Palworld mods: Best tweaks to install
Palworld multiplayer: How to co-op
Palworld dedicated server: Full-time Pals
Palworld breeding guide: Get started with cake and eggs

Harvey Randall
Staff Writer

Harvey's history with games started when he first begged his parents for a World of Warcraft subscription aged 12, though he's since been cursed with Final Fantasy 14-brain and a huge crush on G'raha Tia. He made his start as a freelancer, writing for websites like Techradar, The Escapist, Dicebreaker, The Gamer, Into the Spine—and of course, PC Gamer. He'll sink his teeth into anything that looks interesting, though he has a soft spot for RPGs, soulslikes, roguelikes, deckbuilders, MMOs, and weird indie titles. He also plays a shelf load of TTRPGs in his offline time. Don't ask him what his favourite system is, he has too many.

Read more
Palworld Pal hammering on rocks with a pickaxe
'He was trying his best'—Palworld had a lone server guy trying to keep the game afloat during its 2 million player launch
Monster Hunter Wilds official art
If you've captured them for a minute, monsters in Monster Hunter Wilds are legally allowed to leave
Monster Hunter Wilds capturing
Slaying monsters in Monster Hunter Wilds is fun and all, but I'm here to tell you that capturing is secretly the better option
Palworld - A Sweepa and Gumoss stand together in a breeding ranch
Palworld breeding guide and the best breeding combos
Monster Hunter Wilds - a hunter faces off against Doshaguma in a field
Why did Monster Hunter Wilds dedicate so much effort to its environments, only to completely drop the actual 'hunting' from Monster Hunter?
Olivia, Alma and a palico
Capcom is punishing me for wanting to play Monster Hunter Wilds with my friends
Latest in Action
Monster Hunter Wilds' stockpile master studying a manifest
Monster Hunter Wilds' new gyro controls are a fantastic option for disabled and able-bodied players alike
Manhunt 2
I played the notoriously ratings-board-ravaged Manhunt 2 and was quite glad for the censorship actually
Commander Shepard in Mass Effect 3.
Mass Effect's Jennifer Hale, who played femshep, 'saw no line' before she recorded them for Bioware's flagship trilogy: 'It was all cold reading on the spot'
A hunter hefts a massive Mega Barrel Bomb in Monster Hunter Wilds.
Monster Hunter Wilds players can't stop blowing themselves to smithereens with its rollable barrel bombs
A hunter poses with a large hammer as their palico cheers nearby in Monster Hunter Wilds.
Monster Hunter Wilds weapon tier list
Naoe looking at the wrist blade in Assassin's Creed Shadows
Ubisoft backflips, says Assassin's Creed Shadows will support Steam Deck at launch, but I doubt I'll actually want to play it there
Latest in News
Man facing camera
The Day Before studio reportedly sues Russian website for calling infamous disaster-game a 'scam'
Will Poulter holding a CD ROM
'What are most games about? Killing': Black Mirror Season 7 includes a follow-up to 2018 interactive film Bandersnatch
Casper Van Dien in Starship Troopers
Sony, which is making a Helldivers 2 movie, is also making a new Starship Troopers movie, but it's not based on the Starship Troopers movie we already have
Assassin's Creed meets PUBG
Ubisoft is reportedly talking to Tencent about creating a new business entity to manage Assassin's Creed and other big games
Resident Evil Village - Lady Dimitrescu
'It really truly changed my life in every possible way': Lady Dimitrescu actor says her Resident Evil Village role was just as transformative for her as it was for roughly half the internet in 2021
Storm trooper hero
Another live service shooter is getting shut down, this time before it even launched on Steam