Start your first Palworld base by covering jobs, not by chasing the strongest worker in a tier list. Tanzee can plant, Pengullet can water, Cattiva can mine, Foxparks can run fire jobs and Chikipi can produce Ranch Eggs. Each solves a different problem.

This is an unranked shortlist for an opening base, not a mandatory five-Pal lineup. Add the roles you need as you encounter suitable Pals and unlock worker slots through Palbox Base Missions. The natural work levels below use the current 1.0.5 reference, before upgrades and other bonuses.

Tanzee: planting without giving up general help

Tanzee has Planting, Gathering, Lumbering, Handiwork and Transporting at natural level 1. That gives a small base useful coverage: it can help plant a crop, gather it when ready, or move to wood and crafting work between those jobs.

Watering is the missing part. Pair it with a Watering worker instead of expecting a grass Pal to handle the entire plantation. Lifmunk is another Planting and Gathering option if you already own one, but its job list does not include Transporting.

The trade-off is attention. One Tanzee cannot plant, chop wood and move every item at once. When the food chain is waiting, reduce its competing tasks rather than building more plantations and hoping it catches up.

Pengullet: water for crops and the Mill

Pengullet adds Watering, with Handiwork, Cooling and Transporting also listed at natural level 1. It complements a planter instead of duplicating the same job coverage.

Watering also matters when you reach the Mill and start turning Wheat into Flour. Do not count a single Pengullet as a dedicated crop worker and a dedicated Mill worker at the same time. Check which station it is actually serving before assuming the other one is broken.

Keep those roles separate when planning the base: Cooling does not water a plantation, and having both icons does not let one Pal occupy two stations simultaneously.

Cattiva: Mining and hauling in one early worker

Cattiva offers Mining, Handiwork, Gathering and Transporting at natural level 1. It is useful when the base has plenty of possible tasks but lacks someone who can gather basic materials or move the output.

Check the job's required suitability before assigning it. A Mining icon is not a promise that this Pal can handle every later resource or production site. Nor does Mining operate the furnace after the Ore arrives; that needs Kindling.

If crafting keeps pulling Cattiva away from the work you need, use the Monitoring Stand's work permissions to reduce the conflict. Buying a stronger miner will not solve an assignment that sends it elsewhere.

Foxparks: the fire job the others cannot cover

Foxparks has natural Kindling level 1. None of the other four choices in this list supplies that job, which makes it a useful addition when early smelting and cooking become available.

Build the compatible station, queue its recipe and supply the materials. A fire worker standing beside an empty furnace cannot create Ingots from nothing. It also cannot run the furnace and Cooking Pot at the same time, so consider their competing demands when you start cooking Cake.

This is a role recommendation, not a claim that Foxparks stays the fastest choice throughout the game.

Chikipi: Eggs from the Ranch

Assign Chikipi to a Ranch and its Partner Skill can produce Eggs. Its natural jobs are Gathering and Farming at level 1, but Farming here is the Ranch role, not a substitute for Planting or Watering.

Eggs become useful when you prepare ordinary Cake for breeding. Chikipi covers one ingredient, not the whole supply: you still need Flour, Red Berries, Milk and Honey, then a suitable cooking station and Kindling worker to make the finished Cake.

Start with the job your base is missing. Check food, beds, SAN, access and enabled work before replacing a worker that stands idle. Our Work Pals reference compares the full job lists, while the progression route and breeding setup show which stations and ingredients come next.